Pay student loans or invest in RE

[Mark Stone]

Hey Everyone,

I am trying to figure out what the best use of my money is, whether investing in RE or applying to student loans and needed some help with my thought process. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide!

So according to my calculations for my loans which are at 6.8% ($170k worth), I would roughly need a return on an investment of 9.44% to be equal to simply paying off my student loans, based on my tax bracket (if my investment was hit with income tax of 28%). I did 6.8%/0.72 = 9.44% (not sure this is correct)

I know when investing in RE it can be complicated bc you have cash flow, appreciation (hopefully), and tax benefits. However, I wanted to just get a general sense of whether or not  beating 9.44% is reasonable when you combine those benefits. There is obviously less "risk" with just paying off my loans, but I am not afraid to carry my student debt if I am confident that my money is being better used elsewhere.

Thanks for any insight and opinions!