Student Success Story - Jennifer Michael

Dear Ron,

My son, Wesley, and I started this venture to work towards a better future for him and allow us to help others. Besides financial security and quitting our day jobs, my dream is to be able
to help foster kids that age out of the system.

We came across this cute 4 bedroom, 2 bath rancher in the suburbs of Quincy, IL. The owner was in distress and five months behind on mortgage payments, but not yet served with Foreclosure. She was eager to move to something more affordable.

The house needed some minor repairs and a fresh coat of paint. The grass was 12inches tall and the owner left behind a fair amount of garbage. All of which my son took care of.

We offered to give the owner money for the security deposit to move to a small apartment in exchange for buying the house subject-to the underlying loan. It still had 29 years on the mortgage, so we don't have to pay it off.

We sat on the house for a few months waiting for the right tenant buyer. Our bandit and pointer signs directed many people to the house. We were getting five to ten calls a week from interested people, but none of them had more than $5,000 to put down.

Holding out for the right tenant buyer was a good call. We lease optioned the house to a single mom of twins. She had a $10,000 deposit and leased optioned it for $139,000. The payment to the seller is $900 and we leased it to our tenant buyer for $1,150 so we will get a monthly cash flow of $250.

We close in a couple of weeks. In addition, if the buyer does not close in 2 years on the lease then we will collect another non-refundable option deposit and do it again.

Barbara’s mentoring style is that of an accountability coach. She is encouraging and tough at the same time. The most important thing we learned from her is that “action creates action”.

Barabara has shared some very creative marketing ideas that we will continue to utilize for years to come. She took the time to review our contracts and closing arrangements to ensure we were doing things correctly.

We are deeply grateful for Barbara’s guidance, dedication, and the lasting impact she made on our journey. Her encouragement and belief in her students helped make success stories like ours possible.

In Loving Memory Of Barbara Jean LeGrand Cockrell
December 10, 1958 – July 16, 2026
May she rest in peace.

https://fraserfuneralhome.com/obituaries/public/obituaries/barbara-jean-legrand-cockrell