All Forum Posts by: Ciara Coleman

@Jill DeWit thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement! I truly appreciate it. I am loving the abundance of information I've found from BP so far. And I definitely need to check into finding a local REI soon. All great tips!

@Tyson Hosey I would love to hear who you’ve been using! I have a GC working for me now who I haven’t had a problem with thus far, but regardless I do need to grow my network all-around. 

@Michelle Eisenberg very nice you know someone from the program! May have been one of my classmates lol. The program was amazing. They actually made me my own special part time program when I found out I was pregnant. I’m grateful! 

Definitely let me know what you find out about that loan. I’d be interested to know. I originally was just looking to hire a handy man to do a lot of it in order to save money, but the best bid I got was from a GC so I ended up going that route. It’s most certainly been a learning experience lol.  Always valuable, though. I will say I definitely understand why so many investors start out doing more work themselves and then peel back from it. I have to go try to clean up all the dust off the walls and floor from the plaster and tuckpointing tomorrow when I get off work so they can lay the floors, say a prayer for me (lol)

@Tyson Hosey awesome! I will be excited to see why you come up with. What area are you looking in?

@Michelle Eisenberg see comment ^^^above! I couldn’t figure out how to link you in that one lol

Nice to meet you all! Thanks for the encouragement!

Michelle—

My property is a bit of a fixer upper. The downstairs unit is occupied by a tenant right now and is in decent condition.  The upstairs is where my son and I will be living and definitely was in need of some work. I’m going to end up probably putting about $12k into it. We looked for a while for a place that would work for us, since we will be living in the property. I’d love to go and collect a new property for 3.5% down every year, but it’s  just too much with my work schedule and having my son, so i was a bit picky with this first place because I wanted a place we could make into something we could enjoy living in. The money mostly went into new flooring, installing an in-unit washer and dryer, tuckpointing the brick I exposed, tearing down a wall between the living room and kitchen, and updating the kitchen. 

WHEn you say a homestyle reno loan, do you mean like a 203k? Or some other kind of loan?

PS awesome to meet a fellow Wash U’er! (Besides Josh of course lol). What did you get your degree in?

Hi All!

My name is Ciara and I’m an occupational therapist and single mom of a four year old boy, living in St. Louis, MO. I have one deal under my belt which I just closed on a few weeks ago (duplex in south city!).

I have been interested in real estate for a long time as I can remember wanting to “flip houses” when I was a young girl. That continued through my teens and young twenties and I’d always say how I wanted to marry a man who wants to do the same so we can have a family business and not work for “the man.” Life doesn’t always go as planned and I had a detour when I had my son in 2013. However, I finished grad school in Dec. 2016 at the age of 29 (Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, any alums?!) and have been able to use that as a source of income to save for investments. Fast forward to fall 2017, I discovered Bigger Pockets and started getting some motivation and direction to begin my RE journey. 

I still remain interested in fix and flipping, but my ultimate goal is more rooted in long-term buy and holds, likely via small multi family units.  That passive income is what I’m longing for. I grew up from poor beginnings and without any kind of travel opportunity, so I am ultimately working toward financial freedom so that my son and I are able to travel. That is my “big why,” if you will. 

I’m very interested in networking and meeting more people in the RE investing world! Looking forward to meeting y’all!

-Ciara