What happens when a $40,000 house becomes a $160,000 exit—and the same passion for real estate leads to building independent living homes?

In this episode of The Housing Dept. Podcast, Terence sits down with Leslie, a real estate investor and independent living operator who has been investing in real estate for more than 20 years.

Leslie shares how she bought a house for $40,000 at a time when she didn’t even have a job, put the purchase on credit cards, invested about $10,000 into the rehab, and eventually sold the property for around $160,000. But her story goes beyond real estate.

Leslie also shares how independent living has allowed her to make a real difference in people’s lives—from helping a woman transition into her own apartment to supporting a resident with schizophrenia who had previously experienced abuse in other group homes.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- How Leslie got started in real estate

- How she found a way to purchase a $40K property without a traditional job

- How she approached flipping and rehabbing properties- What led her to independent living

- Why independent living is about more than filling beds- How housing can create real change in someone’s life

- Why due diligence and learning from experienced people matter

- How Leslie uses AI to continue learning and growing her business

- Her plans to expand her housing business

Sponsored by PadSplit

If you own a home and like the idea of shared housing but don't necessarily want to operate the housing business yourself, PadSplit may be worth checking out.

PadSplit helps property owners rent individual rooms instead of renting an entire home to one tenant. The platform helps with marketing the property, screening residents, facilitating move-ins, and managing rent collection.

According to PadSplit, hosts can earn up to 2.5x more than a traditional long-term rental.

Learn more: padsplit.com/thd

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