All Forum Posts by: William C.

Thanks for the reply. Would you assume the depreciation would take place over the typical 27.5 year time frame? Or would we be able to accelerate that depreciation?

We have a home we purchased and occupied for 3 years. In 2021 (while occupying the home) we spent $5,000 on fencing. Early in 2022 (this year) we moved out of the home and placed it into service as a rental property. We currently have a tenant in place with a 1 year lease. What options (if any) do we have for depreciating or deducting the cost of the fence? Since the money was spent on the fence at a time when we occupied the home, we understand we may not be able to depreciate or deduct under typical means. We are hopeful that there will be other avenues however. I will provide additional context as needed, just ask. Thanks.

Thank you for this. I will get to work on these right away and see what comes up.

A couple things to note:

- In my market (in Oregon), typical PM companies only charge a monthly fee (7 to 10%). They do not have a lease signing or renewal fee. Thus the 10% straight across figure for the PM expense.

- I did not include a separate row for CapEx (Capital Expenditures) and I realize this may be a big mistake!

- The vacancy rate of 4% for my area was gathered by surveying multiple local PM companies. I understand they have an incentive to provide a more favorable number, but 3 to 4% was consistent.

I am hoping for some additional sets of eyes to analyze my options. Current situation... I own the home and live in it as my primary residence. I am strongly considering purchasing a new home to occupy as my primary residence. The two obvious options I see are: rent out the home or sell the home. Selling the home is fairly self-explanatory. There has been good appreciation, our market is (currently) strong, and I would be able to avoid paying taxes due to the 2 out of the last 5 rule. Renting it out is a possibility, but the cashflow picture does not look favorable. I have run some simple calculations below. I AM NOT looking to fudge any numbers and magically change the cashflow outlook. What I am looking for is opinions on if I am using the appropriate numbers for my calculation and if I am missing any other avenues of thought.

The home is a 2004 build. Maintenance and upkeep has been good. It does have some of the original components still in place: 17 year old gas water heater, 17 year old AC unit, etc. The home is located in Oregon, if that helps.

Question... Being that you're in MT, not to far off from where I am located in OR, what would you consider an older home? How about a newer home? What type of age ranges are we talking about. For example I have a 2004 build home. Where would you consider that to fall in your opinion. Top of that 5-15% range, middle, bottom?

Yeah, this is excellent. Thank you. Correct me where I am wrong here Greg, but essentially a Capital Expenditures type of calculation for the major systems of the house? Understanding what's in the house, the expected lifespan, the current phase in the lifecycle, and the expected cost of replacement/repair. Certainly sounds more involved, but also sounds more accurate.

As I "run the numbers" to estimate the cashflow potential of a property, a sticking point for me has always been accurately representing the Vacancy Rate and the Repairs/Maintenance costs. The Vacancy Rate is something I get from asking local property management companies what they typically experience for similar rentals. I understand they have an incentive to under-represent this figure. The figure I struggle with is a number for projecting monthly Repairs/Maintenance. For quick calculations I always represent this number as a percentage of the monthly rent.

Example: Monthly Rent = $2000 - Repairs/Maintenance = 15% - Estimated Repairs/Maintenance Budget = $300 per month

I have heard rules of thumb ranging from 5 to 15%. I understand much of it will come down to the age and prior upkeep of the property. I also understand erring on the side of caution is important. I am curious to know how other investors go about estimating as accurate a number as possible while never "fudging" the numbers. Thank you taking the time to answer.

Yes, thank you!

Thank you for this. Very helpful. And yes on the CPA with a REI focus. Starting that interview process now!