how we managed and maintain our rentals from a distance + the landlording philosophies that guide us
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the final numbers on our laundry room + budget tips you can use on your next remodel
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The final bill on our DIY marble countertops…
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It’s been almost 3 years since we quit our jobs in Seattle, packed up the kids, and moved back to the small town where Garrett and I grew up (Ellensburg WA). ‘Early retirement’, as we call the transition, has been an experiment in ‘working for ourselves’ as full-time landlords and parents and part-time renovators, bloggers, and volunteers. And we’ve loved the change of pace for the most part. But it’s come with significant changes to our finances. And today I wanted to share 5 ways we actually save money by living in a small town and working for ourselves.
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We’re the proud owners of a new (old) rental!!! I really can’t put enough exclamation marks on that sentence, because I’m that excited about this cute little house.
The Poplar Cottage is tiny (575sf) and quaint and just feels good. It was built in 1940 according to city records, but I suspect that at least part of it is older. It’s located in our small town (Ellensburg WA), which is a college town with a pretty robust rental market. Of course the house needs a little work, too. But you probably already guessed that.😉 Before we kick off any renovations I wanted to give you a little tour of this little house.
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let’s run through the numbers…
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Today we’re rewinding back to 2015. We were living in the Ravenna House and trying to buy the Dexter House, which was a short sale. When I wrote this post (in January 2015), we were stuck in the middle of the closing process and there was no end in sight. Quite honestly, we were half expecting the entire transaction to fall apart.
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Back in 2016, we remodeled the original bathroom at the Dexter House for under $1000. Yes, $1000. Somehow I’ve avoided showing you this space for the better part of 3 years, despite knowing these are the kind of makeovers you guys usually love. So today I’m finally sharing how we updated this bathroom on such a small budget.
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Garrett and I went to a scratch-and-dent sale last week at the Albert Lee warehouse in Seattle. We left with a whole house worth of discounted appliances. It was our first purchase (and probably the biggest) for our upcoming kitchen renovation. And we LOVE what we got!
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