I bought a fixer-upper for $347,000 and turned it into two Airbnbs. It went so well I turned the garage into two more.

Vanessa Banh purchased a fixer-upper home for $347,000 in 2022, intending to convert it into rental properties. She turned the four-bedroom house into two Airbnb units, and later converted the garage into two more. Banh, a former accountant turned entrepreneur, explained that rather than living in the property, she preferred generating additional income.

The renovation process took a year and a half, with her dad and herself handling the work. The biggest costs were replacing the roof and adding a new air conditioning system, totaling around $60,000. After the renovations, Banh found that one unit was frequently rented out to traveling professionals, leading to the idea of turning the garage into two additional Airbnb units.

She completed the garage conversion in January 2026, and started receiving bookings by March. Her first few months saw a cash flow of $1,000 to $1,500, but by the following months, she was earning approximately $2,000 per unit. Banh anticipates that it will take around two years to pay off the construction debt, after which the properties will generate consistent cash flow.