A scary decision that may change the world...

A new adventure has begun for my mom and me. We have just gone under contract on this house in downtown Lawrenceville, that we are calling the SUPER CUTE COTTAGE. We plan on rehabbing this 1950 home into a modern living space that any young couple would dream to live in.

How did it all get started? Well the turning point for me came at the end of the year 2017. I had just lost my brother and dad due to cancer. It was exceptionally difficult for me going to GaTech every day, because there were just too many memories of my dad. I cried almost every day when I got to work. So I knew something had to change. I determined what my top priorities should be, while I finished the Spring semester teaching at GaTech.

1. I needed a job that was close to home or at home.

2. My time needed to be extremely flexible, so that I could take care of my mom, which really translated into... I needed to be my own boss.

3. I wanted to do something that would really use my creative juices.

I went back and looked at my career tests I did a few years back, and after weighing the options, decided to try my hand at real estate investment, because it was listed as one of the high possible jobs that I'd be good at and it was highly creative. I always said that I would fall back on my Civil Engineering degrees, and now it's come true.

Once the decision was made, I immersed myself in learning all I could about real estate investment. I read tons of forums, books, and even attended the GaReia bootcamp on flipping houses. Armed with knowledge, and a string of contacts, I was ready to proceed, but still hesitant.

One day while driving into school, I heard Jay Scott on the Bigger Pockets podcasts, say that all you needed to do to get started was the MINS = Most Important Next Step. So I thought about it, my next MINS was to get a real estate agent. So I did, and that's when I started to see things move.

It took us 2 months, at least a 100 houses, 3 offers denied, before this one came about.

I know you're not supposed to fall in love with a rehab house, but honestly when I walked into this house I knew it would be the one. After a lot of prayer, and discussion with my mom, we took the leap and placed an offer. It was accepted!

The first thing I did, was get in there take some measurements and drew up this floor plan. It needs some refining, but gives you an idea of the currently layout. It has a lot of potential.

Over the next few weeks, I will try to keep everyone updated on the progress. I already have a contractor that I'm working with. The house will officially become ours on July 9th, if everything goes according to plan. Then on July 10th, we'll start the rehab!!

We are so excited about this adventure, and can't wait to see this house transform into a new home.

#Supercutecottage