All Forum Posts by: Gavin S.

Thanks Dmitriy! It sure feels like it. I don't have enough time in a day to catch up with all the info that's on BP but I'm sure working at it!

No but my parents do (almost exclusively} because they live very close to one. I have a good relationship with Lowe's and unless I notice the same thing cheaper somewhere else I tend to deal with the particular people that I know and come through for me. Time is also money sometimes. Another small tidbit: I almost always use a darker wood laminate but there are circumstances that call for a lighter wood so I have used a bamboo which can really pop and occasionally they have on sale at a good price. I'm really itchin' to use that throughout because I think it will show well. GS

@ CC Wong TY so much!

@ Brian Gibbons TY! I would love to learn how wholesaling works. I have no experience with it but it certainly seems to be a viable option! I'm also trying to figure out how to buy a couple of Repo's located in my area that qualify as the lowest house on the block with seemingly a large amount of ARV...Either could be flipped or help. But I don't have the startup financing to get them going and so far the deals are under 50k (more like 30k) and with some easy work could easily be flipped. Take Care. GS

Hi my name is Gavin Sronce and I've decided to take the plunge into Real Estate investing and this site seems like a great place to get started. As a husband and now father to my daughter I've had some real motivation to get in the game and set some goals for myself and my family. I work in education as an Assistant Superintendent in Northern Illinois. As I've moved from being a teacher to a principal and now in the central office I've had to buy/sell a number of homes. My experience has been spotty with real estate. I've been in the position twice now (including right now) to have to move without a house being sold so I have experience being a landlord. My most enjoyable experience was buying a house completely remodeling it and then selling it after barely living there for about two years for a profit in a depressed market. Essentially I flipped a house. I've caught the bug and I want to do more flips! You see I grew up in a family where we rehabbed and remodeled as a way of life. If you are in my area and want to work together on something please let me know as I find flipping (and doing right) to be both personally rewarding and very helpful to the community. The rare situation where everyone wins. Now I'm looking at buying houses that are in foreclosure, rehabbing and then flipping them. Just starting out seems to be the first big hurdle so I'm looking toward some creative financing to meet my design expertise and get going. If you have recently flipped a home I'd love to hear your story! Take Care. GS

Mr. Harris, Most finance experts will say it depends on your situation. If this about debt reduction can you sell your home or your car? If you can trade down with a car and buy used then do it. If you can sell your house and drop your mortgage then here is one idea for that. I'm reading Brandon Turner's book. I believe it is in there or in one of the forums where they have the idea to buy a 3 or 4 plex and live in it while letting the other tenants pay the mortgage while you live their for free. I believe Mr. Turner's very first buy was owner financed so in other words the current owner becomes the band and you get a land deed and again let the tenants pay your rent. How much can you do without?

2 suggestions to directly deal with your debt issue.

1. Sign up with credit.com and or creditkarma.com if you haven't already to see your credit report information. Plus there are a lot of resources on those websites such as articles that talk a lot about the question you've posed.

2. Talk to a licensed credit counselor and get their help/opinion. That's what they do so I say let the experts help you.

Good luck with your situation. G.S.

I recommend hardwood laminate. It looks great. Installs quickly. It is scratch and burn resistant (a nice feature for rentals). This is especially true if they have pets or kids. It is very economical and it sounds like you use a lot of it so look for those sales at LL, Lowes, etc. and buy in bulk to save even more. I've never had a problem with it and I used it in both a flip and a current rental.