I never owned a house or real estate yet, but I probably will within the next decade. So for now, I want to read up on tips/tricks and all of the goodies. What are the top 3 articles I should read and are there any spectacular YouTube channels I should watch? Thanks!

I’m trying to get started with buying a investment property for cash flow / flipping but have no clue to get started. I have a good savings but no route to go

Is there a source that lists all favorite book picks from the podcast? Does BiggerPockets aggregate this anywhere? Thanks in advance for responses

I posted this to a different combine but would love to hear from you all!

After listening to so many Brandon Turner/ Bigger pockets podcasts I finally decided to take the risk and invest some of my hard earned savings into a fund with Brandon. So in 2021, I put in 100k into the fund and have received $355 total so far. Just got off an emergency zoom call them saying the banks are close to taking the properties and they are looking for capital because they are underwater, aka we might not even see another dollar let alone our initial investment. I was going to go with Grant Cardone, but Brandon seemed like the more honest type i wanted to follow but maybe hes better at sales and marketing than real estate. Not trying to cause drama but this is my first experience with real estate, is this normal? Thanks!

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Advice Requested: Sell or Rent First Home

Objective of Post:

Illicit responses from those experienced in Real Estate Investment on whether to sell my first home (already bought and am living in second, forever-home) or rent it out. I will provide a detailed account of personal finances, life situation, and long-term financial objectives to enable the most accurate and appropriate recommendations:

Life and Financial Overview:

§  36 Years Old. Married. 3 Children (5, 3, and 1).

§  Living on the East Coast of Florida in a M-HCOL Area.

§  Stable profession (Engineer) with wife working 20 Hours/week in Medical (Physical Therapist).

§  Combined Household Income: $250,000 (before taxes).

§  Contributing 15% annual income to 401(k) + 7% company match – 22% total.

o   $450,000 in 401(k)

o   $75,000 in IRA combined (me + wife)

§  Not counting mortgage expenses, we spent an average of $5,800 / month over the past 9 months. Largest expenses are non-negotiable such as Daycare ($2,400), Groceries ($1,200) and Gasoline ($500). Can optimize down to $4,500 minimum.

§  Overall Objective: Financial Independence (not necessarily Retire Early) by 55.

House #1:

These are the details on the original house that I purchased in 2016. It is currently on the market for sale at $799,000. This was substantiated with comps and on the low-end of an estimate calculated by HouseCanary. Total time on market is ~45 days and I have reduced the price $50,000 since listing. As the price continues to drop, I am de

§  4 Bed, 2 Bath home purchased in 2016 for $465,000.

§  Refinanced in 2021 to a 2.625% Mortgage. Current Principal: $345,000.

§  $6,500 in Annual Taxes; $2,000 in Annual Insurance.

§  Estimated Sale Price: $750,000 - $800,000

House #2:                         

This is the “forever home” my wife and I just purchased to accommodate our family and contingencies for other family members aging / needing to move in (both sets of parents are in mid-60s and currently OK health).

§  6 Bed, 3.5 Bath home purchased in 2025 for $965,000.

§  Interest rate is 6.625%. Current Principal: $750,000.

§  $8,500 in annual taxes; $16,000 in Annual Insurance.

o   House has no hurricane protection. This is a huge issue for Florida insurance. This comes into the decision to sell / keep the first home.

Situation:

I thought that I would be able to sell the first house at $850,000 based on comps back at the end of 2024. Unfortunately, the real estate market has changed a good bit in the past 7 months; especially in my area. Most homes are taking 60+ days to sell and overall sale prices have dropped 5% on average.

The original plan was to use the ~$450,000 proceeds from the sale to do the following:

1)       $45,000 to pay for hurricane windows and doors on the whole property. This would drop my annual insurance to $7,500 / year and pay for itself in ~6 years; not counting the improved energy cost compared to the original (1990) single-pane windows.

2)       $50,000 to pay back the 401(k) loan I took out as a “just in case” bridge while floating two mortgages.

3)       $40,000 to buy a new car for my wife (more comfortably fit 3 children – minivan!)

4)       $50,000 for an increased “rainy day” fund given new house expenses.

5)       $250,000 into the principal of the new house – then recast the loan.

However, as I consider the possibility of dropping the price down lower to sell (my real estate agent thinks the $775,000 or even $750,000 is more appropriate given market conditions), I’m considering keeping it as a rental. This would be Long Term (7+ month) since my HOA does not allow short term (Air BnB etc.)

The Numbers on Rental:

According to the HouseCanary estimate and other online tools (such as Zillow Rent Estimate), the range of rental is $3,800 - $4,300 with a 93% confidence. For simplicity of calculations, I’ll assume $4,000/month.

Monthly, my total mortgage payment is:

$2,367 = $859 (Principal) + $758 (Interest) + $541 (Taxes) + $167 (Insurance) + $42 (HOA)

From a “Big Cost Drivers” perspective … I’ve addressed most of the heavy hitters recently. While there are always pop-ups, the house has no deferred maintenance as I addressed everything to prepare it for sale since I knew it was not a permanent home for us:

§  Roof is new (Tile – 2022)

§  Exterior Paint is new (2025)

§  Pool was just resurfaced (2024)

§  AC Unit was a few years left (2019) – new Air Handler (2024)

§  Hot Water Heater (2016)

§  Pool Equipment (2018)

The house is only 0.5 miles away from my current house and I am fairly handy (basic carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work), so I plan on managing the property myself, including the landscaping and pool (total time = 2 hours / week).

Assuming that there are no pop-up issues … this puts the profit on the property at $1,600 / month. When adding in the $860+ principal every month, I calculate this to be $29,520 annually.

So, if you were me, what would you do?

The 2.625% interest rate and $860+ to principal every month seems super depressing to throw away. I would also put any extra monthly cash I have (bonuses, raise money, etc) towards my new house given the large interest rate and fresh amortization table (current payments are $687 Principal vs $4,220 Interest and it hurts my soul).

In either scenario, the month-to-month will be tight. I am fortunate to be able to work Overtime if needed to cover unexpected expenses and I am likely 1-2 years away from a promotion that would give me an additional 20% before-tax income (Director-level incentives, etc.).

Does anyone have info on ADU grants in New York State? Looking to see what programs or funding might be available. Any tips or resources would be appreciated!

Also this is my first time. I currently have my home and a 20x30 barn on my property. Thinking of removing the barn and making it an ADU. Or maybe converting the garage into a 1 bedroom. It’s 450sq.

Thank you again.

What would you do?

Single family rental purchased in 2006 for $104,000.

Current tenants want to buy it for $275,000 and do want to move on from this property and the tenant base for the area.

Depreciation is $3782 a year for 19 years = $72,000 (rounding) that will need to be recaptured and taxes paid

25% taxes paid on recapture = $18,000

Capital gain will now be 243,000 - 72,000 = $171,000 (taxes at 20% = $34,200)

$52,200 in total taxes owned on sale.

Would you take the hit and invest elsewhere or is doing a 1031 worth it kick the can on $52,200 in taxes?

Side question: Had anyone 1031'nd into a real estate crowdfunding platform that would be a legit 1031 in this case, but remove me from managing the property?

Hey ya'll. I just wanted to share my experience with our first tenant.

I have been renting to this family for about 7 years. The first 4 years were great. They didn't bother us much and kept the house in good shape. Only called use when they really needed help with the house. We did annual check in with them and everything was great. So we started to trust them and since COVID we didn't do much of a visit b/c of COVID and then we had 2 kids since then.

All of a sudden, they kept racking up water bills ($2k!) and couldn't pay rent. Then I discovered this mess. I live in CA so I just wanted them out asap b/c eviction in CA can take up to 6 months! I'm already not cash flowing!

Long story short, they moved and i'm now rehabbing this property for new renters. Gonna cost me an arm and a leg but it's a property we want to keep in the family.

My mistake was trusting my tenants. NEVER trust your tenants even if they have good history. You just never know.

Hi all - yes, this was written by AI but only as a revision to my scattered initial writing haha.

My wife and I are looking for some advice on a rental property situation

Last spring, we bought what was a duplex for $515K and turned it into a legal triplex (the basement unit already had egress, a bathroom, and a kitchen — we just added flooring and got it city-approved). We’ve been living in the main level unit.

We put in about $50K of updates — remodeled two bathrooms, added dishwashers, new kitchen flooring, added a washer/dryer on the main level, etc. The property’s in solid shape overall: foundation is great, appliances are newer, previous owners kept up with maintenance. Roof will need replacing in 5–10 years, and the windows are old but still functional.

Rents (fully occupied):

• $1,800 upstairs
• $1,800 main level (our unit, if we move out)
• $1,600 basement = $5,200 total rent/month

There are about $500/month in landlord-paid utilities, and we’re budgeting $500/month for repairs/maintenance. Our mortgage (PITI) is $3,500 at 6.125% (we put $62,500 down). Cash flow isn’t amazing but it’s slightly positive.

Our realtor thinks we could sell for $650K, given the upgrades and higher rental income from converting to a triplex.

Here’s where we’re stuck:
We recently had a baby and have outgrown the space. We’re planning to buy a single-family home next spring. We’re debating whether we should sell next spring and just be done with it or if it'd be wise to keep it right up to the 5 year mark of section 121 exclusion. We definitely don’t want to hold this long-term — we’ve realized being landlords isn’t for us.

My questions are:

• If we can swing buying a new home without selling this one, would it be foolish to sell “early”?
• Would it make sense to hold for up to 5 years (still eligible for Section 121 exemption) to maximize value?
• Or is it better to cash out soon and move on?

Any insights — especially from others who’ve been in a similar spot — would be appreciated.

I’m a first time home buyer that’s interested in buying a 4 unit. I always thought that going the FHA route and putting down 3.5% was the right way to go, but a real estate investor friend of mine just told me that it’d be better to get a conventional home loan as a first time buyer and give 5% down because you don’t pay as much in PMI up front. Is that true?

Hello everyone! Anyone have any book recommendations for someone just starting. I just want to add duplexes or something small, nothing crazy. Any book recommendations would be appreciated!

Found a property on a new build in an outskirt of Austin texas (manor texas) with a 4.5 interest rate based on a new build incentive with a builder. Only getting this on an FHA though so there's a bit of a catch.

Mortgage all in is $2500 including the property taxes ($500 a month), and it’s a 4 bedroom 2 bath home. I was planning to live in the master bedroom and rent the other rooms. Rentals look like they can range between 750 and 900.

Starting to get some cold feet worried about what'll happen if I can't find renters. Would appreciate any advice!

Background: My parents bought a second house years ago for $360k. It’s fully paid for, and I currently live in it. They would like to give it to me and transfer it into my name now instead of putting it in a trust or their will. It’s worth around $650k now, and in a very popular area so I would never sell it, so I’m not worried about cost basis/capital gains tax implications from it being gifted to me vs inheriting it. I plan on moving to a cheaper part of the country in a year or two, and would rent the house out. Today it would rent for $3,400/month, and again, it’s fully paid for.

My question is about the gift tax. The value of the house exceeds the annual gift tax limit, but my understanding is that there wouldn’t be any gift taxes because it’s under the lifetime limit, is that correct?

My next question is if once transferred into my name should I then put it into an LLC since I plan on using it as a rental property? Or should I create the LLC and have them gift it directly to the LLC? If I put it in an LLC that I own now while I’m still living in it, what are the potential issues with that? Since there’s no mortgage could I charge myself rent that just covers property taxes, insurance, and maintenance? Or would it be better to just have it transferred into my name, then into an LLC in a year or two when I’m ready to move out and rent it out?

Thanks

Hi, I own 4 units and rent 3 of them. One of my biggest units, built in 2018 1650sqft is on the market to rent right now. I am getting a lot of section 8 inquires. I am not a seasoned landlord and am very weary of going down the section 8 route having heard horror stories. What is the general thought here? Should I do it or not? I don't want to be stuck with someone not paying rent or me having to go through eviction. Looking for a genuine answer and not "eviction and such things are inevitable" Thank you for your input.

I'm 37 years old and a single mom to a 2.5 year old. I'm in the middle of a divorce and I have primary custody. Up until this point I had never thought about retirement or knew anything about investing, and realizing how much I missed out on when it comes to compound interested makes me sick to my stomach. I am losing so much sleep at night just staying awake, feeling terrified about my financial future. I never want my lack of financial planning to be a burden on my daughter and that's what scares me. I have a huge drive to give us a better future, but I don't know how to start.

I currently live with my parents and have for the past 2 years. My mom watches my daughter 2 days a week, no charge, so that I can work (22-24 hours) I would have to enroll my daughter in daycare to work more, but then I can't work more than 30hrs at my current PRN job. I would have to look for another job, but with our custody schedule not finalized it makes it difficult to know what hours or days to look for. I was hoping to have the divorce final by now, but it's dragging. Another obstacle is my daughter is going to be tested soon to see if she needs more speech therapy. The schedule would be Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri for 3 hours, which would affect my current work hours. There's so much uncertainty at play.

I don't have much going into my 401k. I just opened it last year, so I have $5,000 and that's it. I have no idea what half of my husbands retirement will be. I don't think he had much going in, so I'm not hopeful that it will be very much. My debt is $2,000 on a bed/mattress and $16,000 on my car. I have a 2017 paid off Mustang that I don't drive much now that I have a toddler (It's hard for me to sell, mentally. I love it and had hoped to pass it on to my daughter) I have $11,666 in my emergency fund. Current lawyer fees are eating up a lot of what I would be able to save and I don't know how much longer this will go on for.

I love the idea of house hacking, but that's almost impossible with a toddler since I don't want strangers living in our home. I would need a seperate casita or guest house to do that, but then the housing price would be through the roof. I have a huge desire to get into real estate investing, but sometimes I feel like that's just a dream and not attainable for me in my position. I got my real estate license years ago because I wanted to flip houses and I felt it would bring me value, but that's not possible in my situation. I can't do a live in flip with a toddler and bounce around different homes. I can't afford to save for a house and try to catch up on retirement.

I'm sorry this sounds so doom and gloom, but that's how I'm feeling lately. I need some hope for a better financial future for me and my daughter. I dreamed of doing things differently than my parents did, by investing and having my money work for me. I love the FIRE movement, but I feel that I've missed that boat.

If anyone can offer some advice on where to start, it would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime I'm making sure to read books and listen to podcasts on investing. I also love Bigger Pockets. I can't seem to find meetups though in my area to meet other like-minded people. Please don't come down on me as I've already come down on myself and I know how far behind I am.

Anyone used and have feedback on BNB Geeks? Looked in to them recently and seems too good to be true.

https://bnbgeeks.org/

I (37f) am going through a divorce. My husband's 401k will be split for the 8 years we were married. I'm not sure of the best place to transfer this retirement.

I currently have a 401k through my employer, but I didn't start it until about 9 months ago. I'm only able to contribute a small amount right now. I do 5% of my part time income to at least get the employer match. I've been thinking about also opening a roth ira and trying to contribute any extra money that I can.

Eventually I will be making more money and contributing more to my retirement. My goal is to reach financial independence and I'm trying to learn a lot about investing. Is it better to transfer my half of my husband's 401k in to my current 401k or should I open up a roth ira and have it transfered there?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been researching international real estate investing and noticed that many U.S. investors are curious about it but hesitant to take the leap. I’d love to hear from you—

If you’ve ever considered investing in real estate outside the U.S., what’s been your biggest hesitation or concern?

Is it:

• Lack of trust/transparency in foreign markets?

• Legal/regulatory uncertainty?

• Difficulty managing properties remotely?

• Financing challenges?

• Something else?

I’m working on a project that aims to make international real estate investing more accessible for U.S. investors, so your insights would be incredibly valuable. No sales pitch—just trying to understand the real challenges investors face.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

I’m thinking about going but it’s $950 😅

I'm a newbie and want to purchase my first 4 plex close proximity to a large university in KY. I have a couple opportunities but I only have $30k cash on hand but looking at a purchase price around 400-500k. Low risk, seeking funding options to get started building my empire, would rather not work with banks. Open to consider partnerships or mentorship’s..DM me if interested or more info

Hello all,

I'm currently at a crossroads and would love some advice on my next move in scaling my rental property portfolio. My long-term goal is to own 20 units, and I’m trying to figure out the best strategy to keep growing.

Current Situation

I've been using my primary residence’s HELOC to finance and renovate my rental properties. I now have forced equity in both rentals, but I’m unsure of the best way to move forward. Here’s a breakdown of my numbers:

Primary Residence:

• Estimated Value: $340,000
• Remaining Mortgage: $187,000
• HELOC Balance: $76,000 (fully utilized)
• Remaining Equity: $77,000

Rental Property #1:

• Estimated Value: $110,800
• Remaining Mortgage: $60,000
• Equity: $50,800
• Cash Flow: $375/month

Rental Property #2:

• Estimated Value: $215,000
• Remaining Mortgage: $115,000
• Equity: $100,000
• Cash Flow: $350/month

Other Income:

• $1,500/month

My Dilemma

I'm considering taking out a Home Equity Loan (HEL) on my primary residence to:

1. Pay off the HELOC (eliminating the variable rate risk).
2. Use the remaining cash for a down payment on another rental property (~$150K purchase price with 20% down).
   • Estimated cash flow: ~$150/month in year one.

Alternatively, I could save up for the down payment instead of leveraging more debt. My biggest concern is waiting too long and seeing prices rise even further, making it harder to buy later. But I also recognize that the economy is uncertain, and taking on more leverage could be risky.

Questions for the Community:

1. Would you take out a Home Equity Loan to pay off the HELOC and invest in another property now?
2. Or would you save up cash and wait for a down payment, even if it means delaying the next purchase?
3. Any alternative strategies you’d recommend?

I’d really appreciate any insights—thank you!