Foraria Home

10/28/2026

This house stunk SO BAD… now it’s rental #2. 🏡

Here are the real numbers (save this so you can run your own later):

Purchase: $166,623
Renovation: $88,599
Appraised value: $283,000
Refinance: $212,250
Rent: $2,100/month
What’s left after the mortgage payment: ~$300/month
Our cash still in the deal: ~$43,000

$300 a month isn’t changing anyone’s life. And that’s before repairs, vacancies, and everything else a rental throws at you.

BUT our tenants are paying down a loan on a house that’s worth about $70K more than we owe on it. And that’s how you build wealth.

📌 New renovation and rental cost breakdowns every Wednesday. Follow along so you don’t miss one.

What numbers do you want me to break down next? 👇

realestateinvestor

10/26/2026

Yes, houses under $100K still exist.

One of the places I look for investment properties? The COURTHOUSE.

Foreclosure auctions can be a great way to find properties that most buyers aren’t even looking at.

🏠 Search your county’s foreclosure listings or notices of sale.
🏠 Check the courthouse bulletin board for upcoming auctions.
🏠 Research the properties BEFORE you bid. These homes are often sold as-is, with limited access for inspections.
🏠 Understand the auction rules, deposit requirements, and potential liens before showing up with your money.

Follow Holly Dix | Home Renovation & Buying Tips for real estate investing, renovations, and building wealth one rental at a time.

10/25/2026

An offer to purchase a property is more than a price. Earnest money, due diligence, contingencies, closing...

It sounds like a foreign language until someone explains it plainly.

Swipe through to see every piece of an offer and why each one matters. Save this for your next one. 💛

Reminder: I’m not a lawyer or a real estate agent and terms may vary by state. Always confirm terms with your agent or attorney.

10/23/2026

We have POWER at the hoarder house ⚡💡 and now renovations can finally move faster inside.

Before we could reconnect, we had to:

1️⃣ Replace the electrical panel

2️⃣ Replace old damaged wiring

3️⃣ Pass the electrical inspection

4️⃣ Get the city to reconnect the service

If you’re looking at a house that’s been vacant or without power for a while, don’t assume the electrical just needs to be turned back on. Budget for an electrician to evaluate it before you close. On an older house, that one line item can make or break your budget.

Follow along to watch this 1940s hoarder house become a rental, one step (and light switch) at a time.

10/22/2026

The worst part of this renovation but the most important:

Here’s the full structural cost breakdown on our 1951 hoarder house.

➡ New subfloor and joists: $14,580
➡ Beams & rim: $13,500
➡ Exterior wall rebuild: $5,000

Total: $29,522
(Our inital swag estimate was $13,000 before we could see everything 🫣)

Structure isn’t the fun part, but it’s what protects your investment and your future tenants.

Would you have taken on this house knowing these numbers?!

10/20/2026

10/19/2026

Before you buy a house, look up 👆🔦

We tried to check the crawlspace on the house we’re closing on, but it was packed with HVAC, so we headed to the attic instead.

5 attic red flags:
💧 Water stains or daylight through the roof
🦠 Dark or fuzzy spots on the roof deck
🧱 Too little insulation (or gray-brown pebbly vermiculite, so don’t touch it)
🌬️ Poor ventilation, or bath fans venting into the attic
⚡ Old knob-and-tube wiring

Can’t access an area? Ask your inspector:
1️⃣ What couldn’t you inspect, and why?
2️⃣ Is it worth paying to get access before closing?
3️⃣ Can we negotiate or extend the inspection period until it’s checked?

An inspection report that says “limited access” isn’t a clean bill of health. It’s a question you still need answered.

Save this for your next showing 🏠

10/15/2026

I ordered IKEA kitchen cabinets AGAIN. And I know some people are going to have opinions.

But here’s the math:

IKEA: $5,366.37

Cabinets To Go: $9,525.00

That’s $4,158.63 in savings for comparable cabinet packages!

And while price is a huge factor, it’s not the only reason I keep choosing IKEA for our rental renovations.

I’m renovating these houses to own for the long haul, so I’m thinking about functionality, maintenance, replacement parts, and getting the most value out of every dollar.

Spending more doesn’t automatically mean you’re getting more. And saving money doesn’t have to mean sacrificing quality.

Are you team IKEA cabinets or would you never put them in your kitchen? 👇

10/14/2026

Every number behind our hoarder house: what we paid, how we paid for it, and what’s left to spend 👇

You’ve been asking, and I’m nosy too, so here’s everything.

🏠 The house: 1040 sq ft, built in 1951, 2 bed / 1 bath.

1️⃣ Purchase price: $90,000

2️⃣ All-in with closing costs and lawyer fees: $93,372.37

3️⃣ How we paid: Cash, using a HELOC (a line of credit against our own home). It’s not free money. It’s borrowed against our house, so we take that seriously.

4️⃣ Renovation budget: We planned on $70K. Then came the structural surprises (new roof, rim, joists, sheathing). Now the goal is to finish under $100K.

5️⃣ After-repair value: about $215K. That’s what we expect the house to be worth once it’s finished. The gap between what we put in and what it’s worth is what makes this a good investment.

Will it be done before baby arrives in December? Nope. I’d rather do it right than rush it.

This is my full-time job now, and every view, comment, and share on these posts helps us finish this house. Thank you for being here 🤍