What should I do after losing it ALL?

[Adam Logan]

I am very confused about my future and really am not satisfied accepting any of what appear to be my options. I got myself into one of those catch 22 positions. Perhaps someone can spark an idea I have not considered yet.

Last year midway through I lost my marriage. I got quite ill amongt other things, and basically sparing the details, my life fell apart like a controlled demolition. In a short 6 months I had accomplished nothing but making myself more sick and depressed, subsiding on my life savings which was about $140,000 cash. I expected to recover anything spent since I had built up my income to about $200,000 a year. My properties sat untouched, vacant, and suddenly declining in value without my awareness.

Around December I started to try to pull myself out of the hole I was in. I did not know it would take a few months. But at that point I had not left the house much and discovered the housing market had fallen apart.

I liquidated everything after I rushed rehabbing them all hours of the day and night. In the end, not so bad. I maybe lost $10,000. However, my partner wanted out by then. He was responsible for the $800,000 I had to use for buys.

By then, I was broke. Divorce, health bills, payments on bills based on a $200,000 lifestyle, I had no way of continuing despite 5 years of uninterrupted profit. I still do not. Hard money, credit, etc. is not an option to me. I am pretty seasoned and am also an ex loan officer, I know that category is completely not in question for me to attempt and reform another investment corp.

So, I have to change careers at 33. I already had formed a tub, tile, cabinet, countertop recoating company mainly for extra money and to be able to use on my own property. That is still going for me, but it is not enough. I need something else going on career wise.

What can I get in to??? I have a BA of Arts degree, and only 9 months formal employee experience as a loan officer for Huntington Banks, (not an option again, $30,000 isnt worth 40 hrs). The rest was my investment co. Here I am sure you know what I did and dealt with, almost all the rehabbing by hand, acquisition, valuation, record scrubbing, rental, management, essentially anything an investor can do is what I did. I would say I was an 9 out of 10 in residential investing performance and knowledge.

The only difference in me and a lot of other investors is I did the work myself and I mean some pretty extensive rehabbing, along with the seasoning of maximizing profitability in the materials. I can do everything and just as good as a pro, or better, with exception to roofing and hvac. But, no licenses for any of it which would mean working for a subcontractor laying tile or installing cabinets or whatever. If I could do it all and there was a profession that required that ability, I am sure the pay would be suitable. But the only thing I could do would be to get licensed in one of the sub professions and they ALL require 4 years formal experience with a licensed contractor. I dont have that so thats out.

I just do not know. What can I do besides investing? I know it will be a step down whatever I do, and thats fine. I just can't make entry level money after making almost $1,000,000 in a few years. But, I have no problem with earning a more modest income to survive on, like $50,000 or so.

What can I get myself into with this dilemma? I have been practically poverty stricken for a year now. I am becoming desperate for a solution.