My duplex - built 1989, 2,060 sf, 2 bed/bath, 1 year old roof, value if I subdivide (county already approved) and sell each separately $150k each ($300k total)Investor duplex - built 1995, 2,300 sf, 2 bed/bath, 5 year old roof, value around $310kThe investors initial request was for an equal trade and they would pay realtor fees, which I replied wouldn't be equal due to buying/selling costs (recording fees, title insurance, closing fee, survey, inspections, loan fees, 1031 fees, accountant fees, repairs), taxes would increase due to new sale price, I'd trade a 3.75% mortgage for a higher one, and I'm on the 10th year of a 30 year loan so resetting that to a new loan would restart amortization and pay more towards interest.

Might be an additional cost there.If units are updated, capex items look good, leases and tenants look solid, and there are no other regular expenses besides the 5200 in insurance/property taxes then I like this deal.  

BUT...if you're American and can still get loans in the US (the silver lining of having to still file US income taxes while living abroad), then why not use leverage?   

AssetsAsk yourself: Do I want cash that depreciates with inflation and taxes, or do I want to build wealth?

There are also some tax advantages to self-managing. 

At a 37% tax rate, this creates around $117k in tax savings, reducing your taxable income from $700k to $583k.2.

Couple other things to consider, property / school taxes are high, and tenants have lots of rights.

However, there's a loss on the 2023 Tax Returns, and Net Income is $45,000 in 2022 (Client has lots of writeoffs) What loans could I use that only consider:- Bank Statements - 1099s - Credit Score Please contact me with options.

Low barrier to entry, low taxes, landlord friendly, and areas that appreciate + cash flow. 

They are mocking these up with interest only loans and factoring back in the tax deduction as if you qualified for the tax benefits of a real estate professional and factoring in the diminished first year property tax (since its not a full year).