Stephanie Sawin's Blog Posts

Are you reading the 3rd post about the FIRE movement!?  If you’re answer is “yes,” I’m so proud of you for educating yourself!  This article is a perfect example of

When I saw this article I couldn’t help but think of all the long time citizens you hear of moving away from parts of Colorado because of our rapid growth.  Guess what Coloradans??? There

Here I go again!  Let me start by saying, when I found out about the FIRE movement it was like someone lit a fuse inside.  This is what my goal has been for years, but I just couldn&rsquo

You may be thinking, “Sure, I'll invest in real estate!  That sounds easy and fun!” or “No way! That sounds expensive and horrible!”  Whether you’re thinking

Have you noticed the difference in the way people speak about retirement?  Some people would like to retire, but have no idea how. Others plan on working for the rest of their lives because

These words actually caught my eye in a previous real estate investment article I blogged about (What does your retirement look like? “...hope is not a strategy!”). “FIRE Movement

I write a lot about investing in real estate, but sometimes it’s good to hear someone else’s story.  In my job as a Realtor, the biggest perk and challenge is everything is in your

Yes, buying or selling your first piece of real estate (or any piece of real estate) can be stressful and super emotional.  Some people are laying the groundwork for their future, and most of

I love Castle Rock, and I love getting out and about in our little town.  Check out this month’s event calendar, and get out and meet your neighbors in this beautiful weather!Castle Rock

I have to say I hate having debt!  I’m ok with a mortgage payment, bills, day to day living expenses, etc. but credit card debt and car payments drive me crazy!  Unfortunately, this

There’s a couple of these that you might say “Oh yeah...I knew that, and a few that you’ll be scratching your head about. I actually helped a seller sell a Sears home last year!

Now, let me start by stating that this is one person’s opinion, but as this is always a hot topic and popular question...I thought I’d go ahead and share this article with you! 

People are always asking me what they should do to their house?  What will increase the value? My answer usually is, “How long do you plan on living there?”  Now, if you plan

The title pretty much explains it all!  Have you thought about moving to a different area just to cut the cost of living?  It’s in the cards for some of us...Check out how your place

It occurred to me this morning, while sorting through emails, the amount of sales pitches I receive when I close on a property is astronomical.  The worst part is I wonder how many people"

This article is geared towards investors who are not working with an agent.  So, I may be shooting myself in the foot, but I love to talk about title companies.  Most people don't know

For starters, if you want my opinion of a Zestimate on your home feel free to schedule a meeting with me in person.  That being said, never underestimate the human senses beyond sight. Not only

Wondering where are of that hard earned cash is going??? Yeah me too!  My first challenge for you is to sit down with around 3 months of statements from every account and start highlighting...1

This article just flat out spoke to me.  So many of us struggle to fulfill the “get rich quick” dream because that’s exactly what it is a dream, not reality.  The best

I love learning from other peoples' mistakes, don't you??  Here's a story from an investor that got into a purchase that didn't pan out they way he planned.  The best advice, that I think

Everyone has some sort of morning routine...mine varies depending on how I'm feeling when I wake up, so not quite sure I'm the best for giving advice...That's why I found this awesome article! 

Is there really such a thing???  What about the least painful ways to save and still have money to spend on stupid stuff??  Yes, I know I should be encouraging Buyers to pinch every penny,

What do these 3 things have in common??? Everthing!  Basically find you "strike zone" or create a system.  Stick to it and know when to say no.  You might get the sideways glance

When you start researching and educating yourself on truly becoming a real estate investor you will start hearing the words cap rate thrown around all over the place.  Some of us who are new to

If you follow my blog regularly (if you don't and want to know more about real estate investing do), you'll know that I post all kinds of things about real estate investing.  This article

Awhile back I posted about our Colorado mini vacay to the Sand Dunes and how awesome it was!  This quick read sums up cheap ways to travel during the summer.  Guess what?!  Most of

As most of you know I'm a huge advocate for the wonderful amazing super awesome town of Castle Rock, Colorado.  It still amazes me that I have been here for 9 and half years (the longest I've

I know you've seen me post tons of articles on how to, why to, why not, just go for it...INVEST in REAL ESTATE!  But,  don't just take my word for it.  Here is a list of books for

Love this article!  Finally, someone has summed up all of the contradiction in investments, buying a home, where your money is best spent, etc.  Don't get me wrong, all of these people are

As my 5 year old would say..."What the hek is that?"  Check out what this agent has to say...As always, I recommend:  Do your RESEARCH, EDUCATE yourself, and MAKE the DECISION based on

What's your go to "change jar?"  OMG do you even have one!?  I will say that when I worked for tips, I always volunteered to take the change that no one else wanted.  In college, my

If your answer is "yes" or "maybe" keep reading!  If you answered "Hek no!  I never want to be a landlord!"  Not to worry of I have other methods of helping you invest in real estate.

Well, that sounds intense!  I just picture the green ooze for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II burning away at a pile of money :(This is a great little piggy back off of my previous blog "The

Also known as a credit card, and is one reason why so many of us are broke.  Are you spending more money than you make or are you spending money just as fast as you earn it? It's time to

I really don't like to talk about myself, but for those of you who don't know me I have 4 kids, a full time job, a husband with a full time job, lots of activities and just lots of life in general

I just had to read this article because...1. I am no longer a renter2. I believe in being open to all new information I can graspAND 3.  Practice what you preach!  I'm all about

Debt is a looming big dark ball of stress.  Kind of like the monster thing in Stranger Things...The nice part about debt is it doesn't have to be around forever.  There are ways to rise

This is one question I have always struggled with.  How much control do you need or want to have?  Does it make sense to invest in your local market or are there better deals elsewhere?

Most of us think and ponder how wonderful it would be to invest in real estate and be swimming in the positive cash flow for the rest of our lives...Want to stop pondering and start doing?  It

A lot of us feel like it's almost impossible to find a good deal on real estate in our current market...Guess what!?  Not true, but it will take some hard work (on your part or mine depending

Investing in 1 home may seem daunting!  Now, I'm talking about investing in multiple homes, taking care of multiple tenants and spending a whole bunch more money :D  Not sure what you want

Because why not??  We've all been there.  Some of us are very good at staying positive, and some of us are very good at staying negative.  I don't know about you, but when I feel good

Believe me I thought investing in real estate was just a fantasy my husband and I had...I also thought there was no way we were ever going to save up for a down payment on our first home (not an

I usually don't touch on this subject often, but I met some really awesome other real estate agents last night!  And yes most of us do get along for the most part, we realize that our business

I love to network with like minded professionals and entrepneurs!  Every once in awhile the topic of books comes up...What's your favorite business book, what book do you recommend, what book

Sound too good to be true???  I thought so too when my husband first started talking about investing in real estate around 10 years ago.  It took maybe one conversation to understand the

Always a interesting subject...what rights do squatters have???  What's the right way and the wrong way to deal with squatters?  Squatter versus trespasser?  Is there such thing as a

If you've read my past blogs I post a lot about investing in real estate.  Guess what!?  This has to do with saving money to invest (in general), but also has some great tips for post

Hello!  Have you recently started a home improvement project, that turned into another project, that turned into a toilet replacement, and eventually snowballed out into the backyard and you're

A question I receive all the time is "What kind of improvements should I make on my home?"  I usually answer with "How long do you plan on living there?"  If you're going to be in your

I have people ask me all the time "When is the best time to invest or buy/sell my house?"  The answer "It's always a great time to get into real estate!!!!!" Honestly, the market can do

..."money spent is money you can’t use to build real wealth."  Very well said and just a taste of the article.  Learn how to build wealth quickly and through real estate with the

This awesome (and kind of long) article was written as a step by step guide for new investors to get into the world of multi family.  For some of you this may be a little daunting, or something

Funny that this article popped up in my feed because we (me and the hubby) happen to be investing with family and friends at this very moment in life.  Like with any group of people things can

Again had to read this article because of the photo...Guess what!?  It's an awesome article, and I couldn't get past reason number without commenting.SET GOALS!Every year my husband and I as

Renting anything can seem terrifying!  Even just letting the neighbor borrow a rake (or whatever)...Questions start surging through your head (or maybe just mine)..."Will I ever see it again?"

I try to keep most of my posts non controversial and infomative...I feel like the topic rent control could very quickly go sideways, but feel free to leave your thoughts in the nicest manner.

Did that title get your attention?  Good!  Now, this is basically about the investment side of a timeshare.  I'm talking "naked" because I know almost nothing about timeshares. 

 Negotiating is definitely a skill that needs to be practiced and fine tuned.  Luckily, here's an awesome article with 7 tips to help you get those awesome negotiating skills!  Not so

I will admit (even before becoming a Realtor) my husband and I have been talking real estate investing for YEARS.  Literally, YEARS, and it started out as just that "talk."  One of the

Got that itch and income to invest in your first property!!??  Let's do it...but maybe you're local market isn't the best investment market (show of hands).  Not to worry!  Here's an

This seems to be the latest and greatest in real estate investments.  And there are time when the numbers really do make sense!  First off though, do your homework!  Short term

There are ways to keep your 9 to 5 and still make money in the real estate industry, but is that what you really want???  How about replacing that 9-5 job?  Learn about the F.I.R.E.

It's pretty simple.  Use social media to your advantage by making connections and interacting with other people with similiar interests.  Guess what!?  I enjoying educating, learning,

This article is lengthy, but has some amazing points.  The major point being...Be committed if you want to be successful!I can't tell you the ups and downs of being in business for yourself.

That's exactly what this article is about.  This blog is for those of you highly interested in investing in commercial real estate, and it will also cater to you numbers people. 

Long complicated story short, when it gets down to the nitty gritty your main goal on an investment property is to cash flow (for the most of us, you're in charge of your own goals).  This

Fantastic video on how to analyze and walk through a property!  This video is great for investors, first time buyers and everyone in between.  Investors, this will teach you things to look

I can tell you all day long that real estate is one of the most amazing greatest investments you'll ever make, and if you know how to play your cards right it will just keep getting better...blah

Is it the best idea... maybe or maybe not.  How badly do you want to start investing in real estate???  Some people are willing to risk it all for the chance at a big payout while others

I’m very familiar with 1031s, but because I stream most of what I watch, and my daily news feed is the stream of whatever comes out of my husband’s mouth, I wasn’t quite aware of

For starters, my number one reason for checking out this article was because of the hilarious picture!  Reason Number 2, I would rather learn from someone else's mistakes than my own.  Why

My favorite part about this article is the very first sentence is in tune with my real estate beliefs.  I always encourage my clients to hold on to their property as an investment if possible.

"Have a why beyond..."  There are a million reasons why you might want to invest in real estate.  Make sure those reasons resinate with who you are.  You want to love what you do

More often than not most arguments between couples (including my husband and I) are monetary.  Luckily, for us, towards the end of the "conversation" we realize it's just money and we'll figure

Yeah maybe the title of this blog didn't quite make sense, so here's an explanation:I believe when you invest in real estate you're investing in yourself.  You're trusting yourself to make a

Let's face reality saving money is hard, and it's not much fun...I remeber saving for my first down payment, and I'm so glad to have ridden the equity train to my forever home already.  Guess

Getting started in real estate is exciting...whether you are buying or selling your first property, buying your first investment property or buying your first multiple set of doors...especially in

I have to admit, I've never been a podcast person.  I actually recorded my own podcast before ever listening to one.  I had so much fun recording one, that I finally decided to sit down

Um...yeah me too!  But not to worry, there are plenty of people out there you can pay to property manage for you or you can take a look at a few of these steps that will make being a landlord

I'm pretty sure I've shared this article before, but it's an important one, so here is it again!  Some people are very ethusiastic and will dive right into real estate without a second glance

This article hits the nail on the head when it comes to investing!  You want to have a team of people surrounding you that knows what they're doing and are acting in your best interest. 

There's nothing like purchasing an investment property...and then having it sit on the market...Good news!  There are some items that renters are looking for on the outside of the house too!

As a Realtor, I love the words "Stephanie, I want to sell my house." Yay!  But as a homeowner, I totally understand that not everyone is at the place in their lives or they straight up never

Seriously, 5 quick simple tips that will make you a legendary landlord!  Some of them are pretty obvious and some of them will surprise you!  Get ready to arm yourself to be the best

I finally found an article/video to answer a question that has been nagging in the back of my mind for awhile.  Especially because different professionals will give you different answers. 

I have to admit sometimes you hear things and then read things that just make sense.  As much as I would love your business, don't do something because everyone else is doing it.  Buy a

I saw real estate, I saw invetors, I clicked on the article and read.  I don't usually like to get into politics, but his article was perfect.  Awesome opportunities out there that may be

"Uncertain"  was the first word that jumped out at me in this article.  There are defintie good numbers and hard facts in this article about 2018 rents, but like all things real estate, we

 This is something that is always lingering in the back of my head as an agent and as an investor.  As an investor, you want your tenants to have a beautiful place to live in so they keep

I'll admit buying my first property made me want to throw up a little bit.  Buying my first investment property makes me feel like I've drunken a million cups of coffee and that's starting to

What's the M word?  It's a word that most of us Realtors, home inspectors, buyers, sellers, mostly everyone looking at property doesn't want to hear (with the exception of a mitigation).&

Every client asks me the same question:  "Is now a good time to buy?" "Is now a good time to sell?"  As a Realtor and investor, my answer will almost always be "yes..."  But it really

Check out the top 5 most affordable places to rent and the top 5 worst places to rent.  Luckily, Colorado and the Denver metro area doesn't fall onto either one of these lists.  Also,

Oh how I love the internet!  I love being able to learn from other peoples' mistakes, especially the big ones, so I don't have to make those mistakes myself.  An even better way to help

I'm going to be totally upfront with you...it took me a couple of reads to completely understand what they are talking about in this article.  The last line is even "Make sense?"  The

Guess what you can invest at any point in your life, and as a Realtor and genuine law-abiding citizen I would love to help you!  There are a million different ways to come up with the money to

As an entrepneur (yes I'm a Realtor which means I run my own business) you have to hustle!  I'll admit for a long time I would think about my goals and wonder why they were so far out of...

As a Realtor of course I need to tell you that it is to your absolute most benefit to have a Realtor representing you when you're investing in a property! (BTW you are always investing in a property

I can totally relate to some of these reasons, and some of them are a great eye opener to why I have more money than other people.  Check them out and maybe start saving for that down payment..

I always think these articles are fun to look at because let's be honest we're looking to see if our city is ticking any of the boxes.  I found this one quite interesting and a nice quick easy

Saw this article and thought is would be great for my fellow entrepneurs.  As I was reading I also thought it would be a good read for those of you looking to buy a home in the Denver metro and

Open house this Saturday 10/6 from 11-2PM and 10/7 from 1-4 PM!  Come tour this beautiful home and enjoy some coffee and cookies!  Lender and listing agent on site to answer all of your