Our attorney told me just return the money as the brain damage of going to court and potentially losing (court is really just rolling the dice - small claims court is not about justice and the law but what the "judge" thinks is "fair") is not worth the possible gain.We always sign a lease and any funds paid are first applied to rent and the SD is collected last.

I inherited 5.6% of a commercial property that is worth approximately $27m with $11m remaining on a loan.

That said, if you have the option to invest in a better cash-flowing deal elsewhere, it's worth running the numbers to compare returns.

@Grace Tapfuma I have no idea how things work in Australia but if I were you in the US…Don’t sell the business.Businesses usually sell for a much lower multiple of their products income than real estate does.To be honest, you’ve built out a lot of infrastructure to create a successful business and maybe reinvesting in it would create a much better return on investment.For which you could reinvest those future profits into real estate, once you’ve scaled your business into a money making machine that isn’t so dependent upon YOU to drive the bottom line.I had a friend (38 years old) just recently sell his medical device company for $30M dollars and now he’s using this chapter of his life to passively invest in real estate ventures.Meanwhile, I’ve been toiling out here for 19 years as a real estate investor and I’ve built a portfolio worth $18M and have a net worth of $5M at 41 years old.Sometimes the grass isn’t greener on the other side.Correct me if I’m missing something!

If you're looking for ways to accelerate, consider these options:Seller Financing – Some sellers may finance a portion of the purchase price, reducing your need for a large down payment.DSCR Loans – These loans focus on property cash flow rather than personal income, often requiring only 15% down.Private Money Lenders – If you can find a PML willing to work with you, you may be able to put less down.Partnerships – If you’re open to splitting profits, you could bring in a partner who funds the down payment.Since you’re okay with the slower path, just keep stacking cash, but these might be worth exploring to move faster!

You can ask piliminary questions to see if an applicant is worth your time too if you don't want applicants always filling out an application before a tour. 

Using 50% rule (expenses excluding P&i is 50% of rent) here are the numbers;1800 (rent) - $900 (expenses) - 1468 (heloc) = negative $568/monthAt your rent point with that size unit, your expenses will ve less than depicted by the 50% rule, so let’s use a likely more accurate 40%1800 - 720 (expenses) - 1468 = negative $388/monthNow let’s imagine you self manage and you time is not worth anything (I strongly recommend believing your time is worth less or worth less than a quality PM would charge) with 8% further reduction so expenses are down to 32%1800 - 576 (expenses) - 1468 = negative $244/month. 

Originally posted by @Matt Millard:Seen them & Net Worth around Dallas for a long time.

Has anyone had any luck with this and is it worth it?

do not list as 2 months worth of rent as the security deposit!