Our First FIX AND FLIP
Every investor remembers their first deal. Not because it was the best deal — but because it’s the one where you learn the most. Our Coal Center project is that deal for Golden Belt. It’s the property where we built our BRRRR workflow from scratch, made mistakes, adapted, and came out the other side with a system we can now repeat. Here’s the full story, numbers and all. The Property 1021 California Drive, Coal Center, Pennsylvania. A single-family home in Washington County, acquired through a foreclosure auction. The property sits in a quiet residential neighborhood with decent rental demand and solid comps for the area. When we acquired it, the property needed a full renovation: new flooring, kitchen and bathroom updates, paint throughout, some structural repairs, and general cleanup from years of deferred maintenance. The Strategy: BRRRR in Practice For this project, we’re executing the full BRRRR cycle: The Renovation Scope We prepared a detailed, line-item renovation scope document for this property — both for our own planning and for the hard money lender application. The scope covers: One thing we learned early: lenders want specificity. “Kitchen renovation — $8,000” isn’t enough. They want to see “cabinets ($3,200), countertop ($1,800), sink + faucet ($400), appliance package ($2,600).” The more detailed your scope, the faster your loan gets approved. What We Learned Every project teaches you something. Here are the big lessons from Coal Center: The Takeaway Your first BRRRR won’t be perfect. But if you document everything, build conservative numbers, and treat setbacks as tuition, you’ll come out the other side with a repeatable system — and that’s worth more than any single deal.
Our First BRRRR: Inside the Coal Center Project (Numbers Included)
Every investor remembers their first deal. Not because it was the best deal — but because it’s the one where you learn the most. Our Coal Center project is that deal for Golden Belt. It’s the property where we built our BRRRR workflow from scratch, made mistakes, adapted, and came out the other side with a system we can now repeat. Here’s the full story, numbers and all. The Property 1021 California Drive, Coal Center, Pennsylvania. A single-family home in Washington County, acquired through a foreclosure auction. The property sits in a quiet residential neighborhood with decent rental demand and solid comps for the area. When we acquired it, the property needed a full renovation: new flooring, kitchen and bathroom updates, paint throughout, some structural repairs, and general cleanup from years of deferred maintenance. The Strategy: BRRRR in Practice For this project, we’re executing the full BRRRR cycle: The Renovation Scope We prepared a detailed, line-item renovation scope document for this property — both for our own planning and for the hard money lender application. The scope covers: One thing we learned early: lenders want specificity. “Kitchen renovation — $8,000” isn’t enough. They want to see “cabinets ($3,200), countertop ($1,800), sink + faucet ($400), appliance package ($2,600).” The more detailed your scope, the faster your loan gets approved. What We Learned Every project teaches you something. Here are the big lessons from Coal Center: The Takeaway Your first BRRRR won’t be perfect. But if you document everything, build conservative numbers, and treat setbacks as tuition, you’ll come out the other side with a repeatable system — and that’s worth more than any single deal.
