In my own words...

There was a time when I just didn't see any money in RE. Boy was I wrong! If I had it all to do again, well, no sense dwelling on all that.

I caught the RE bug about 8 years ago and it was completely by accident. During the course of that 8 years I have learned a lot about RE and I know that I still have a lot to learn! Because of my interest in RE and my husband's union training as a carpenter, the next logical step was to become a licensed builder to help support our RE habit. Being a licensed contractor has saved us tens of thousands of dollars on our investments over the years.

I gave myself the title of "Investment Coordinator" about 5 years ago because that is what I am. I locate the properties that I am interested in (I have been known to obsessively stalk a few properties waiting for thier emergence onto the market), figure out how much work they need, pick out all the materials for each project and sometimes I even sport a tool belt and get my hands dirty. I have become rather good at tile work! Each property gets my full attention and is fully analyzed to determine if the deal is worth it or not. I have bought as low as 28% ARV.

The current market conditions in my area are keeping me on my toes as we have an interesting economy here. Because we are right on beautiful Lake Michigan we have the vacation home buyers and local homebuyers. When the homes inland are not selling well we still have a strong vacation home market. However, even in this down market, I see a lot of money to be made. Currently my area has a one year surplus of homes on the market. There is a lot of room for negotiations!

The ability to turn a rough piece of property into a gem gives us both an enormous sense of pride. Of course our favorite part is when the property sells and we go to cash the check! But it is also very satisfying to speak to our buyer's, years later, to find that they still love the house they bought from us. When a family is buying a house from you its good to know that the work was done right.

Real Estate Experience

I have 8 years of experience in purchasing rehabs and flipping them. I don't have a rigid investing style but I try to buy at the lowest possible ARV that I can.

For investors that are just starting out my best advice is to find a great Realtor. I have worked with many and out of those many there is only ONE that I recommend. That ONE isnt afraid to put in the low offers and doesnt call me with 'deals' that she knows won't cash flow. Find one with integrity and they will get you far.

Real Estate Goals

My goals as an investor are simple. I want to get into other arenas of investing as well as continue to flip properties.

I watch millions of dollars pass me by because I don't have a lot of capital to invest and it is getting even harding to finance deals with the banks with the credit crunch that is currently being experienced. In order to reach those goals I need private investors.