How Milagro Homes Started

Milagro Homes started in the Fall of 2020 when Marcos and Kirsten decided to dedicate themselves to helping their community buy, sell, and invest in real estate. They’re not your typical real estate professionals – they started as a husband and wife REALTOR® and interior designer team, with a focus on building wealth and real estate investing. With more than a decade under their belt in the real estate world, and a solid grasp of various real estate domains, they have a lot to bring to the table. Whether you're an investor, buyer, or seller, they’d love to hear from you. They are a multi-talented couple and provide their valued clients with a wide range of services. Whether you're in pursuit of your ideal home, seeking the latest investment opportunities, planning to sell your property, or considering a property renovation, they are here to provide you with expert assistance and support.

Marcos and Kirsten are genuinely passionate about helping their clients unearth creative solutions that push them toward their goals. They serve as the driving force you’re seeking to pursue your dreams. As fellow dreamers and free spirits, their mission is to support those who are prepared to embrace a transformation toward a life that truly resonates with their passions. Time is precious, and they believe in seizing the opportunity to pursue a life that brings joy. Don’t hesitate to reach out and share how they can assist you on your journey!

The Meaning Behind Our Name

On New Years Eve of 2010 Marcos and Kirsten met at Hostel Pudu in Bariloche Argentina. They soon became close friends and started going on amazing adventures in Patagonia. After a month of living there they decided to leave and go back to Buenos Aires together. Long story short, they realized they loved each other and after a week apart met up again in Northern Argentina and continued their journey together.

On one of their first adventures in Cafayate, Argentina they went to a vineyard called “Bodega Amalaya.” There they adopted their slogan “Esperanza por un milagro”, which means “hope for a miracle” in English. When they saw it they laughed because it was the perfect phrase to get them though all of the challenges they started facing on their travels.

Fast forward 9 years later (2020) they decided to start our business together in Real Estate. They chose the name “Milagro Homes” because of the slogan from Bodega Amalaya and how they have continued to say it throughout the years. They are always blessed with miracles that happen exactly when we need them, and they bless others with the miracles they’ve been waiting for too.

Our Investing Journey

It all started in 2013 when Marcos got his Real Estate license. After a couple years in the business we decided to buy our first home and settled on a fixer upper townhome in Maple Grove. With the help of Kirsten’s Dad we completely renovated the whole thing, ripped out the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, and even added a bedroom and window in the basement.

Fast forward two years later, our first child was born. Her arrival changed our outlook on life and we realized we didn’t want to work 9-5 jobs forever. So, we decided to get into real estate investing. We did our research, weighed our options and in the spring of 2018 we decided to sell our townhome and look for a duplex. We made a profit of almost $90,000 and saved this money to invest.

After putting all of our belongings in storage, moving to our family cabin for a month, and moving again to a rental for 4 months, we finally closed on our duplex in December 2018. We got to work and two years later had added almost $150,000 in equity by only spending a little more than $20,000 (also thanks to the real estate market). We did a cash out refinance and a few months later, since we were awaiting the arrival of our second child, decided it was time to move and rent out our side of the duplex.

So once again, Kirsten got to work looking at homes (she’s found every single one of our homes) and she found the perfect one all the way out in Rockford. It was outdated and had an unfinished basement with an egress window, perfect for adding equity. We moved on July 4th 2020, and three weeks later our son was born. A couple months after that Kirsten got her real estate license and Milagro Homes was born.

While we were fixing our our primary home, building our real estate business, and raising two kids, we decided it was time to do our first real flip. We found the home in November 2021, closed in February 2022 and got to work. A few months and over 120K in updates later, it was time to sell. We put it on the market on a Friday and sold it for over 30k more than asking price by Saturday. We took home $130,000 in profits.

A month or so after that we started looking for properties to invest our profits and decided to buy a townhome where we would live and eventually turn it into a rental. We moved there in September 2022. After 9 months of living there we moved yet again, and this time somewhere we didn’t have to move from for a while. We tried renting out our townhome but there were issues with the association so we decided to sell (see our Instagram post on why we sold our townhome).

During these times the market changed drastically due to interest rates and inventory. Luckily we were able to find a home that is perfect for our family, but needs some updating. Now we will be making our family home into a home where we hope to stay longer than two years 😅🙈. As for investing, we decided to sell our duplex in 2021 and now we rent out our home in Rockford and cash flow $1200/month. In 2024 we plan to do a flip and continue looking for investment properties. This past year has been a time for us to step back a little bit, but now we are ready to go!

All of the experiences that have led us to where we are now have provided us with a wealth of knowledge. We sometimes surprise ourselves at how far we’ve come and how much we know now. We will continue to invest in real estate, achieve financial freedom, and help others do the same.

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