The rental market is already showing signs of recovery:Spring Is Coming: Historically, the rental market picks up momentum in the spring as tenants prepare to move during warmer months or ahead of the school year.Early 2025 Trends Are Positive: In just the first week of January, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in rental applications, suggesting pent-up demand from renters who delayed their searches in November and December.What Landlords Can Do NowTo make the most of this recovery, consider:Refreshing Your Listings: Update your photos, descriptions, and pricing to ensure your properties stand out.Offering Incentives: Temporary discounts or move-in bonuses can help fill vacancies quickly.Being Patient: The market is already bouncing back, so don’t panic if your property takes a bit longer to lease than usual.What’s been your experience?

Today, I analyzed over 10 condos, and while I found one with a positive cash-on-cash return, it was far from impressive.I’d love to hear from experienced condo investors about why this type of real estate might make sense despite the low cash-on-cash returns and HOA fees that cannot be influenced.As a bonus, if anyone has purchased investment properties for their children with a similar goal, I’d really appreciate any insights about your process or results.I am looking at buying 2 investment condos for my children to pay for their college tuition in 13-15 years.

@Greg StrunakA good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.

My budget is in the $200-250K range.Please feel free to let me know if additional details would help, and thank you in advance for your time and advice! 

In addition to a voucher, we require that the tenant be able to show income at least 1.5 time the monthly rent, as opposed to our regular tenants who must show 3.5 time monthly rent.

In addition I am giving him freedom to explore (to a certain extent) on my dime.

Reach out using the message system if you have any direct questions or want additional advice.  

Also, here's an article with additional FAQs on cost segregation studies that you may find helpful.

Bigger Pockets is a great place to find a real estate tax accountant.A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.

In addition to your down payment, plan for closing costs (around 2-5% of the purchase price) and set aside at least 3-6 months of expenses for repairs, maintenance, and vacancies.