I'm New

[Robert Taylor]

I'm a novice real estate investor and I'm not sure if this is a, dare I say it, dumb question, but, I need a little clarification on something so please forgive me. Here goes: if a house has $40,000 in equity and the mortgage payment is $200 a month, does the mortgage AND the monthly rent payments both work in conjunction in paying off the overall mortgage or are they separate? Rookie question I know, but please help me clarify, I want to understand all, even the tiniest kinks. Thanks!