She Started Her House Flipping Side Business with None of Her Own Money with Amy

Intro  00:01
You're listening to the flip houses like a girl podcast where we educate, empower and celebrate everyday women who are facing their fears, juggling family and business, embracing their awesomeness and wholeheartedly chasing their dream of flipping houses. Each episode delivers honest to goodness tools, tips and strategies you can implement today to get closer to your first or next successful house flip. Here's your spiky haired breakfast taco loving host house flipping Coach Debbie DeBerry.

Debbie DeBerry 00:39
Hey, thanks so much for choosing to hang out with me for a little bit today. I'm going to be sharing an interview with you here pretty soon that I have had with Amy Radmanovich, who is a member of the women flipping houses Facebook group, if you aren't already, you should totally join us. So again, women flipping houses. All right. So I am going to first share a listener shout out, no, I'm going to do a listener shout out and share a review that one of you left on iTunes. So thank you for doing that. It really does help me reach more like minded women. So the more reviews the more ratings, the more iTunes believes it's a show worth exposing people to so if you haven't already, and you are getting value out of this podcast, Would you do me a huge favor and hop onto iTunes, if that's where you listen and leave a rating and review. I'd very much appreciate it. All right. So here we go. This review is left by either betha Roberts or Beth a Roberts. I'm not sure how that username is intended to be said. But regardless, thank you for leaving this review. All right, she says love her ability to get right to the point. It's so refreshing to hear from a woman's point of view without all of the male ego you get from other coaches. Yes, thank you so much for taking the time to leave that review. It means so much to me. All right, I'm excited to jump into this conversation that I recently had with Amy, where she talks about how she has been flipping houses on the side for over a decade. And I think that's really cool. So she didn't leave her job. She has just been doing this on the side. And that's awesome. I love sharing stories of how different women make this work in their life. It's just awesome. So thank you, Amy, for hanging out with me. And thank you, listener for tuning in. All right, let's do this. We'll just kind of jump in. And we can start with you just kind of introducing yourself a little bit of background about you where you're where you live and that sort of thing.

Amy 03:06
Okay, um, well, I'm 45 years old. I live in Tennessee about an hour east of Nashville. Okay. And I have a full time job a regular job as a dispatcher during the day. So I pretty much just work on the houses on the weekends and contract the big stuff out. That's awesome. Um, let's see. We only sent to you guys don't I? You what? Do I have an accent?

Debbie DeBerry 03:39
teeny tiny one. 

Amy 03:40
Where are you back to Texas? 

Debbie DeBerry 03:42
I’m in Texas. I'm from Texas. I don't really have the I don't have the accent though. I didn't think so. I don't know how I escaped it. And one of my best friends she lives. She was one of my best friends in high school. And she was from a town outside of Austin. And somehow she had the most country accent. Nobody in her family did. Okay, I was always Like Kelly what are you… I love accents, though. Yes. So okay, you're a little bit outside of Nashville. When was your first flip?

Amy 04:26
My first flip was in 20 Listen, 2007

Debbie DeBerry 04:34
Nice. Yeah, do you did you had to go back and think about some stuff. I'm like, probably. All of that again. That's amazing. Okay. Um, oh my gosh, this opens up so many so many interesting questions. Okay. So your first book was in 2007. Were you You said you're a dispatcher right now. Were you a dispatcher then?

Amy 04:58
Yes. I've been at At the trucking company as a dispatcher since 96, like 24 years.

Debbie DeBerry  05:08
Wow. And so this was just something you were gonna do on the side. 

Amy 05:12
Correct. Well, actually, to give you the real background, I used to be a realtor. And then I was part time realtor and I had to make a decision. I'm okay, either I need to give real estate 100% or I need to just keep my job as a dispatcher. And at the time, I had a little girl and I needed the insurance, the health insurance, so yeah, but yet I love doing real estate. I was really torn, you know, so I pretty much came down to having the insurance. So I decided to stay as a dispatcher at my regular job, but I always love still love the real estate aspect of it. So I went to an auction. And I even still have the flyer This was that.

Debbie DeBerry 06:02
That's amazing. That's adorable. I love that little stone house.That's amazing that you still have that flyer. 

Amy 06:13
Yes, sir. So I went to that auction. Of course, I went and talked to my banker first to see if I could I mean, you know, I was checked to check back then, you know, didn't have money. That's why I wanted to tell the story about the first slit because I think it's inspiring to people that don't have any cash saved up, you know, how am I going to get started? Like I was one of those people told me, this is perfect. So I talked to my banker, and he's like, well, how much do you want to give for it? And I think I told him, You know, I didn't want to go over. I think 50,000 was I was only going to buy it if it went below 50. So I ended up getting it for 42,000 was like super excited. I remember I had my mom and my grandmother with my grandmother. She was just so distraught. She just thought it was just the most horrible. He looked at the windows and the windows were all old and decrepit and dirty. And she's like those filthy hogs. Just so funny because she just thought I just bought the most awful house. Yeah.

Debbie DeBerry 07:22
Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. Okay, so you went to your banker? And you said, Hey, this is what I'm going to do. Okay, wait, timeout, because this was 2007. Mm hmm. So, the great like the the housing crisis was-

Amy 07:35
I think it happened just after this. Okay.

Debbie DeBerry  07:39
I was gonna say it was starting up.

Amy 07:41
Okay. Yeah, I was still it was still pretty good then. And I remember my banker I'll never forget this because I was so happy and excited. He said, Well, you did pretty good because that lots almost worth that because this is off of a good a main highway between Lebanon and Carthage. I know you guys don't know what that is. But, um, and it's on a corner lot. And of course, you know, the value of corner Juan. It was a real pretty lot. So he told me I did good that the land was almost worth that.

Debbie DeBerry  08:14
Wow, that's amazing. Okay, so was this. In 2007? My guess is this wasn't an in person option. Yeah. Wasn't option A hot? No. So you went in person? Was this like a county courthouse steps kind of auction?

Amy 08:33
No, it was at the house. Okay. It was at the house. And I remember the sellers being there. And the husband almost wasn't going to let it go that she and the wife, my mom overheard the wife going now. Just let it go. Just let it go for that. So Wow.

Debbie DeBerry  08:54
Okay, so that's, I love the story. Okay. I didn't I had no idea. This was the story. I love this. Okay. So you go to your bank, and you're like, Hey, I'm going to flip the house. Will you back me? And at first were they like, or were they like, okay, let's talk about it.

Amy 09:13
Now, this this banker, I mean, he he knew I had good work history. You know, I've been at my job since 96. And, um, of course, you know, I had to bring in all the financials with my job and my work history. And he was on board, you know, and that's one of my pointers that I wrote down is building you know, relationships not with just your contractors but your bankers and your realtors and you know, build those relationships because I stuck with him and he backed me on every house I bought, and I even ended up buying one that I had to have cut in half and moved. And that banker was on board for that. Wow. This is amazing.

Debbie DeBerry  10:00
Okay, so, alright, let's go over the numbers on your first flip. Okay, okay, you bought it for 42?

Amy 10:08
correct. Okay, and then go ahead. I was gonna say I found where I listed it August 31 of that year and then sold it September we closed on it September 28. So it was like four and a half months.

Debbie DeBerry  10:25
That's amazing. Okay. That's awesome. That sounds so very similar to my first flip. Okay, how much did you put in for the renovation?

Amy 10:39
Okay, so now keep in mind I was broke then. My Yeah, my banker let me borrow I borrowed 5000 extra, which I knew was nowhere near enough. But I didn't want to get a no. So I had to work within what I could do. So I borrowed 5000 extra through through them. I had an $18,000 credit limit on Home Depot. So all my materials was on credit cards for Home Depot. And I'm the contractor I found, of course, you know, you know, keep in mind this, I don't have any contacts. I hadn't built these relationships yet.

Debbie DeBerry 11:22
You're so super brand new, like.

Amy 11:26
Okay, I get the local paper, which is called the Carthage courier. And in that paper, I find my contractor. I call this guy which I'm still friends with him, and he still works with me to this day, and instead of get charged, and he charges other people 30 $35 an hour, which I use him all the time and I get the bargain rate of 20 bucks an hour. Amazing. Oh, you know, because we built that friendship and that relationship. Yep. But back then I didn't I didn't know him. And so my plan I try to write down what of what I remembered. I think I had okay with the $5,000 it was supposed to be like, Um, let's see, think 1000 whisper roof 1500 was going to go to build for what he was like, um, you know, head to gut it and put up some sheet rock. And, you know, I didn't this flip, I had to be very modest and low cost. Um, so let's say it was 1500 for him. 1000 for the roof, and then 2500 for a small central heating air unit that was going to be the 5000. And then plus, of course, all the materials that I had to charge up, right.

Debbie DeBerry 12:50
There was complications. What had happened?

Amy 12:56
Yes, exactly. Um, I know you're familiar with galvanized plumbing back in the old houses. Oh, the galvanized piping underground. From Yes, from the main to the house was split in half. That's probably why they auctioned, it wouldn't be my guest site. But I had to, um, get that dug up, trench down new PVC put in, which I didn't really want. And I mean, I'm sure nowadays, it would be a whole lot more, but he only charged me like $900 Oh, wow, that so I know, that's a bargain. But, of course, you know, that was sleepless nights of stress. Just part of it. But, um, all together. So, you know, I had to come up with probably, I think it was 1200 and $50 out of my own funds that I had to save for a few weeks before I had this work done. Um, and use that money from my regular job, but then I ended up doing that I had didn't have enough for my last thing, which was the central heating air unit. So I had negotiated him down a little bit instead of being like 3500 I think he did it for like 2500 cheap back then. But, but anyways, um, it all worked out. And then when I went up, listed the house and this is even for I don't even think I had a cell phone then because I remember putting an ad in the paper and put my home phone down and my mom called me while I was at work and said, Amy, the phone is ringing off the hook for your little stone house. You got like seven or eight messages. It was so funny. I was so excited. Oh my god. Ah, that's the best. I love it. So all in all

Debbie DeBerry 15:00
About how much for renovations?

Amy 15:04
um, for renovations, well, I pretty much had. Um, so that was like 6250 that I paid between the, you know, the $5,000 extra, I borrowed the 1250 out of pocket and then the Home Depot, I dang near hit the $18,000 limit, it was like 17,000 in something in materials. So all in all, I had, like, 65,000 in something in it. And it it, it had a praise, and this was great. I remember this, it appraised for like 89,000. And I remember being mad because they may because it was such a short term, where I bought it for 42 and then appraised for 89. They made they charged me a second appraisal. Yeah, to make sure it's valid and legit. And, um, I sold it for 85,000.

Debbie DeBerry  16:03
That's amazing. I love that. Okay, so and that was like, a four and a half month timeline.

Amy16:09
Yeah, yeah. Okay. And, you know, keep in mind, I'm living check to check. So I mean, to me, that was like hitting the lottery.

Debbie DeBerry 16:17
Yeah. Are you kidding me? That's huge. Even though the profit then was like, probably like $12,000 in profit. That's awesome. Oh, yeah. So we were hooked is my guess.

Amy 16:32
Exactly.

Debbie DeBerry 16:33
What was your favorite part of the process?

Amy 16:38
Oh, gosh, my favorite part is I love the before and afters and to watch it transform. And to think, you know, I did that, or I had a major part in that. Yes. And then, of course, um, I don't know, I just a box popped up saying I need to close programs. I don't know what else. Um, of course, closing day closing day and getting that check and set. You know, it all paid off all the stress all the work if there's a pay day. It's amazing, right? Like, I mean, it can be very stressful. And depending on the project, even many years later, depending on the project, there are still some stressful parts to it.

Debbie DeBerry 17:26
Definitely, did you. So did you replace flooring and do all that? Like, was it a total cosmetic fixer upper on the area?

Amy 17:34
Yeah. That was part of Let me think here. A home part of the Home Depot. 17,000 was getting new carpet in the bedroom. And then I think I had my contractor lay laminate in the kitchen and hallway.

Debbie DeBerry 17:58
How did you have an $18,000 credit line at Home Depot?

Amy 18:03
I'm paying my bills on time.

Debbie DeBerry 18:06
That's amazing, like 2000? That's amazing. That's a huge credit line.

Amy 18:12
Yeah, yeah. That's why I always preach to my daughter about the importance of paying her stuff on time, because then it leads to future benefits.

Debbie DeBerry 18:22
Totally, totally. Were there any thinking back if you remember this or not? Were there any surprises? Like besides the galvanized pipe? Yeah. I know. That was a pretty big one.

Amy 18:38
Yes, yes. There was another surprise. And that was termites when he started reading. You know, I had the tunnels. And I almost cried over that. Of course, I was new at that. And Seaton had never even seen termites are what termite tunnels look like. So when I seen that I was distraught.

Debbie DeBerry  18:59
Yeah. So when y'all treat there isn't the subterranean termites, like we have here? Like when we do spot injections to treat it?

Amy 19:07
It's like the $500 Lake when they drill in the concrete all around.

Debbie DeBerry 19:13
yeah. Like in California, they have to tint the entire house. And it's like, it's it's an ordeal like they, it's, it's an ordeal. So here, it's very similar to you, where it's just spot injections, where they just treat it like that. Okay, well, that's good. Termites. Yeah, that's, uh, I mean, the thing here is if you haven't had them, you will. So it sucks to find them in a project but it's like, one of those things you you're not tearing down sheet rock when you inspect it. So, yeah, so Okay, so on that first house. How did you come up with a renovation budget? Like how did you know what to offer or were you just Totally making it up.

Amy 20:01
I was just totally bad. Then on my first one, I was just totally making it up and just trying to get away with the bare minimum so that I wouldn't be turned down. I wanted to make it work. So I just borrowed the extra five and said, Hey, I got to make that do somehow someway.

Debbie DeBerry 20:22
That's amazing. So about how many projects or do you do? You're still doing them? Do you do them? Are you click constantly doing one?

Amy 20:32
Well, no, I took several. It's weird. Like, I did that one. And then I did the one that I had cut in half and moved. But then I moved in it and lived in it for four years. And then one down the road from it was a foreclosure and I ended up buying it. But then I had that as a rental for 10 years, or like eight years. And then I took like, a, like a seven year break. Uh huh. And then, um, when those renters moved out, I fixed it up, sold, it made good, then it kind of got me back back in the groove. Aha. So then I bought an old farmhouse for $35,000. And I'm sunk a pretty good chunk in it. I probably had, I don't know, probably 90,000 in it, but then it appraised for 179. And I sold it for 178. So Wow, I progressively got better. And that's a good one.

Debbie DeBerry 21:39
That was a real good one. Those are like oh yes!

Amy 21:42
And I wanted to tell that one. Like, it's It was so amazing. And it's such a great story. Like I wanted to tell that one, but I felt like the first one isn't inspires others that don't have anything to get started, you know, to to make that baby step and instar 

Debbie DeBerry 22:07
Totally. And here's the thing, I hear it a lot. I don't have the money. I don't have the money. I don't have the money. Money is out there. More times than not, that person just doesn't want to ask for it. Yeah, that's a bit women, especially women, we don't want to go ask for the money. It says yeah, it's, well, I'm going to benefit from it. So I feel bad. Well, so are they, they're gonna make money too. That's what like, that's the whole point of this.

Amy  22:36
Completely agree.

Debbie DeBerry 22:38
Yeah, there's a lot of a lot of internal work that has to go into it. I just I see it all the time. And we have so much stuff around money that we have to work through.

Amy 22:50
Yep. Um, and I remember another trick that my banker like I would have never even known this or thought of this but when I wanted to buy another one that I really didn't have funds for like a down payment, you know, a huge downpayment, or whatever but like I really wanted the house. Well, I had so much equity in the home that I had cut in half and moved. Yeah, that he did a wraparound now just using the equity in my home as security told me nothing down.

Debbie DeBerry 23:21
Yeah, that's amazing. Exactly. And there are ways like you can buy subject to you can do owner financing. There are other ways to buy houses that don't know choir loans, and those like those are, even if you just do like an equity partnership with the owner and they make more money and you make less but you still get to do the deal. You still get to help the the owner. Yeah, that's, I love that story. I think it's I don't know, what was it that? Why were you scared to ask for the money? Why were you like, what's the difference?

Amy 23:58
Um, you know, I hate to say, I wouldn't say I was scared. But of course, you know, you have reservations, and you don't be told no. And, you know, all that stuff. But I was just really driven about wanting to do this. Yeah. Yeah. So you, you just either have to decide, you know, do I want to let the fears get the best of me or do I want to be successful at this? And of course, you know, your answer is going to be you want to be successful. 

Debbie DeBerry 24:34
I often say that your y has to be greater than your fears. The fears are gonna be there. They don't go away. I still get nervous. Like, it's like, I don't know, especially when I put the house on the market. It's like, Oh, god, they're gonna love it. Are they gonna hate it? I drive myself crazy. I have a real estate license and I am my own worst client. I have noxious. How many shillings blah blah blah. Um, okay, so let's talk I'm so interested about, I'm interested in the house that you cut in half. Let's talk about that. Okay.

Amy 25:15
Um, that was a house right in town that the Board of Education or the school bought the land because they wanted to put a soccer field on it. Okay. So, um, I went and talked to my banker, and he was on board and all that. And what's funny is actually on that one, I went and talked to my own bank at the time. And my own bank told me know that it was too risky, having a house to be moved, and they wouldn't let me. But then I went and talk to the banker that finance this the stone house for me, another bank in town. And he was the one that said, Yeah, I'm with you on it. And that's why I said building relationships. And then now I just use that bank from Yep, they're, they're on forward. Yeah, I stuck with the same one after that, um, he, he was on board, but actually, it was a rainy, stormy day, the day of the auction. And I decided I wasn't going to do it. And I didn't go, Well, then. I ended up going right as it had ended. And I said, Well, what did the house end up going for? They said, it was a no sale. Nobody, nobody would do it. The mover on site said it was going to cost 2020 some thousand haven't moved. And I'm so I'm like, so I could buy the house now for $100. And they said, Yeah, I said, Okay. And I found out afterwards, I could have bought it for $1 I said was $9 I ever wasted? But I got my own mover for 13,000. But of course, you know, I had foundation I had to buy land and I was so stressed because, um, they they kept needing the house moved. And so I had to meet third deadline. Yeah, of having it moved, was afraid I'd get sued if it wasn't moved by that deadline. And then and then at the time, I didn't know I was going to have to have it cut in half. So then the movers like this house too big and yet and coming off this street. happen, then the city's telling me Well, you better make sure that they don't mess up the street lights because you'll be responsible and then it'd be like 30 to 50,000 I'm like, oh my god. So like I didn't sleep that week. I can tell you

Debbie DeBerry 27:42
Did you follow them as they were moving it?

Amy 27:47
No. No, thankfully I was at work.

Debbie DeBerry 27:52
Trip yourself nuts.

Amy 27:55
It worked out great because then I ended up having like 80,000 in it with the land the foundation that reroofing You know, every everything the remodel, I had 80 in it, but then it appraised for 130. And that's how I had all the equity to have the wraparound mortgage on the next one.

Debbie DeBerry 28:15
Because you lived in that one for a little bit. Got it.

Amy 28:18
I lived in that one for like four years.

Debbie DeBerry 28:22
Ah, that's so cool. Okay, so how did you I'm just trying I'm like, imagining you scurrying around trying to find land to go put it on

Amy 28:29
And it was awful. And it was the worst lot it would like it was like down in a hole. Oh, God.

Debbie DeBerry 28:41
You're like it'll be fine.

Amy 28:45
Yeah, it's just gonna have to do it, but only the lot was only $11,000 if I bought one in town right in town, it was like 30,000 in this one was like, instead of being in Carthage, it was in South Carthage but, um, it was the best I could do with the timeline.

Debbie DeBerry 29:03
That is awesome. How much time did you have?

Amy 29:07
You know, I wish I could remember, I don't I can't I can't remember. I think it was only like, want to say like 30 or 60 days and had to move.

Debbie DeBerry 29:18
oh my gosh, in your your banker financed everything. 

Amy 29:20
Yeah, the banker was great. 

Debbie DeBerry  29:25
That's amazing. Okay. Now I want to talk about the farmhouse because that sounds like I've always wanted to do a farm house and I'm sure 99% of the women listening dream of doing a farm house. So tell me that tell us that story.

Amy 29:41
Um, I was just riding around with a relative friend of mine. And I think he was trying to show me one that he bought at auction that he wanted me to buy from him. And um, I just didn't care for that one because I just didn't like the layout of And then he was wanting to sell it to me for like 60 some thousand and I thought guy by the time I sink 20 some thousand in it and, you know, it just wasn't enough. I always say you got you got to buy, right? That's really half your profit you got to buy, right? Because equity is profit. Yeah, absolutely. And as we were leaving that house, we drove past this old abandoned farmhouse. And he's like, Oh, I could probably get you in that one for 30 some thousand. I was like, What? And he's like, No, I'm serious. But I mean, it was in bad shape, collapse floors. he the guy had gutted it and then just abandoned it, basically. So it was in pretty bad shape. And so, but I just loved it. You know, it had the old fireplaces. It had the 12 foot ceiling, no. Room, so I just I just love them old houses. Yes. I was like, I'm on board, if you seriously can get me in this for 30 grand I'm in. And so he texts me later that day and said, um, I think he said 3037 or something. Anyways, I ended up grant a 35. And I bought it for 35 

Debbie DeBerry 31:15
That's awesome. What year was this? 

Amy 31:20
Oh, this was last year.

Debbie DeBerry 31:22
Oh my gosh. Okay, so you bought it for 35 and what what how much were renovation work didn't need it sounds like needed every lot.

Amy  31:33
So yeah. Us. Okay, let's see here. I'm trying to think, okay, that loan I my loan was 50,000 and then I put like 20 some thousand of my own cash in it, which you know, that's that's hard to do. Yeah, really be in it. Your own money in it. And then of course, I had my Lowe's and Home Depot card so and it ended up being like 90 some thousand that I had in it all together. Okay. And that's the one that you sold for like 170 178

Debbie DeBerry 32:15
Oh my gosh. That's a payday sister. 

Amy 32:20
That was a payday. I remember at the closing table, the closing table the attorney said this is probably the second best one I've ever seen as far as only holding it you know and having that turned around within a year.

Debbie DeBerry 32:33
Yeah, how long did it take you to be with that big of a job?

Amy 32:37
It was right at a year and of course you know I tried to I'm more involved now than it was my my first flip you know, I lead I contracted everything out I didn't do nothing except for paint. I did paint but now I mean I laid the laminate floors I did the trim work I designed the kitchen from scratch I went to habitat restore and bought all my kitchen cabinets and add friends Hold on. Well I've drilled them into the wall and hung them I mean, so I did a lot more and I could only work on the weekends you know because of my regular job Yes, but of course that made a better payday when I'm not paying somebody else.

Debbie DeBerry 33:16
Oh my gosh, yeah, that's a huge profit. Are you looking for something right now?

Amy 33:22
Um, well actually with my profits from that one I started fixing up the house I'm living in now like just things I've always wanted like granite and stuff like that. Um, and then I took in bata cottage on the river and just paid cash for it. Oh my god. I'm working on that.

Debbie DeBerry 33:43
How good does that feel?

Amy 33:45
Oh, it's great.

Debbie DeBerry 33:46
Yeah, that's amazing. That's freedom right there. Are you using that as like a short term rental or or just for yourself? Or what do you?

Amy 33:54
that's everybody asked me that. And I don't even know I just know I wanted a river cottage. And I guess I'll decide later, but right now I'm just keeping it as an investment and just decide once I get done with it.

Debbie DeBerry 34:09
That's amazing. Oh my gosh, I love that. I wish How much did that cost?

Amy 34:16
What the cottage? Yeah. 35,000 Wow, we don't I at my boss at my regular job. She's like, how do you keep finding these $35,000 houses cisely You got lucky on that one? That was just it was bad abandoned with like, um, broken windows that were boarded up. You know, it's like, it could be so cute. It's on the river. Like who owns that? So I just went to the property tax, you know, card and researched online. And, and I knew the owner, I was like, Oh my gosh, my ex used to work for him. So I told my ex Troy tell Phil, I want to buy as Little River cottage. And so it was the funniest thing he called back and said, Well, I own it with my brother and he'll never sell it. I was like, well, crap, and then we're having dinner and he calls back and he says, well just tell me to make an offer. And I'll take it to him. So I offered him 30 because that was the text card appraisal, which you know, that but that's it. They gave me a figure a low figures. And so, he countered 35. And I said, Well, let me see the inside, because I hadn't even seen the inside at that point. And then, um, then I went ahead, and we agreed to 35 and up, I bought it for 35. Amazing, and that's why I tell everybody, you have to take initiative, you guys. It wasn't even for sale. I know, everybody's like, you know, I didn't even know that was for sale. Well, like what and I just took initiative to find out who owned it and told him I wanted to buy it. 

Debbie DeBerry  35:55
Exactly! Thank you. Yes. Just go do it. If you want to bad enough, you'll go do it. Correct. I love that. All right. So Oh, I love all your little stories. And they've been so interesting and different. I love that. That's one of my favorite things about flipping houses is that it's always a different. It's each house is a different adventure. Oh, I love it. Yeah. What's your? What's your favorite part? Or is it just like all of it your favorite?

Amy 36:27
I'd say the transformation. Yeah, just watching it go from being totally dilapidated to being the eyesore of the neighborhood. And then, you know, it's just so gratifying to then you know, then you get to see the final product that looks totally different than everybody is like, oh, wow, that's so pretty how to, you know, how did you do that? Or how to do this, and it's just so amazing. Afterwards, I just love to see the transformation. 

Debbie DeBerry 36:58
Yeah, me too. I think that's what we're all addicted to. Um, and you you do some of the work yourself and you still act as the GC like you're coordinating everybody?

Amy 37:09
Yes. Like, and it's so it's great because as you go, like I say, you develop those relationships. So you know, I got a I got a roofer I got a plumber now, but then yet, I tried to learn more and more with every flip. And that's why I can lay the laminate floors if I have the time or I can do my trim work. Me and my best friend, instead of going out for drinks, we'll go to the Home Depot free DIY class. I love it. dumb stuff like that, learn how to do it late. We laid tile on the fireplace in that farmhouse, you know, I tried to hit all those old fireplaces while they needed to be retitled I, at that point never done tile before. So you know, we just watch some training courses went to the Home Depot free DIY class. And we did the fireplace hearth ourself and it turned out fabulous. We're mixing up the grout and we're like, we didn't even know the consistency of it. 

Debbie DeBerry  38:10
We're like cake better? Yeah, let's go with cake better. great. Hilarious. Can't go wrong with Kate Mater. Oh, my gosh, I love it. I love your stories. And I love your enthusiasm. And I love that you just go do it. Yes. It's It's hard. It's like, I just wish people would just, I don't know, I think it's a combination of not trusting themselves. I'm like that things will come up. And if you don't trust that you'll figure it out or reach out to somebody who can help you figure it out. I think that's a big, I know that that's a big thing that comes up for for people is Oh gosh, what if what about when this happens? And this happens? Well, wait till it happens. Like it'll be okay. But let's not what if ourselves to death, because that's never a fun thing to do.

Amy 39:05
Correct. And then, you know, when I built the relationship with the first contractor that I you know, found in the paper in the local paper, you know, now he's like my mentor, you know, he, he teaches me different contractors stuff that, you know that to me priceless. Yeah, I mean, because you you take that information with you apply it on your next one. And you just get better and better each time because you have all this knowledge of things that went wrong on your prior flip. 

Debbie DeBerry 39:40
Yes, exactly. Exactly. I think it's part of like having, what they talk about what they refer to as a growth mindset of like, if things do come up, it's okay. Like, it doesn't. It doesn't mean that it's fatal. It doesn't mean that everything's broken. Failure isn't fatal. Everything is a learning experience. Really? Yeah, just keep going. Just keep going. So this has been such a fun conversation and I know that there's so much we're going to get out of it. So thank you for sharing with us. Is there anything I don't want to I want to make sure that you feel like you said things that you wanted to say is there like anything you want to tell people?

Amy 40:24
Um, there was some let's see helpful hints that I wrote down. Let me see what of course, you know, plan and budget Of course, I didn't even follow my own rules in the beginning, because I really didn't plan or budget but it turned out good, thankfully. Um, negotiate, obviously, you know, I had I used even a different contract around the cottage to vault my ceilings in there. And because I really, you know, it's a tiny 624 square foot home and I really wanted the ceiling vaulted. Well, he quoted me 20 $500 at first, and I was bound and determined now, I'm not gonna pay that, you know, it's just too much. I'll have it done and, you know, four days. And um, so he kept bugging me again, I'm sure he wanted the monies like you're going about them feelings are what I was like, well, I want to Josh, I'm just, I just can't pay that. There's just too much money. And so anyways, by the time that next week rolled around, he said he do it for 1900. And I got my ceilings vaulted. So, I mean, I just think negotiating, you can't just agree to whatever price they tell you on the jump. You know, I think negotiating skills are definitely needed when you're talking about an investment of a house, because you can easily bust a budget just by agreeing to every price they throw away.

Debbie DeBerry 41:57
right. Totally, totally.

Amy 42:00
Friends and family free labor. My best friend has turned out to be a master painter. Um, let's see who else did I have? My dad was my yard mower on my first my first flip. So friends and family are free labor. And then I just put in my notes, I had learned learn, learn, don't care if it's watching HGTV taking DIY classes. Joining groups like this one, taking real estate courses, or marketing or business classes, and or just learning from your contractor. But ask questions. And knowledge as well.

Debbie DeBerry 42:50
Absolutely. Yep. I'm a sponge. I love learning. Me too. Yeah. I love learning. I would be a lifelong student if there was a career in that. keep doing it. keep getting different degrees. I just I'm so curious about everything. Yeah. Those are awesome pointers, I think for people. Thank you so much. Thank you for sharing some of your stories with us.

Amy 43:19
Thank you for having me. I've told you I've even told my family. I was like, about joining your new group. I was like, it's just right up my alley. I just love it. I love how, you know, posting the before and after pics, and that and love seeing everybody else's in the group.

Debbie DeBerry 43:36
I mean, we're all junkies for it. We love the transformation

Amy 43:39
Yeah, gotta do what you love.

Debbie DeBerry 43:42
Yeah, absolutely. Well go flip another really cool house and come back and let's talk about it. 

Amy 43:50
Okay, well, thank you so much. I really have enjoyed it.

Debbie DeBerry 43:54
Me too, Amy, so great to hang out with you and connect with you. Thank you. Thank you. Doesn't she have such fun, contagious energy? I loved hanging out with you, Amy. Thank you again for doing that with me. All right. Before I let you go, have you seen the follow that flip series that I have. It's an eight video series that I created a few months ago when I flipped a house with a couple of students. So if you haven't registered for that, if you haven't seen those videos, it's a really awesome resource. I share so many tips and tricks with you and I share some tools that I use in my business and it's just really cool. So if you haven't already seen that series, check it out. And you can do so by registering at follow that flip.com and I'll get you squared away with some videos in your inbox. All right. Until next time, go out there flip places like a girl, leave people in places better than you find them and make it a great day. Bye y'all