to flip ,” Van Wyk said . “ We also want to create a home that has good energy , that people will love going home to . When we flip a house , we do it how we would want to come home . The little things make a big difference to us .”
Unexpected connections
Van Wyk and Vanderlinden worked as a team to flip six houses over the years – as a hobby , Van Wyk said , not as a “ money maker .”
“ Unfortunately it ’ s hard to do anymore , because there ’ s no profit left ,” Van Wyk said . “ A lot of times , young people want to give it a shot and get after it , so they slap down some paint and carpet and call it good . But you can ’ t really do that with the old homes . And there just aren ’ t any left to renovate in the Pella area .”
However , Van Wyk looks back fondly on his “ house flipping days .”
“ It was always really fun flipping the old houses , because you ’ d almost always find cool things ,” he said . “ We often found old articles and notes , even old , custom jewelry . You never knew what you were going to find .”
Flipping houses also created unexpected connections with each home – and with friends .
“ The thing I liked about it most was it was always fun to put new life back into the old homes that nobody else really wanted ,” Van Wyk said . “ And we always had friends stop by while we were working . They ’ d drive or walk by and stop in to see what we were up to , to say hi and shoot the breeze . It was a way for us to connect with our friends .”
Giving back from scratch
Now that Van Wyk ’ s house-flipping days are over , he ’ s decided to switch his focus to giving back to his alma mater , Pella Christian Schools , in a unique way .
In December 2016 , Van Wyk helped launch Little Eagle LLC , a nonprofit with a mission to create financial support for Pella Christian Schools without asking for donations from constituents . Much of the nonprofit ’ s fundraising comes from building and selling spec houses , in addition to other real estate investments . The board consists of community members involved in Pella Christian Schools who have a variety of background experience , including real estate , finance , education , construction and more .
The idea came to Van Wyk after discovering teachers in Pella Christian Grade School ’ s Spanish Immersion Program were having a difficult time finding housing in the area .
“ I had this vision , like how cool would it be if the school had some housing that we could offer our teachers at a discounted rate ?” he said . “ I wanted to use my talents in real estate to help the school .”
Volunteers help pour concrete on one of the Little Eagle spec homes .
The nonprofit first purchased and renovated a duplex on University Street to rent out affordable housing to teachers in need . Over the years , the nonprofit has added four more duplexes and one sixplex . To help pay for mortgages , Van Wyk contacted his friends in the construction trades to begin building spec houses to generate additional funds .
“ There were a lot of companies willing to offer discounts to make our houses more affordable ,” he said . “ Students enrolled in Building and Trades at Pella Christian High School will also come help to get experience in the field , like shingling and painting the houses .”
Van Wyk doesn ’ t do as much physical work as he did when he flipped old homes , but he continues to offer his expertise in real estate to help the nonprofit keep costs down — and continue to build relationships with local businesses , contractors and the community .
Andrew Green , professor of political science at Central College , used to live across the street from one of the nonprofit ’ s first spec homes . Green and his family loved it so much , they asked Van Wyk to construct one they could call their own .
“ They liked it so much , they wanted the same exact house in Hunter ’ s Ridge ,” Van Wyk said . “ So , we built it for them . And they still live there to this day .”
The nonprofit ’ s spec homes created a domino effect in the community . Once Van Wyk showed his spec homes to potential buyers and pitched the nonprofit ’ s mission , they wanted one , too .
“ It was really cool how things worked out with these houses ,” Van Wyk said . “ It ’ s still a worthwhile fundraiser for our group to still do , and it ’ s good for the community . We need more housing .”
While Van Wyk ’ s projects and interests have shifted over the years , one focus has always remained the same – his love for helping his community .
Southern Iowa Living 27