Elizabeth Bower

We are revamping our plan for real estate and really reaching for FI. We have had a rental property in the past with great success, house hacked and flipped a house all in one. My husband and I are looking to purchase several more rental properties in the next 5 years as well as network with members with like mindsets. We are currently on our fifth home to flip. And recently sold our residence, our second flip home which was a steal of a deal; a foreclosure purchased at $65,000 less than assessment. And turned around after renovating kitchen, bath, outdoor stamped concrete and adding a mudroom and sold it for $275,000 profit. We are thrifty and look for great deals. Our first home which was a househack, not by plan, I picked up with a quit claim deed, seller financed for 3 years for a total of $20,000. I was 21 at the time and thought I knew the world. I was wrong! The house had 5 layers of shingles on it, the electrical a mess(junction boxes everywhere, extension cords used as wiring in the walls), 2x3 studs, you name it this house had it. I learned quickly how to remove asbestos siding appropriately, how to trace wires and spot flaws in electrical, how to tile and grout, how to install insulation and vinyl siding, how to drywall, mud, sand and paint. We also learned from this house how to jackhammer a thick, cracked concrete pad and pour new stamped concrete patio, install vinyl privacy fence and landscaping. I may have only been 21 when I bought this house, but it certainly provided me with much experience that almost 10 years later, I am truly grateful for. We put $30,000 into this house, plus I househacked it, so really I only paid a total of $10,000 for the house including property taxes, closing costs, etc. I met my husband 2 years after buying it and he almost walked away the first time he pulled up to the house. 3 years later and a lot of sweat equity, we sold the house for $80,000 which is top dollar for the neighborhood we were in. We were hooked. My history of real estate and knowledge comes from 2 generations of carpenters and contractors. My grandfather is in his 80's and still remodeling houses. He is well known in his small community for his precise and beautiful work, my grandmother right there by his side helping the whole way. My parents, both carpenters, worked in the construction field for 30 years framing and building bridges. They built our childhood home from the ground up over the course of 10 years only taking out small under $5,000 personal loans at a time and building what they could afford each year. It is a beautiful home with a full finished basement (we lived in it for 12 years while they finished the upstairs) and two floors above. It has 6 bedrooms and 3.5 baths with custom built cabinets by them, stained glass crafted by my grandfather in 4 of the upper cabinets. They have since "retired" and are now in Tennessee trying their hand at flipping houses on their own. Financial stability, independence and sustainability runs in our family. Add in my wonderful husband who is so very knowledgeable and creative, and we have a great team. My husband is a commercial refrigeration and HVAC tech and I am a data analyst. We are looking to connect with other like minded people and share ideas.