Tuesday, April 22, 2014

An Inspiration to Young & Old: Jessica's Story

Jessica’s journey to home ownership started long before I ever became her realtor. At 15-years-old, she started to diligently save money with dreams of purchasing her first home. She worked for minimum wage at the Mission Inn flower shop. Thanks to her hard work and discipline, she was able to qualify for her first home at 21 years old. It was at this time that Jessica and I partnered up to find her first place.  I admired Jessica’s determination to stay within her budget. We opened escrow on a short sale that took over 6 months to negotiate. In the end, we stuck to our goals and Jessica became a First Time Home Owner at the age of 22!
Jessica's First Home



Jessica’s first home was a “fixer-upper”, very dirty and in disrepair. However, thanks to Jessica’s budgeting skills, she was able to have a reasonable mortgage payment as well as enough money to completely remodel her home. There was no time wasted. Within one month, her damaged “fixer-upper” had transformed into a model home that she could be proud of! Jessica’s passion for interior design was apparent in her remodeling choices. The new kitchen, flooring, paint, appliances and bathroom looked spectacular!

Jessica's Loft Space After Remodeling
Jessica's Remodeled Kitchen

Two years later, I called Jessica to say, “ Congratulations, you have made over a 100,000 in the time you have owned your home.” She was thrilled that her money had worked so well for her while she was enjoying the comforts of her beautiful house. She decided she was ready to do it all over again and put her home on the market. After a successful Open House her home was in escrow in less than a week! Jessica ended up getting more than she had hoped for in profit and couldn’t wait to find her second home!

After not winning the bid on a couple of other homes, the perfect home came along! This home is in a highly desirable area of Riverside and priced lower because the home was out dated and needed major updating. Luckily, Jessica doesn’t shy away from a challenge.

The Rose Garden
The owner had passed away, but it had a lot of sentimental value to the children who grew up there. The father of the children had planted 100 rose bushes on the property and brought flowers in to his wife daily. Jessica won the hearts of the family with a personal letter to them.  As a floral designer, she promised continue the rose tradition. She loved the charm of the home and was so pleased with how easy the sellers were to work with. They even decided to pay half the cost of a new roof during the escrow process!

At 24-years-old Jessica was the proud owner of her second home!  After escrow closed, she, once again, wasted no time on renovations for her new place. Within one weeks time, the kitchen was gutted and a new one was designed, the four layers of 1950’s wallpaper had been removed, the rose gardens were restored to their former glory and the contractors began working.

Another Kitchen to Remodel!
Jessica’s new home is projected to have over $100,000 in equity in just a month! Another home with the same square footage just two doors down went on the market of 345,000 and it is beautifully updated. Jessica paid 250,000 and  is excited that all of her renovations will pay off shortly. Please look for her completed project to be revealed soon!


With determination the discipline to save money, Jessica’s real estate accomplishments can be achieved by people her age and older! Her buyer experience is a testament to the importance of a strong support system. She was able to work with an outstanding family, reliable contractors, a great lender and a Real Estate Agent that helps find deals, watches the market, and can negotiate a “Win, Win” Let me help you make your dreams come true too!