r/Realestatefinance

In 2017 I bought my first house for 250k We put 50k down loan was 200k and 4% interest. My question is it’s barely cash flowing. I have a 401k that if I cashed out would pay the mortgage off. It currently rents for $2700. My 401k says it’ll pay me $4000 monthly once I retire at 65. I’m currently 36. I feel like if I pay off the mortgage and cash flow 2k a month from now on that’s a better deal than waiting until I’m 65 to live life. Am I crazy to consider this?

Hi - my house has been on the market for a little over 50 days and I haven’t had any bites. I’ve lowered the listing price from 448,000 to 420,000 and my agent is reccomendkng I drop the price 10k more now. Here are the facts

-Purchased for &185,000 in 2015 at 3.2% interest

- I owe $45k

-Mortgage is &1050

-rents for $2200-$2400/month

-loan maturation in 3.5 years.

If sold for $400000 I would net 320,000 and have to pay som substantial property gain taxes.

Currently we live in California where cost of living is very high and use the profits in both of the rental houses to supplement the rent for house we will in. The rent profits cover our rental home in California.

If we sold, we would use the money to buy land and build a house in the south of Chile. Somewhere my husband and I would really love to live.

Thoughts??

I am trying to model a scenario to illustrate a situation to my employer, who is trying to do a ground lease to a private investor in order to recapitalize the property, as my employer--who resides in the building on the property--doesn't have the cash or borrowing capability to do it themselves. All of my experience is from the bank's viewpoint, so I am having some difficulty seeing the complete story here.

I am working on the property operating analysis, and have arrived at an NOI. Can someone please confirm that the investor can depreciate all their investments in the building over a 39 year period? And that this, and the interest they would pay on the commercial loan, is a non-cash expense that can be added to the NOI for DSCR purposes? AND, if the depreciation were high enough, would significantly reduce the income tax burden?

Thank you.

I’m honestly trying decide which route to go investment wise . If I chose this route I would be a first-time investor based in the Los Angeles area and trying to make a smart, long-term move with my money instead of letting it sit.

I keep going back and forth between a few options and would really appreciate input from people with real experience:

Buying a duplex (live in one unit, rent the other)

Investing in short-term rentals (Airbnb/STR)

Buying long-term rental property in Texas (lower cost, potentially better cash flow)

My main goals are:

Building cash flow (not just appreciation)

Making a smart first move without getting stuck

Creating something that can scale over time

Concerns:

California prices feel insanely high for cash flow

STRs seem great but also risky with regulations + management

Out-of-state investing (like Texas) feels smart on paper but harder to control

If you were starting from scratch in my position:

👉 Where would you put your money first and why?

👉 What would you avoid completely?

I’d really value honest, real world advice (not just theory).

Current situation:

Duplex I live in one rent out the other - bought in 2024 for $270k

Only put 5% down for a 30yr conventional to not strap myself for cash.

Other unit rents for $1300. Total payment is $2449/mo ($247 princ. + $1437 int. + $764 escrow/pmi).

Remaining loan balance is $251k at 6.875%.

My loan servicer called me with this offer (assuming my home will appraise b/w $310k and $320k, thus removing PMI of ~$126/mo):

28 yr conventional refi to 5.99% bringing my total monthly down to $2169 ($1611 PI + $558 escrow)

Loan costs are a total of $11,520 ($5755 to discount points 2.195%, fees of ~$1950, prepaids of $2551, escrow at closing ~$1100).

My new balance will be $262,192 with an APR of 6.241%.

I shopped around and another lender gave me an offer for a 15 yr @ 4.99%:

Closing costs: $15,790 (prepaid/escrow of $7757 + discount points $8036) bringing new loan balance to ~$268,500

Monthly payment would be ~$2719 ($2121 PI, $550 escrow, $46 PMI)

My dilemma here is - I will move out of my unit and fully rent the home for ~$2650. Do I take the 30 year offer and gain a little cash flow per month, or do I take the faster payoff option with the 15 year, sacrificing all my cash flow but gaining equity much faster? Another concern of mine is how expensive both of these loans are.

Thanks

I run a small real estate setup and have been looking at different ways to generate leads, but trying to approach it more from a numbers perspective

Paid ads are easy enough to model (spend X → leads → deals), but SEO feels a lot harder to quantify

I’ve put a bit of time into building out some local pages and basic content, but I can’t really tell yet if it’s something that will produce a meaningful return or just sit there

What I’m trying to understand is:

• how people are valuing SEO in terms of actual ROI
• how long it realistically takes before it starts generating consistent leads
• and whether it competes with or complements paid channels

If anyone has real numbers or even rough estimates from their own experience, would be really useful

Right now it just feels like a longer-term play but harder to justify compared to more immediate channels

Any advice would be appreciated

Can one post a craigslist listing for owner who is looking for a refi-cashout?

Looking for insight from experienced investors and lenders:

What are the best options right now for buying investment properties with 10% or less down?

Interested in hearing about programs for:

• Single-family homes (SFHs)

• Duplexes / 2–4 units

• DSCR loans

• Portfolio lenders / local banks

• Conventional investor loans

• First-time investor options

• Strong income / strong reserve borrowers

Would appreciate real experiences, lender names, and what’s actually working in 2026.

Main focus is Midwest markets, but open to nationwide options.

Thanks in advance.

[supprimé]

Hello! I currently own one unit in a co-op and am wondering if it makes sense to buy more. I originally lived in my unit, but have been renting it out for the past 2 years. I have been on the Board for the entire 5+ years I've been an owner. Our co-op owns the land it's on. I think that if I buy more units, that even if I were to become a majority owner I would still have just 1 vote? Also, I think that even if I owned all the units, I still wouldn't own the physical real estate? The corporation would? I don't know who the corporation is and am still confused by the concept of owning shares in the corporation rather than owning the property itself.

If I bought more units, I plan to use them as rentals long-term. I'm wondering if there are any risks I need to consider with this strategy given that this is a co-operative not a condo? Also, I have heard that it is possible to legally convert a co-op to a condo and would like to learn more about that.

Thanks so much for any guidance you can provide.

I am looking to de-stress a bit as I've gone a bit crazy and leveraged growing my portfolio while working full time since I was in high school. I am 33 year old male now working in the corporate grind for over 10 years. Just had a kid and want some things off my plate but still growing. I bought my first apartment at 17 for 80k, putting down 20% from summer money I made working in HS. Renovated it myself at the time.

Apartment: bought for 80k worth 200k now. rents for 1650; maint. 400/month; taxes 5.2k
2 family: bought for 580k worth 750k now. rents for 5k. maint. 250/month; taxes 10.5k
2 family: bought for 550k worth 850k now. rents for 5k. maint 350/month; taxes 10.5k
Townhouse: bought for 275k worth 450k now. rents for 2.5k. maint 250/month; taxes 5.5k

Mortgage on both 2 families and townhouse for 80% of purchase price which has been paid down each for about 10 years. Took a HELOC on the apartment, and HELOC on the townhouse to BRRR and buy the next. Cash flows from everything pay both these HELOCs.

Then took another HELOC on the 2 family worth 850k which I hold in various stocks generating divis to pay the loan back. I took this last HELOC to do a 200k+ renovation on that house and add a bath and bedroom. Just haven't done it yet.

Im thinking of selling the apartment to free up 150k, as I really want to build up the stock dividend portfolio and generate some stress free income.

Thoughts?

We’re an agency in Egypt with 100+ trained VAs we definitely can help , let’s connect to send you more info and to send you call samples as well

Hello,, I am 22 year old freshly graduated working in real estate right now, prior to this I was working in starbucks as a barista trainer and I also have worked as a content writer. I just wanted to discuss about real estate and finance as I am working as an agent right now learning things daily and also getting market knowledge, how should I transition my career and get into real estate private equity. What skills should I learn and what knowledge should I get to get into companies like JLL, cushman and Wakefield, anarock, savills, Blackstone etc. Your guidance would really help. Thank you!!

Been frustrated that every decent house flipping calculator either requires a BiggerPockets Pro account or

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Genuinely want feedback from people who analyze deals regularly — what's missing, what's off, what

would make this more useful in the field.