Right now, my focus is on leveraging my degree and skills to land a higher-paying job, increase my annual income, and ultimately grow my net worth.Real estate has always been something I’ve been interested in, and my long-term goal is to start investing in both real estate and retirement to build financial security.

Slightly increased the offer to quickly go under contract, but still had inspections and everything done before completing the deal.

I am leaning toward removal because the floor is run down, the risk of increased pests or feral cats, and there is already a storage closet off the patio.

The importance of lowering expenses and increasing efficiency to maximize property income.

They further out the ripples go from the stone, the less appreciation your receive while the cash flow increases.

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.

The financial of property is good:      DSCR = 1.3; LTV = 45%;Both my liquidity and net worth passes Chase's test.

.🔹 Example in Action:Rental income: $9,000PITI: $9,500 → DSCR <1 (not qualifying)Using $63,000 in assets → Adds $1,045 in incomeNew DSCR >1 → Higher LTV (80% instead of 75%)🔹 Why This Matters:✅ Helps investors qualify for better financing✅ Increases borrowing power and flexibility✅ Allows you to scale your portfolio fasterUnderstanding financing tools like this can be a game-changer for investors looking to maximize opportunities.

Listen to Brandon Turner's podcast where someone he interviewed shared how this made a HUGE increase on her income: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1bS4eL80KL1rWY4vyCMjXh?

Unfortunately, Covid decided to change my plans, and I made the decision to hold off, in hindsight it was a huge mistake and no one could have imagined that property values could have increased at such a high rate.