How to Use Your First Property To Buy Your Second
Today we’re chatting with Ellie C, a Wealth Circle alum from Kansas City. We wanted to know more about how she turned her first property into her second one and why she’s feeling bolder with her money than ever before.
How did you buy your first house?
My parents are realtors in Kansas City. When Austin seemed so expensive, they said I should buy an investment home in KC instead. So I bought a cute 2/1 in a nice neighborhood for around $115K.
And how did you turn that into your second home?
I had one tenant in that KC house for about 2 years and cash-flowed about $500/month on it. I sold it in 2016 for $156K and used the profit to buy my house here in Austin.
How much did you pay for your Austin house?
I bought my Austin house for $270K and put 20% down on it. My boyfriend and I split my mortgage so we each pay about $700 a month.
Do you have plans to buy more real estate?
I noticed my neighbors were selling their house and offered to purchase it privately. My boyfriend and I are also looking at purchasing multi-family homes in Pittsburgh. (Rent-ready duplexes can go for around $170K so the mortgage would be less than $800, and each unit would cash flow about $800 over the mortgage amount).
What money changes did you make after joining the Wealth Circle?
I increased my emergency fund, opened new financial accounts, increased my income, automated savings, and transferred my savings account to a Wealthfront savings account at 2.4% (vs. 0.5% at my old bank). I also invested in a small local business.
What changed about the way you thought about money?
Before Factora, I was already “good” at money: I was maxing out my 401k, not spending too much, and putting the rest of my money into my brokerage account.
Since taking the Wealth Circle, I’ve been bolder with finding deals and more aggressively looking for creative opportunities in the real estate market.
“When we started talking about millionaires, it was an aha moment for me that NONE of them got wealthy with just one income stream. — Ellie C.
I'm also talking about money more frequently with my friends and have connected with a few about investing together, including a friend who works in commercial real estate investing!
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