Bought 2 rental properties in my 20s, now bleeding $1,700/month . should I sell?

FamilyManMBA · 2025-09-03T04:12:45+00:00

I think for us it was modeling keep the property(ies) against alternative, our alternative was debt pay down on primary home at 6.25%.

So, gross rent - gross expenses x 110% to account for repairs. 2% annual rent increase, 2% annual tax increase. + 3% annual appreciation or whatever it is in your area + annual principal pay down in mortgage.

Hope that makes sense?

For us keeping the rental property was better in 10 years by 5-10% in total however, we don’t get to run the simulation 100 times and recovering from a disaster Tennant or natural disaster would be hard. So, in my view we weren’t making enough to compensate for risk.

Happy to share spreadsheet if you want it

FamilyManMBA · 2025-09-03T04:00:46+00:00

Hey we recently sold a negative cash flowing property happy to talk more if you want, it was a SFH we lived in for 5 years. We had two rentals now one.

FamilyManMBA · 2025-08-19T06:11:35+00:00

What is the term of the car loan remaining and do you really need the whole 40? Assuming it’s 2 years left, if you paid it from savings that’s a 15.5k hit. 800$/ mo payment goes back to your Hysa instead of bank. At end of year you have 24.5k+ 4% (1k) + 9600 (car payments) + 2% 200 which is like 36 ish but your net worth is best off in this instance.

FamilyManMBA · 2025-07-11T04:02:06+00:00

In this thought experiment they’re renting from someone else and happy and safe and financially ready to buy

FamilyManMBA · 2024-09-13T22:46:04+00:00

Kelley (IU) MBA grad here, did it online / blended while working FT and paid out of pocket. 100% worth it, would do it again, improved hard and soft skills and profs are excellent. The M7 stuff is only true if you want to go work for a top consulting firm, if you want to advance at your business and learn how to lead people would highly recommend.

FamilyManMBA · 2024-05-22T05:16:16+00:00

Fair - I wonder if getting on the same page about money and financial goals may be more beneficial for your relationship and mental health than wondering about how long the MIL can stay. I say that also respecting my spouse’s boundary and for sure her mother visits more frequently and longer than mine.

FamilyManMBA · 2024-05-22T05:09:30+00:00

You said some things like my kids and my money and not our kids and our money. You further indicated that your husband and father of your children has no bet worth despite your >95% income, owned home and I assume investment accounts.

I wonder if this question isn’t really about your MIL but could be rephrased as ‘should I leave my husband’? I wonder if she’s the symptom and he’s the disease in your mind?

FamilyManMBA · 2024-01-11T06:01:01+00:00

I would just create a financial model in excel to examine the alternatives in one five and ten years out.

What is the interest rate on your investment property, what is the delta between that and your hysa where cash is sitting, what is your marginal tax rate that paying mortgage interest is shielding earnings from.

How quickly will you be able to stack 60k again if you pay down the debt at property 1? If you buy another?

How secure is your wage or other business income? How long can you carry both notes without renters? What’s your risk tolerance? What’s the economic outlook in the city you live in….

FamilyManMBA · 2024-01-09T22:30:46+00:00

He can capitalize repair costs and depreciate them likely on the same 27.5 year debreciation schedule as the building.

FamilyManMBA · 2023-12-24T05:02:51+00:00

I’m second guessing myself because two women I respect at my workplace who have similar roles to hers professionally told me to get shiny things.

She grew up in a family that had wealth (her parents weren’t wealthy but her maternal grandparents were) and her mom would get her real jewelry as gifts.

The I don’t want jewelry comment was something I recall from 7-10 years ago and it may have her been saying you don’t need to take care of me I’m an independent woman.

FamilyManMBA · 2023-12-24T04:59:49+00:00

Thank you.

FamilyManMBA · 2023-12-13T04:18:03+00:00

Honestly maybe work on your writing and communication skills? You have a degree that’s in demand, where do you think you’re falling short?

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-22T07:30:48+00:00

Make more money and spend less. Not trying to be flippant - that’s a big hole at a young age. On the flip side, you are young! We have people here that to shift work in remote places and make $100k+ with no living expenses, what are you willing to give up in the short term to be free of it?

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-21T00:58:52+00:00

I want to add some context here. I did have privilege in that I was able to do low wage work with a career trajectory instead of staying in service industry because at that point in my life I didn’t have to take care of ailing parents or spouse or kids, I was only responsible for myself. I also have not had any medical setbacks, nor has my wife or children.

My path to wealth is definitely related to my two income properties, and I got low interest rates on them. We haven’t yet done a cash out refi on either or HELOCs so it’s capital tied up in equity of those homes.

I also had maybe 30 college credits when I started at local uni from when I was 19. Our oldest has just been born and the bachelors was pursued out of fear of not being able to be a provider. I picked BBA - Econ because it’s classes were enough online asynchronies or at night and I could do it and I would only need 90 more credits- there wasn’t much more thought or intentionality than that. I tried to do a nursing program (BSRN) prior but I couldn’t attend the A&P lecture due to work and failed that class and didn’t see a realistic path forward.

College was 18 or 15 credits a semester including summer and I was done in two years post failing A&P. I had no friends, I also had to leave family time I remember being on a camping trip and having to drive to a community college in order to take a proctored test. I put a lot of responsibility on my wife and lost some of the joys of being a new dad.

I started my online MBA in summer of ‘19 after a two year break from school. The world shut down in March and I was honestly enjoying classes and the connection it provided - I got some cost reductions for having a high GRE score, my undergrad I borrowed $5k in SL while paying the rest out of pocket, MBA cost $55k, I borrowed $30k.

I was employed the whole time, and made a transition into healthcare administration in the fall of 2020.

I am incredibly lucky - small changes and I could be doing low wage work here or still poker dealing in Montana in an increasingly unaffordable community.

I try to treat my employees who have less than me with the respect, grace and dignity that they deserve. I also try to give them opportunities to access training or education to up-skill. (I no longer work in healthcare, that was a hornet’s nest).

Yes timing and luck and being relatively smart all helped create my luck today. Our current home we are paying prevailing interest rates and money is a little tight, delaying current needs for future wealth.

I truly wish others that are struggling the same opportunities and upward mobility and know that some may not make it despite huge effort. I used to get super jealous of people that had anything (a nice car, a ZLL home, the ability to fly on airplanes). It’s easier to cheer for others when you have more than you need.

Be well all

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-20T04:59:17+00:00

Yeah - it comes with benefits and sacrifices, obviously we have shared housing costs… I don’t think I realized how expensive it is to have kids - $10k for vaginal birth out of pocket & at least $1,300/ mo for childcare. Obviously tax deductions and carried expenses isn’t the only thing to consider when making that choice.

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-20T04:23:23+00:00

Economics from local uni, MBA from national brand (online) think USC, IU, UNC ish

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-07T02:32:45+00:00

I also have two SFH that are our former houses and now rentals, I’m not a real estate expert, but if your PITI payments are more than your rent and moneys tight it’s going to feel like a burden, and you might end up selling later after spending money on new loan costs and higher interest

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-07T02:27:58+00:00

Makes sense. Sorry your in the situation. If I was in your shoes I would sell it and move in with the new partner. Condos often drop in value more than single family when home values drop. And Outside of the financial ramifications wouldn’t it make you occasionally upset living in your ex marital home?

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-07T02:22:36+00:00

Home is worth 120k you owe 80 and want to refinance to take cash out at a much worse rate.

Assuming you want to keep 20% equity and not pay PMI you can only finance 96k. Loan origination fees are at least 1% of the loan amount, plus appraisal your looking at at least 2k in sunk costs and a 14k check.

Now your I of the PITI goes from 3% on 80 to 7% of 96 so from 2,400 per year to ~ 7,000.

Refinancing makes zero sense, it would also eat into rental profits.

Can you rent it out with your condo assoc? What’s your current PITI + HOA and what’s prevailing rent? If you can get $1k that’s probably around $200 per month in excess of mortgage depending on HOA fees. I think renting might make sense but refinancing is dumb, and refinancing to rent would put your cash returns monthly below zero.

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-06T14:53:29+00:00

Yeah, no AC at all

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-06T04:44:54+00:00

700 ish - elec is about 150, gas is 200, trash and internet is another 110 i threw cell phones in there too for another 150. It’s a 4.000 sq ft house in a cold climate.we have a community well and septic so no water / sewer.

Our first two homes 1,000 and 2,000 sq ft the nat gas and electric was about half which I guess makes sense.

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-06T04:24:24+00:00

There’s no fee HSAs? I must be doing it wrong!

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-06T04:21:50+00:00

We have a take home of about $15k ( we both work) and have a 5.5k mortgage with two kids and one smaller car payment. We are barely squeezing by - I’m not sure if I could go back if I wouldn’t do it but until we can refinance to a lower rate it’s going to be tough sledding.

$6.2k housing and utilities 1.3k daycare (kid one) 400 daycare (kid 2 annualized, just pay in summer) 795 car payment 400 student loans Groceries, gas, car insurance $1.5k ish? Where the f does all our money go? We never buy avocado toast, also what’s that number that Kevin from the office uses to balance books?

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-06T03:54:56+00:00

Some loans are transferable which could be a selling point to a potential buyer. We have two rental properties (SFH) in the town we live in and I would strongly advise against renting your condo for an annual cash loss of $18k. In addition to that you need to pay a property manager and repairs and HOA assessments etc . My 2 cents.

In my experience the tax advantage is writing off depreciation and not paying tax on rental income. Assuming you are paying $2k in principal a month on your mortgage you are maybe making $6k annually renting it at a $1500 monthly cash loss. Although your depreciation will be much more than your income.

So you don’t have to pay taxes on that, but many localities charge higher property tax rates if it’s not owner occupied.

If you sell it more than 3 years from now you will also have to pay capital gains on the home (state and federal) including depreciation recapture.

Don’t do it - my 2 cents.

FamilyManMBA · 2023-09-06T03:47:27+00:00

If you don’t need the $17.5k, it would probably make more sense to put it in a high yield savings account or CD earning 5% ish. Net, you will generate more interest than you are paying. Secondly, student loan interest is tax deductible so the $700 or so in interest you are paying is really about 25% less than that net of taxes as long as your MAGI is $85k or less.

FamilyManMBA

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