From a $35K Salary to Owning 3 Rentals (Starting in 2024!)

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

BiggerPockets

Education, Investing, Business

4.8 • 16.6K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2026

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Renovating two rental properties, while working two jobs, all in your twenties. Flo Jacques took it on so she could replace her $35,000/year college admissions salary—and it was so worth it. The first year after graduating college, at age 22, Flo decided she was done being a renter. With just $15,000 down, she bought her first home to live in. But being an investor? That wouldn’t come until 2024—arguably one of the hardest housing markets in recent history. When she saw a panel on investing in real estate (and started having literal dreams about owning rentals), she knew it was time. The first investment property? A $70,000 neglected house in need of a big rehab and in a flood zone. What could go wrong? If that wasn’t enough, Flo then—midway through the rehab—decided to buy another rental to renovate—a duplex. She was managing two rental renovations while working two jobs. But now, Flo has some strong cash flow she created. Flo learned a lot, especially since she’s only in her twenties, but she is already on to the next deal: a flip with six-figure profit potential. In today’s show, Flo shares why she took the leap, the lessons she learned managing two renovations at once, a sure sign to fire your contractor, and why her new goal is one of the biggest we’ve ever heard. In This Episode We Cover How to renovate rental properties the right way (Flo made the mistakes for you) Why you’re not too young or inexperienced to take on your first real estate deal One sign you should fire your contractor (they will start to price gouge you) Hard money loans explained, and whether you should use this financing on your next rental renovation New rules of thumb Flo always follows when renovating a house Stuck in analysis paralysis? Why it’s time to take action and start investing And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BiggerPockets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1243 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertise@biggerpockets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	From a $35,000 a year salary to owning three investment properties in just two years,
0:05.8	that's investor Flo Jacques's story.
0:08.7	And it started with a simple decision at age 22 to buy a home instead of renting.
0:14.3	Most people wait for the perfect time.
0:16.0	Flo did not wait at all.
0:18.0	Fresh out of college, working as a college admissions counselor, Flo had saved
0:22.1	$15,000, and instead of letting it sit in the bank, she used it to buy her first home in North
0:27.6	Carolina. That purchase wasn't her endgame. It was just the beginning. Over the next few years,
0:33.4	Flo educated herself about investing and networked relentlessly. When she finally felt ready,
0:38.7	she jumped in with a full gut rehab on a roach-infested property in a flood zone. That first
0:45.0	deal tested everything. Almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong. But Flo didn't
0:50.9	quit. She didn't even slow down. She adapted, problem solved, and a month later, she bought a duplex.
0:57.7	Then another property shortly after that.
0:59.9	Today, Flo is building a portfolio focused on multifamily properties and has her sites set
1:05.1	on real estate development.
1:06.5	This episode isn't about waiting for the perfect moment or having a six-figure income.
1:11.0	It's about taking action with what you have, learning fast, and refusing to settle for 40 years of a typical 9 to 5 career.
1:23.3	What's going on, everybody?
1:24.7	Welcome back to the Bigger Pockets podcast.
1:26.7	I'm Henry Washington. I've been investing in real estate in Arkansas and Missouri since 2017. And my co-host, Dave Meyer, is here with me. It's still weird saying that. My co-host Dave Meyer is here with me. What's up, Dave?
1:39.1	I love it. You have to do all the reading. I just get to sit here. This is the best.
1:43.3	Today's guest is Flo
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BiggerPockets, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BiggerPockets and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.