Clearing the air.

Funny thing about perception is that it is always skewed. We think we know what we know based on outward facts. While most people won’t understand the need for a “cash for keys” situation, we have experienced it ourselves. Our background in real estate has led us to see what most “typical” agents fail to see. Sometimes you feel like you are drowning, and there isn’t a lifeline in sight. The stack against you is too high, and you have to decide to shoot your left foot or your right. Let’s be frank: you don’t win, period, and nothing actually gets solved. You continue to perpetuate a violent financial deficit. Yep, that is what has empowered us to be involved in every aspect of real estate.

What you don’t see on the outside is a couple who has lost their child’s home to foreclosure and another to flooding, been at the mercy of awful landlords, faced bankruptcy, and even dealt with an unexpected loss that came with a pile of debt. We had to crawl, scrape, and chew our way back out when all we needed was a little glimmer of hope or someone just to take a chance, yet no one was willing to hear us out. We’ve spent nearly a decade learning the ins and outs of financial management, how to put value back into a home, and how to navigate delicate and emotional circumstances.

Yet the more we learned, the more frustrated we became with our industry. The truth is, a good portion of real estate agents have never flipped a home, never invested in a home, or understood the intricacies of bad chains of title and extensive repairs. They don’t understand the legal implications and how to navigate financing in creative ways that can wipe the slate clean. There are over 2 million real estate agents in the US, but did you know 70% of agents sold five or fewer homes in the past year? And of that 70%, 49% sold only one or no homes. Needless to say, there are a lot of “agents” who aren’t versed in complex situations. Not to mention the category of “wholesalers” that 90% of the time don’t even have a background in real estate or aren’t licensed, taking advantage of people’s lack of knowledge and desperation. These are the types of people who lock you into contracts where they aren’t actually buying your home and are layering in “finder’s fees” to the end buyer. They play a shell game, leaving you unrepresented and out thousands in equity you might have had on the table.

I remember as a kid the strife in my household when my step-dad got injured at work and needed several back surgeries. Workers' comp only covers so much, and my mom worked crazy hours just to try to keep food on the table. They had fallen prey to refinancing the house not once but twice. When their debt tripled, the mortgage fell behind. We even spent the summer re-roofing our own house because we couldn’t afford to have someone else do it. Back then, it would have been $5,000 or so, to put it into perspective. The amount of debt they had accrued was drowning them. We eventually lost the house and had a difficult time finding a rental to live in afterward. It would be one of the main factors that drove them to divorce. Did you know that finances are one of the top 3 factors in divorce? It doesn’t take rocket science to understand why. Our home is supposed to be our sanctuary, not a burden.

We’ve always enjoyed fixing homes that need a little TLC. It goes hand in hand with our passion for wanting to make housing affordable and teach others how to invest in real estate. Maybe because we are second-chance kids that just grew up and want to be difference makers, our vision was to create something a little different than the rest of the crowd. We want to take the time to understand why the circumstance is weighing you down and what it would look like to have that weight removed. Run from any real estate agent that sells you on the fact that listing it on the MLS is the best option. When you account for repairs, closing costs, and commissions, that isn’t always a benefit when time and every single penny counts. Make them show you the numbers. Make the timeline make sense. Ask questions.

We have finally gotten to this beautiful point in our lives where we can be the hand that reaches out to lift up those who were just like us. You know you are in a circumstance, but it doesn’t mean you have to stay in it. Most places want to give you that instant cash offer without really evaluating your situation or are willing to gamble with your emotions to maximize their own profits. But being transparent, “flipping” homes is a business. It takes liquid capital to complete the renovations, pay off back liens, and clean up a chain of title. Not many people have the means to accomplish those things, and a home deteriorates, causing the homeowner to suffer a financial detriment. In short, yes, you gain the means to get out of your situation. We gain a home that marginally is below market value and can be transformed into a market-worthy home, and your community gains a new home that drives up property values and boosts inventory levels. We want to have an open conversation and present multiple options that will actually make a difference in your circumstance. It doesn’t make sense to jump from one sinking ship to another.

We’ve walked through our own path of financial hardship. If we do nothing other than provide you with guidance, knowledge, and professionalism, then we count it all joy that our paths crossed. We hope you hear our heart in this and reach out. We want to meet you on common ground and help you step towards a brighter tomorrow.

-Lauren & Eric

Written by: Lauren Jubeck