New Guy from Chattanooga, TN

[Ian Evatt]

Hi all, 

I've been lurking for a couple months and thought I would reach out for some advice about a good deal on a mess of a house. I went to post my question and got a suggestion to introduce myself first so here goes...

I bought a fixer upper in a college town about 9 years ago and just recently made about three fold what I put into it. It was a mixture sweat equity, buy and hold and sheer luck that Nashville got so expensive my small town picked up the slack for "not outrageously overpriced" homes. It was a success story but a very long one. Buying a house at 23, renting the rooms while I lived there (minor cashflow but paid the mortgage!) and doing a lot of the work myself are all things I see you guys recommending now that I've joined BP.

Now here's the mistake (maybe?)... I bounced back and forth between finishing a degree and working at start-ups that all failed. So I have a sketchy work history and currently no job at all since I thought I was gonna be rich! The banks don't like my lack of work history so it's time to be cheap, creative or both!

So, I'm here to navigate my way through starting over and getting another property. It'll be another live-in flip most likely and if I can rent some rooms and turn it into a fully rentable and leveragable property to make another deal. 

Hi Bigger Pockets folks! Looking forward to diving in!

-Ian