I thought my timing was perfect. It was 2006. The real estate bubble had burst and property values were plummeting in the D.C. area. After years of seeing other people make a killing off of real estate, it was finally my turn. A few months earlier, I received a big raise at my job. My savings account…
My Mom and her sisters used to take me and my cousins on house tours. We’d visit city mansions and historic homes that were preserved for viewing or opened to show off antiques and interior designs. I loved walking through the old homes. I remember exquisite stone exteriors and unique customizations like hidden doors, secret…
Does it make sense to move somewhere cheap to achieve financial independence sooner? It’s a topic we talk about sometimes in our household. If we could lower our housing costs by moving, we could retire much sooner than our plan. We’re in a middle stage of life with three young kids, a minivan, and a mortgage and in…
I’ve owned real estate for more than ten years. Over that period I’ve refinanced my rental property twice and our primary residence once so far. I’ve been thinking, should I refinance my mortgage again? Refinancing is a minor hassle. But it has saved me tens of thousands of dollars over the years. That’s why I…
Arrested Development was an early 2000’s TV comedy loved by its fans. Despite critical acclaim, it failed to gain traction and the show was canceled after three seasons. Years later it was revamped as a Netflix series thanks to the enduring hilarity of the first three seasons and its grassroots fan base. Challenged with cast schedules, the…
Nobody likes a rent increase. Except for the landlord. For too long, my rental property has been squeaking by on meager cash flow. Check out my monthly investment income updates and you’ll see the regular income it generates is about $70 per month. That’s a positive number so I can’t complain too much. But in the…
At age 27, I was broke, unemployed, and living at home with my parents. Not surprisingly, I was single too. Sounds depressing, right? Not so. I had recently returned from an epic 14-month backpacking trip to Asia and Latin America, spending just $10,000 on the entire journey, then completed a three-month, 8,000-mile road trip throughout the U.S and…
Should I sell my rental property? It’s a question I ask myself every month. Maybe you do too. Update 12/05/2018: I still own the property and decided to rent it out again. I worked with a CPA to understand the exact tax consequences of selling and met with 3-4 agents to determine a value. It’s…
Every quarter I update the Portfolio page to show how my passive income streams are fairing. Included is the amount of money I make on my rental property. In this post I’m going to give you some background and crunch the numbers to show you exactly how I calculate my cash flow. The property is…