I realize I do not have a ton of posts here on Bigger Pockets, but I can’t emphasize enough the impact BP has had on me in a short time.  In the interest of community and sharing success stories with others that might be looking for some motivation, I wanted to detail my start in RE.  I’ll try not to be too lengthy, but I think people can identify with these stories a little better when there is some personal context.

My name is Ben Ervin and I am a Program Analyst for the Naval Education and Training Command in Pensacola, FL.  I enjoy knowing what I do is impactful and supports the Sailors that serve our country.  But, I have always had an attraction to the idea of entrepreneurship.  I’ve known since I was 13 years old that I wanted to be my own boss one day.  Yesterday marked a big step towards that goal when my wife and I listed our first flip property on the market.

In October of 2017 I decided to stop thinking about flipping houses and start educating myself on how to get in the game.  I found that a friend of mine, @Nick Armstrong, was flipping houses and got a chance to talk shop with him a bit and he directed me here to BP.  From that point, it took me 4 months to close on our first deal.  It hasn’t sold yet, but we are in a hot market right now where I believe data supports a high demand for the product we are offering.  Beyond all of that, the really invaluable part of this experience has been education.  I have learned A TON.  We certainly made mistakes along the way, but I can take those lessons learned and leverage them going forward.  I intend to use this first deal as a launching pad to doing more deals, including additional flips in the near term with the goal of building a rental portfolio for long term passive income.

Now I will stop rambling and show you what we’ve done.  The house has not sold yet, but assuming full price offer, here is the breakdown by the numbers along with (everyone’s favorite part) photos.

Projected Numbers:

Acquisition Costs (AC): $70,635.50

- Purchase Price: $70,000

- Closing Costs: $510

- Termite Letter: $125

Rehab Costs (RC): $41,185

- Materials: $21,780

- Labor: $19,405

Holding Costs (HC): $870

- Utilities: $450

- Insurance: $420

Selling Costs (HC) *Assuming Sales Price (SP) of $175k*: $10,500

- Commissions to Agents: $10,500

Projected Profit: $51,810 – Taxes & Any Additional Selling Costs

- $175,000(SP) - $10,500(SC) - $870(HC) - $41,185(RC) - $70,635(AC) = $51,810

Now on to the photos...

Exterior Before:

Exterior After:

Interior Before:

Interior After:

I still have a ton to learn, but I look forward to trying to answer any questions you might have. Furthermore, if anyone here in my local market wants to just say hello, I invite you to do so. I hope to be more involved in the BP and larger REI community as a whole going forward.

Thanks for listening/checking out my progress so far and good luck to all!