All Forum Posts by: Drea Na

First off — welcome to the community and thank you for sharing so vulnerably. Your story is powerful and you’re clearly resourceful, hardworking, and committed to your family — that’s an amazing foundation.

Here’s what I thought after reading your story:

1) Get clear on your numbers:

Income from construction + your grab bar business

• Getting a clear picture will help you make more confident decisions. It also lays the groundwork if you ever want to apply for financing, bring on a partner, or scale your micro business.

2) Look for creative entry points- house hacking/live and flip or ADU may be possible depending on your rental situation. Investing out of state could be an option if you could build the right team, check out David Greene's book on long distance investing, your 70k will go further.

3) Your Skills Are a Huge Asset

• Your contruction and remolding background is GOLD. Many investors would love to work with someone who knows how to rehab and also understands accessibility (growing demand!) Consider offering your services for an equity split/profit sharing on a fix and flip or BRRR project.

4) Protect your time and energy!

Your son is your “why.” With so much on your plate, make sure your next moves are aligned with your bandwidth. Passive income takes time to build, but clarity in your finances gives you the power to grow strategically — not reactively.

You're not starting over — you’re rebuilding on a stronger foundation. Keep asking questions, keep building your knowledge, and know that your journey can be both financially fruitful and deeply meaningful.

If you ever want a few tips on setting up your bookkeeping to support your REI goals, I'm always happy to share what's worked for my clients.

You got this!

Hi Richard - 

You had me at inconsistent communication and late payments. Is it possible for you to tie his compensation to performance or renegotiate your contract with him to include an incentive based bonus for on-time payments and maintenance? 

If there's one thing that makes me crazy is a lack of communication and a lackadaisical attitude when it comes to getting stuff done!

Congrats on getting ready for your first flip! One of the biggest mistakes I see? Not keeping clean books from day 1!

Flippers often focus on demo and design—but loose numbers = lost profits.

🔹 Track every expense (materials, permits, mileage)
🔹 Use a simple system like QuickBooks early on
🔹 Review costs weekly—don’t wait until tax time

Know your numbers = protect your margins.
Success isn’t just built with hammers—it’s built with clarity. 💡

Hi Michael,

Welcome to real estate investing! I think the answer here would largely depend on what your end game is, what your risk tolerance is and whether or not you're gaining knowledge of the markets you're interested in on a daily basis. That being said, if you're new to investing I recommend starting small (1 house a year), this will give you an opportunity to learn, as this current market is tough for cash flow and appreciation for that matter. I know it's not sexy, but conservatively approaching this will help you grow the weath and not burn through it.

Hi John,

You're in a great position as you have a nice savings and you're able to move around. Moving and real estate investing is a risk and a journey in itself, and despite the best planning there will inevitably be things that pop up unexpectedly.

It sounds like the camper could be a great idea but only if the numbers work - don't guess at those, make sure it pencils out - educate yourself on real estate investing, read the books bigger pockets has to offer. Watch youtube videos about where to invest now - as not every investing strategy (and there are at least 10) works in every market. I recommend David Greene - he's super knowledgable about the market and has written a number of books, has a brokerage, and is on youtube and instagram. 

Your increased understanding of the market (meaning where to buy and why you're buying there) will give you the confidence to take the next step on your journey. Best of luck to you!

Drea

Hi Wendi,

For receiving rental payments, try Avail or Buildium these are solid platforms that allow tenants to pay online via bank transfer, credit card, or debit. They offer automated reminders, recurring payments, and tracking tools that make bookkeeping much smoother. 

For tenant applications and background checks, Turbo Tenant or Avail both offer comprehensive tools—including credit reports, eviction history, and criminal background checks—at no cost to the landlord (the applicant pays the screening fee). These platforms also store applications and allow you to pre-screen with custom questions, which is super helpful for efficiency.

If you're managing multiple doors or planning to grow, an all-in-one platform like RentRedi or Hemlane might be worth the investment—they combine rent collection, leasing, maintenance tracking, and tenant screening all in one dashboard. Hopefully you are also managing the cash flow and expenses in Quickbooks or similar - understanding which properties are performing by the numbers is crucial to your success - hope this helps!

@Matthew Fisher

Hi Matthew,

You're absolutely right—leveraging solid platforms is key, but just as important is having a great bookkeeper on your team. The right bookkeeper does more than just categorize transactions—they help you stay organized, generate meaningful P&Ls, identify underperforming properties, and uncover areas where you might be losing money. Having that level of financial clarity can make all the difference as you grow and scale your portfolio.

Hi Treasa,

Congrats on taking the next step in your investing journey! A great resource I highly recommend is Long-Distance Real Estate Investing by David Greene. It’s packed with practical insights on managing properties from out of state—especially around building a strong local team (yep, you’ll need more than just a property manager—think handyman, realtor, even a boots-on-the-ground contact). Super helpful read as you scale! 

As things grow, it’s imperative to keep your property finances organized from day one. Even just tracking income and expenses by property in something like QuickBooks can save you major stress come tax time and give you a clearer picture of your cash flow.

 Hi John,

I'm curious to knw if you ever tried Quickbooks for keeping your properties/expenses/repairs etc straight? I'm wondering if you vetted it, and if so why you felt it wasn't a good fit.

Hi Aidan,

Congrats on your first flip! Curious to know how you found the deal and what your process and or platforms were to keep you on track? Maintaining your timeline is one thing, but maintaining profit margins and budgets is a whole other thing!