Invest in the stock market2.

When you move out you begin to experience POSITIVE CASH FLOW in which your tenants help you buy the property.....where eventually you own it out right, and now it becomes like a pension..........Predictable and Sustainable income for life.   

Real Estate Market Predictions for 2025Single-Family Homes: Prices will likely remain flat due to homeowners holding onto low-interest-rate loans, causing fewer properties to hit the market.

It seems like I need to check further away from the DMV area.My feelings are if you want “cash flow” you should buy a bond (I really like the tips rate right now) there is next to no reason to buy real estate for cash flow, if you are going to buy you should buy with appreciation in mind, which is not to say that’s the route I’d go, I’ve been liquidating properties to put in stocks and money market funds over the last few years and u just did the math and I’ve come out well ahead, but just to say there are arguments for stocks/bonds, there are arguments for levered appreciation, but the cap rates pretty much anywhere aren’t worth it vs an inflation protected bond, especially since a 3/rd of inflation is real estate anywhere, you could get “cash flow” and inflation protection much easier through a tips.

Be rid of the toilets, trash, liability and management headaches.5) Liquidity and Diversification: Diversify your capital into multiple real estate markets, REITS, stocks, bonds, multiple funds.

Real estate is not the stock market and it's called buy & hold and not buy & sell for a reason.I did sell a few properties about 10 years ago when I learned the hard way that going into cheaper neighborhoods was not the right strategy for me, so that was basically a strategy correction and it was necessary, but also costly both in terms of dollars and time.

Hoping" for me was never a strategy as the future is unpredictable.I hoped my $480,000 condo in Chicago would appreciate and it didn't move since 2018.My tenant a crypto exec has been paying me $3,000 in rent on the 28th of each month like clockwork for 5 years now.No capex, no issues at all and that has been a breeze.3% ROI isn't sexy enough to me tho 🤷‍♂️I'd probably be cheering right now if it moved up in value but it's been a dead deal in my eyes.But it is what it is.The numbers in a deal TODAY per se don't rely on hope and are a more predictable outcome.Granted, the numbers need to be "worked" and a more "hands on" approach is needed in such markets.Thanks Hi Engelo, you have been doing this for a long time and I know you have the skills and tenacity to manage high-cash-flow properties, but you have to admit, you are working hard for your cash flow, this is not passive at all.

This approach helps manage costs while providing predictability for tenants.Thanks @Julia Lyrberg!

My point being, having a reliable team here is a must.Dialing in on what class neighborhood and what kind of property you want is as key as your metrics, especially given that much of our housing stock is ~125 years old --- at least in the city.

It's really hard to predict where regulation will go and it is indeed one of the risk factors for all investments.