Built a house on a $100 bet and now I'm hooked

[Adam Rivard]

In May of 2013 I was enjoying a beverage at happy hour with a very successful VP from my company who was on the verge of retirement.  We started discussing the dream home he was building and would move into after his last day at the company.  After asking all kinds of questions I came to find out this was the 5th house he'd built in his life with the first being when he was 25.  A drink or two later the egos came out and before I knew it a $100 bet was on the table that I couldn't build a house and move in within 18 months.  Without any concept of how I would make that a reality and only $5,000 in savings, I took the bet.

Fast forward 3 months and I was under contract for a piece of land in Somers, Connecticut.  The plans were finalized in February of 2014, closed on the construction loan in March, broke ground in May, and moved in on November 15th (5 days short of 18 months).  My all in costs were $305k with an appraised value of $335k.  Getting my CO was both an immense relief and slightly depressing at the same time.  I loved the process of planning, managing, and building the house so much that I didn't know what I would do now that it was done.  At least I had the $100 in my pocket!

That brings me to today. My fiance and I are happily settled into the house and have taken on a few additional projects, but I'm ready for my next big project. I've always had the idea of REI on the back burner and now is the time to jump in. I'm finishing up my MBA in May and getting married in July 2017 so I have 8 months to read, listen, and network with the goal of learning as much as possible before going after my first deal.

I look forward to meeting people through BP and hopefully working together to realize our REI dreams!