Best way to buy more rentals?

[Joey C.]

I have two duplex properties, both have roughly $60,000 each built in equity but cash flow well around $500 each, every month. I have made quite a few upgrades to them since buying them so that is one of the ways they have so much equity in them. I have a seller offering me another duplex for a purchase price of $80,000, rent would be roughly $500 for each unit on the low end so it would cash flow nicely as well. In your opinion, what is the best way to acquire the new property? Is it smarter to refinance one of the rental units and get some cash out or just keep saving for a down payment and finance the property on a loan. I am a little worried I might be getting close to my lenders DTI threshold and will not be able to meet that requirement. The prospective property will not need much work to be rent ready. My goal is to be a buy and hold investor to keep creating more passive income. I am also run my own construction company so renovating isn't an issue. I am hesitant on the new property because I am not used to spending that much, my other duplexes I purchased were $45,000 each but needed work which I did myself. I live in a small town and real estate in general is hard to come by at all, everything listed is over priced and many are SFH. I really have been looking into the BRRR method but maybe I role with this duplex for now and continue to save the cash flow to buy another. Or I even considered selling one of my rentals since the market is so crazy right now and getting the cash to invest in another, I am just not sure that is smart since it cash flows so well. Just looking for thoughts and advice in general. THANKS!

[Jason Shackleton]

Hi @Joey C. It looks like you have some options here. I would personally try to close on the 3rd deal because as you said real estate deals are hard to come by in your town. It might also make sense to sell one of your properties from a ROI perspective. If you have already boosted the value of these properties through your renovation efforts it might make sense to sell one. Then you can deploy that capital into a new property, put less down, have more cash on hand and get a stronger ROI on the next deal. This strategy will take away from your cash flow but will allow you to expand. You could aslo take advantage of the current low rate invironment and refi one property. This would bring that property down to a neutral cash flow position but again allow expansion. In my opinion the highest and best use of your skills as a contractor is expanding and adding value to the deals as you go.

Hope this helps,

Jason