The Small, $100K Rental Properties That Helped Me Quit My Job

TL;DR

Crystal Stkill built 19 rental units buying sub-$100K small properties in Kansas City and Wisconsin, generating enough cash flow to quit her teaching job.

Key Points

• 1.Crystal started investing out of state because Chicago suburbs were too expensive. She targeted Kansas City, Missouri, found an agent through BiggerPockets, flew out to tour the market, and bought her first property for $52,000 with delayed financing, pulling out most of her cash when it appraised at $75K.
• 2.Her second deal was a $21,000 auction foreclosure — her best deal. An 850 sq ft gutted property that a prior investor had half-renovated; Crystal finished it for ~$40K all-in, it appraised at $88K, and now rents for $925/month with only $13K left in the deal.
• 3.COVID killed the foreclosure auction pipeline, forcing a pivot to Wisconsin. She found a realtor in Rock County, Wisconsin (about an hour from home) and bought a 600 sq ft renovated single-family for $57K, financing it conventionally and renting it for $725/month.
• 4.Crystal quit her teaching job after her third rental property. She shifted from teaching to IT but left entirely around deal three; her husband's W2 as an engineer covers household expenses, and all rental cash flow is reinvested into more properties.
• 5.Direct mail marketing on just 82 postcards landed two deals — an unusually high hit rate. She used PropStream to build a targeted list and attributes the outsized return to sending mail in smaller, less-saturated markets where sellers rarely receive investor outreach.
• 6.Her current portfolio sits at 19 doors — 18 long-term rentals and one Airbnb lakehouse in Wisconsin. Properties include a four-unit, a two-unit, and single-families spread across Kansas City, Wisconsin, and Machesney Park, Illinois, all bought sub-$100K with light-to-significant renovations.
• 7.The most recent deal shows how the model still works despite price appreciation. Bought for $110K, renovated for $40K, appraised at $187K; a local community bank cash-out refi pulled everything out except $11K, and it rents for $1,825/month.
• 8.Crystal self-manages all 19 units using systems, local contractor contacts, and quarterly inspections. Kansas City properties are handled by a boots-on-ground contact using her standardized inspection form; low tenant turnover is credited to treating residents as individuals rather than numbers.