Higher Education vs Rental Properties

[Paul Whitford]

All,

New to the forum, but long term lurker and avid listener of the podcast.

I currently work in Commercial Real Estate banking in the DC area. I’m torn between whether I should pursue my masters degree in real estate to help shape my development and build a strong network in the industry or start investing in rental properties.

The cost of the masters would be about $30-40k.

I've found 3 markets outside of my own where I could use that $30-40k to invest in a single family rental property for a 7% cash on cash return & 14%+ IRR's. I'm familiar with these markets, have great contacts there, and would have no problem traveling to them on a regular basis.

Looking for opinions on whether at this point in my life (mid 20’s), if the investment in higher education would outweigh the benefits of getting an early start in RE investing on my own.

Thanks

P