Buy or Sell Cash-Flowing Property That Needs $30k Repair

Buy or Sell Cash-Flowing Property That Needs $30k Repair

Member since 2020 · 7 posts · 0 votes

This is my first time posting to Bigger Pockets! So excited to use this resource. I read a book by Bigger Pockets 3 years ago on out-of-state investing and bought my first out-of-state investment property halfway through the book. I bought a house only a mother could love in a downtown neighborhood of Oklahoma City. 5 blocks away there is a "district" with clothing boutiques, trendy restaurants, breweries, and wine bars. The neighborhood itself is still run-down, but less rough than it was 15 years ago and there have been 4 fix-and-flips on the block since I purchased it. It overlooks a park where there will never be any development in front of it. I put $62k into the rehab plus a $25k downpayment into the 2bd/2ba with a 1ba/1ba unit in back (separate entrance). I officially licensed the back unit as a short-term rental and rent it out on Airbnb and it has at 4.9 rating.

My question is regarding whether or not to keep it based on a major repair that needs to happen. The roof needs to be reframed and redone and the entire job will cost me $30k. I've had multiple contractors come out to look at it. There is a mold issue occurring in the main house utility room do to a shoddy roof job where the second unit was added. I slapped on some gaco roofing stuff where I think there might be a leak and cleaned up the mold in October, but the addition is such a patchwork job that I don't know if it's going to be much of a fix. My current tenant has complained about an allergy - I have mold allergies too - and I do want to make sure I have a healthy place for tenants to live.

Do I sell or do I keep it? Here are the numbers: Main 2bd/2ba - $1200/mo. Airbhb unit 1ba/1bd - $2200/mo ave throughout the year. Total ave revenue $3400/mo. Mortgage payment plus airbnb utilities $950/mo. Profit before what I set aside for 25% running a rental (15% vacancy for the neighborhood, estimated maintenance, etc.) = $1837/mo. Again, I put $62k in with $25k down. The mortgage due is $110k and it appraised $12k over what I bought it for before I put anything into it. The roof/reframing job ($30k) won't add value, just mitigate the mold and future issues. And, from, what I've read, I only get a 50% return on the roof investment when selling. The property is already in the top 75 percentile of rent in the neighborhood, so I don't think I can raise it much more. 

What are your thoughts?

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  • Warner Robins, GA · Member since 2016 · 244 posts · 167 votes
    5y

    @Allison Ault You will most likely have to pay for the roof whether you keep or sell it. If you sell, more than likely the selling price will reflect the fact that the roof needs to be replaced. No matter what happens to the property, the roof will need to be replaced. Ask yourself, if the roof was already new, would you want to keep the property? Do you think you could put your money to better work vs into this property (don't forget the tax hit for selling)?

    Based on a quick look at your numbers, it looks like a great investment property. Maintenance items are a fact of owning real estate. If you sell this property and buy another, you will have other maintenance items eventually. If you like the property, like the model of long term rentals and short term under one roof, then keep the property and replace the roof. At least then you wont have to worry about the roof for another 30 years. if you dont like dealing with major repairs, then sell the property and find a real estate model that doesnt involve active management, such as passively investing in limited partnerships. 

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