Case Study
Lawgi Homes Case Study
From Growing Pains to Consistent Growth Through Clear Bookkeeping
At Lawgi Homes, Evan and Ebonie W. came to us with a growing portfolio of renovation projects and rental properties. Specializing in distressed properties, foreclosures, probates, and providing cash offers, they needed expert bookkeeping that could keep pace with their particular projects.
The Growing Pains
Like many business owners, the journey to finding the right bookkeeper didn’t happen in a straight line. “Initially we had the QuickBooks team, and that wasn’t as efficient as we wanted it to be because there were so many hands in the pot,” Ebonie explains. Looking for a more personal touch, they switched to a solo bookkeeper they’d met through networking.
At first, this seemed like the right move. But as their business grew, the cracks began to show:
- Work would pile up, creating backlogs
- They found themselves digging through months of records to find information
- The same documents had to be sent multiple times
- Financial updates weren’t timely enough for their fast-moving business
“It was added stress to us, and not only us, but it was a stress to our business,” she recalls. “That’s why we had to make that change.”
Building Relationships and Real Estate Deals
“As we grow our company, we want people around us who are like us—winners who prioritize their business, who love what they do, who are very articulate, communicate well and on top of their stuff,” Evan says.
And from day one, we were proud to make the Ambrose Bookkeepers difference clear! Instead of chasing down updates or wondering about the status of their books, they now received regular email updates that kept everyone aligned. The monthly financial reports arrived consistently, giving them the visibility they needed to make informed decisions. Perhaps most importantly, they found a partner who valued time as much as they did.
“We’re so big on time—we don’t get time back,” Evan explains. “So I love how Kristen allocates her time to us. We don’t go over appointments – 30 minutes, 15 minutes, whatever it is.” This efficient, focused approach means that they can stay on top of their finances without getting bogged down in lengthy meetings or endless email chains.
The Data Difference: Making Better Decisions Through Better Books
The impact of our partnership has gone far beyond just better organization. With clear, timely financial data, Evan and Ebonie gained new insights into their business:
- They could track expenses across their rental portfolio
- Property performance became clearer, leading to strategic decisions
- They identified opportunities to optimize their flip projects
- Transaction records were organized and readily available
“It has helped us see a clearer picture on a monthly basis as to where we are financially with our business,” Ebonie notes. “We recently sold a rental property and it was just nice and refreshing to see that everything was put together well organized. We didn’t have to wait months to see the results.”
Real Results in Real Time
The transformation showed up in concrete ways:
- Faster access to financial information
- Better expense tracking across properties
- Clearer insights for property-holding decisions
- More strategic approach to renovation budgets
“Looking at the data and having a clear picture has opened our eyes,” Ebonie shares. “We have rentals, but the expenses are kind of high on some of these rentals. Maybe we’ll redirect things and sell some of them. It makes us look at our flips a little bit closer—let’s see how we can improve in areas in terms of expenses and how we can grow our income.”
A Partnership That Grows Together
For real estate investors, having clear financial data isn’t just about keeping good books – it’s about making better business decisions. With Ambrose Bookkeepers, this team found a partner who could deliver both the organizational efficiency and strategic insights they needed to take their business to the next level.
Ready to Amp Up Your Own Bookkeeping to Match Your Ambition?
Maybe you’re in a similar position right now: you know your real estate business could perform better with the right financial systems in place. You’re ready to move from reactive to proactive, from uncertainty to confidence, from chaos to clarity.
Like Lawgi Homes, you could have monthly financials that tell the true story of your business. You’d be able to make hiring and scaling decisions with complete confidence in your numbers. And you’d have a real estate bookkeeping expert in your corner, always ready to answer questions and help guide your growth.
That’s exactly what we deliver for real estate investors every day at Ambrose Bookkeepers, and we’d love to hear how we can help you!
Cleaned up video transcript:
Our main business is real estate investors, real estate experts – we’ve both been in real estate for close to 10 years. Pretty much the main core of our business is we focus on properties that are distressed properties.
We did have a bookkeeper that we met some years back at a networking event. Initially everything started out well. They were helping us. We had the QuickBooks team initially, and that wasn’t as efficient as we wanted it to be because there were so many hands in the pot. So we decided to go with someone we knew from our networking event.
We hired them and everything went well. It was a one-person shop and our challenges were: he would allow things to sort of build up, and once they build up, we have the challenges of having to dig back and look for things from months prior. Sometimes we would find ourselves having to repeat things and send the same documents that we had already sent, which is okay – sometimes things do happen. We understand that, but it was a continuous thing. So at that point, we knew that it was added stress to us and not only us, but it was a stress to our business, so that’s why we had to make that change.
As we grow our company, we just want people around us who are like us – just winners who prioritize their business, who love what they do, who are very articulate, communicate well and on top of their stuff. We don’t ever have to worry about anything now with Kristen. We get email updates. Things are done monthly. We’re so big on time – we don’t get time back. So I love how Kristen allocates her time to us. We don’t go over appointments – 30 minutes, 15 minutes, whatever it is – it’s very to the key, like we wanted it.
It’s been very beneficial when you can see the qualities in Kristen. She wants to continue to grow and continue to go further. It’s the same thing with us. We want to continue to grow and grow with like-minded people and building around us. That’s very key with everybody we surround ourselves with – just having that mentality to do the best you can, love your craft.
It has helped us see a clearer picture on a monthly basis as to where we are financially with our business. We recently sold a rental property and it was just nice and refreshing to see that everything was put together well organized. We didn’t have to wait months to see the results of everything we’ve done prior. Speed has improved organization. It just helps us feel like we’re put together because when things aren’t organized and we’re looking and we’re feeling like we don’t have our stuff together because we’re digging and trying to find things – that can be a challenge.
Just having monthly data is so important and we greatly appreciate that. It is so efficient and we’re thankful to have that. On a timely basis, you can track things better. You can plan. Looking at the data and having a clear picture has opened our eyes, even to the fact that okay, we have rentals but the expenses are kind of high on some of these rentals. Maybe we’ll redirect things and sell some of them. It makes us look at our flips a little bit closer because we’re like, okay, let’s see how we can improve in areas in terms of expenses and how we can grow our income.
In the beginning we were like, ‘Wow, she’s very responsive and on top of it.’ She responds to us fast and the reviews – you have really good reviews and the consistency because that was my thing too. I was like, ‘Okay, well, Kristen is doing really well in the beginning. Hopefully she maintains this’ and you did. So we’re thankful for that.
The company is very good for referral. I will continue to refer. That’s big for business. We love referrals as well. As far as referrals to real estate investors, I would just tell them that you have that experience.”