From Flipping to Turnkey Rentals: A Journey Through Rugged Real Estate
Hello, rugged real estate enthusiasts! I'm Mark, and today we're going to delve into the evolution of our real estate journey from flipping houses to managing turnkey rentals. With nearly two decades of experience, we've learned a lot about making money in real estate, and we're here to share our insights with you.
The Transition: Flipping to Rentals
Starting as house flippers, we’ve honed our skills in buying, renovating, and selling properties for quick profits. However, as the market evolved and we sought more stable, long-term income, we transitioned into the rental market, including Section 8 rentals.
The Turnkey Approach
Our approach to rentals involves a comprehensive renovation strategy. Owning a construction company allows us to conduct thorough pre-maintenance, addressing major issues upfront. By rolling these costs into the deal and amortizing them over the life of a 20-30 year loan, we break down large expenses into manageable monthly payments. This method not only improves cash flow but also makes the investment more digestible.
The Benefits of Rentals
Cash Flow: Rentals provide a steady stream of income, crucial for long-term financial stability.
Tax Advantages: Rentals offer excellent tax shelters, allowing us to offset other active income.
Maintenance Management: Our experience in construction enables us to efficiently manage and maintain our rental properties, minimizing unexpected expenses.
Discovering Turnkey Real Estate
After remodeling hundreds of rental properties, we discovered the turnkey model. Initially, everything in a remodel appears perfect, but over time, hidden issues can surface, leading to additional costs. This realization pushed us towards the turnkey space, where we began selling our remodeled rentals.
New Construction: The Duplex Advantage
Our latest venture involves building duplexes for rental purposes. Here’s why:
Brand New Construction: New properties come with fewer surprises and are under warranty, reducing maintenance risks.
High Demand: In today’s market, people seek new, quality homes, especially with fluctuating interest rates affecting home purchases.
Dual Income: Duplexes provide double the rental income with reduced risk. More rental units mean less impact from vacancies or maintenance issues.
Why We Favor Duplexes
Duplexes offer a balance between single-family homes and larger multi-family complexes. They provide the simplicity of single-family homes with some benefits of multi-family properties. Financing remains straightforward, and the management is more efficient with multiple units under one roof.
Turnkey Real Estate: Hands-Off Investing
Turnkey real estate is ideal for investors seeking hands-off, long-term investments. Here’s how it works:
You Own the Asset: Despite being hands-off, you still own the property and reap the benefits.
Comprehensive Management: We handle everything from building and warrantying the property to managing and maintaining it.
Steady Returns: While not a get-rich-quick scheme, turnkey properties offer consistent, long-term wealth-building potential.
Crafting Your Vision
Before diving into turnkey real estate, it’s essential to have a clear vision of your goals. Determine what you want from your investments and how many properties you need to achieve those goals. We can then help tailor a strategy to meet your specific needs.
Join the Journey
If you find this information valuable and want to learn more about our rugged real estate adventures and the turnkey model, stay tuned for more videos. Follow along as we share insights, strategies, and day-to-day experiences in the world of real estate investing.






