As featured in Farnoosh’s column for NextAdvisor, guest Lisa Phillips is a real estate investor who specializes in Black communities. Rather than zero in on up-and-coming markets where you can buy low and flip high, Phillips is pouring her money into the same neighborhoods in which she was raised: predominantly Black and brown, working class towns where you can find fixer-uppers for $30,000 or less. With smart and strategic upgrades, she’s proving it’s possible to turn properties into welcoming and safe homes.

Today she is the founder of Affordable Real Estate Investments, runs the Facebook community Sub30KMastermind and is the author of the book Investing in Rental Properties for Beginners.