All Forum Posts by: Helen Lowery

Hello Community,

This morning I woke up in a reflective mood.  I realized that it has been nearly 10 years since I bought my first investment property.  I am thinking about what I have done (flips, brrrs, rentals) and what I haven't done (10X , no multifamiles, no large marketing campaigns).  I am thinking about perhaps the most important question that investors face: how to get the next deal? and I'm thinking about where I have sourced my past deals.  Here's my list:

2015 bought a home as an owner occupant ($140,000) moved out after a year and keep it as a rental (current market value $240,000)

2017 bought my primary home (bank owned property) for $180,000 with a 203k renovation loan (current market value $330,000)

2018 bought the home I had rented for 9 years from the landlord ($80,000) and BRRR'd it (current market value $220,000)

2019 Got licensed as a Realtor :)

2020 bought 2 homes off the MLS and did my first flips. One I purchased for $95,000 and I barley broke even. The other I purchased for $80,000 and only made $7000. I learned ALOT that year.

2021 bought 1 home off of the MLS at $125,000, rehabbed it, turned it into a student rental and BRRR'd it. (appraised value $323,000)

2022 bought a home at auction for $75,000 and flipped it ($45,000 profit)

2024 under contract for a property at $85,000 and working directly with the seller (off market deal).

What I have learned:

1) Its ok to grow at my own pace.  I like time with my kids and I work to live and not the other way around.

2) I still have to put food on the table and have health insurance which means keeping a W2 job.  Stability and peace of mind are essential to my daily happiness and comfort.

3) I really like real estate.  ALOT.  It is fun and exciting and the best way that I have encountered to create wealth.  However, it is a knife that cuts both ways... you can make money or you can loose it.  It is not rocket science, but it certainly is not simple.

I guess if there is one thing I could go back and tell myself at the beginning of my journey nearly 10 ago years, it would be to say that no blog or article or resource is going to teach you what you need to know (although BP is FANTASTIC and has been my go to for years).  You will never know what you don't know until you get started.  Start small.  Keep it manageable, and enjoy the ride.

Thank you for reading and I hope someone finds this helpful :)

Thank you Randy.  To clarify, I'm wondering where the posts show in the feed... is there one?  Do I have to link back to the blog post in order for it to be found?  In other words, how do other people (not me) come across my blog post?

Hello.  I have been a member for quite some time, and I just started posting to my member blog.  However, it is not clear to me where these blog posts appear in the BP after they have gone live.  Can someone point me in the right direction?  Where can I go to see my post?  Thank you!

Clients have been asking me how home prices compare to this time last year, so I put together this little infograph (data is from Real Estate Information Network).  Less inventory, increased sales price, and slightly less days on market.

Hello Ryan,

The market has shifted considerably since 2021 regarding interest rates.  Everyone was re-financing in 2021 when interest rates were down in the 3-4% range for conventional owner occupieds.  Now, 7.5% is pretty standard.  

Hello Thuy,

Welcome! I am an investor and REALTOR® in Williamsburg, VA which is a 45 min drive to the east of Richmond. My market is Williamsburg, Newport News, Yorktown and Hampton. This is a great area for rentals due to the number of military bases, colleges, and vacation destinations.

Hello Dino,

Welcome! I'm an investor and REALTOR® in Williamsburg, VA. In the last year I've completed one fix and flip and brrrr(d) a student rental near the College of William and Mary. I assist investor clients source deals, sell their flips, and maintain a network of tradespeople. I work with investors and homeowners from Williamsburg, Yorktown, Newport News and Hampton. We are coming up on my favorite time of year to buy.... the holidays!

Hello Raf,

I see @Patti Robertson who is a local property manager with a management company called PMI post about Section 8 frequently. She is very knowledgable and has been in the business for over 20 years.

Hello Frito,

Is this Williamsburg, VA. I am interested. Please call/text 757-254-4235

Hello Sim. I used a lawyer to set up our LLC structure for buy and holds and for fix and flips. He recommended a series structure consisting of a "parent" LLC, and the properties are held in "sub" LLCs (up to four for our comfort of risk). So at the outset, that's two LCCs and for each 4 properties, we will add another "sub" LLC. Curious to know what is it about your current structure that is not working for you? Taxable income from cashflow?