Am I calculating Cash Flow incorrectly or did I buy bad deals?

[Account Closed]

I own a couple rental properties and only recently found the world of BiggerPockets! What a game changer.. I wish I had found it 4 years ago before I started buying lol.

Anyways, I read/hear about people cash flowing much larger amounts than I can imagine. I’m curious if I am calculating my cash flow incorrectly or if maybe I just made some bad deals... lol. Below are some details...

House A is a triplex and the monthly numbers are:

Income = $4000

Expenses = ($3577)

Cash flow = ~$423

House B is a duplex and the monthly numbers are:

Income = $3000

Expenses = ($2758)

Cash flow = ~$242

However, the expenses I’ve included are ONLY mortgage, property taxes & house insurance. I haven’t even considered the costs associated with:

— lawn maintenance (I do this myself)

— snow removal (I do this myself)

— vacancies (luckily, I haven’t had any yet)

— wear & tear %’s (mentioned in “The Book on Rental Property Investing”)

— and there are probably others I am forgetting..

^ if I were to add all those I’m sure I’d be losing money :( have I just been getting myself into “bad” deals?