Epic Vanlife Conversion

[Heather Hatcher]

Investment Info:

Other fix & flip investment.

Purchase price: $8,000
Cash invested: $20,000

This was a fun and unique project I did with my partner. We took an old senior living shuttle bus and converted it into a sweet #vanlife conversion which is a lifestyle that has been trending for a while now.

Check out the before and after photos under "investments" on my page.

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

I've wanted to do this for years! Traveling runs through my veins -my parents also traveled the states in their van in the 70's. So I kinda had to do it, right?

Last year it finally came to fruition. My partner and I had enough time to build out AND travel in our van for a few months.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

While visiting the area looking at properties, we found the shuttle bus for sale in New Hampshire, so we snagged it immediately.

We knew that now was the time to shine. The owners bought it from the senior living center wanting to do a similar conversion but didn't have the time, they actually had it listed for $10k. We got them down to $8k and this beast only had 40k miles on it.

We stored our van and started our conversion 3 months later when we got back.

How did you add value to the deal?

We put in $20k, adding everything to live in here all year round. Solar, propane for heater & shower, mini split, fridge that runs off DC, tongue & groove ceiling with puck lights, farm house sink with butcher block counter tops, full bed with storage underneath, 3 seatbelts connected to couch that turns into 2nd full bed, all electric is stored under bench, an induction stove top, fully furnished with pots, pans, and work out essentials, and our favorite part: A ROOFTOP DECK to enjoy the sites.

What was the outcome?

This beautiful beast -check my investments on my page for photos.

It's been cash flowing for about a year at $1,200 a month. And we plan to sell it for around $70k.

Not to mention we got to experience the outcome ourselves by traveling in it from New Hampshire to Arizona. We made an immense amount of stops along the way seeing National and State Parks, hiking and eating great food, and our main focus was climbing in South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. Memories that will last.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Lesson learned: should repeat this process 100X over again