Lets say you have 3 rentals that rent for $1000/month and you cash flow $300/monthEach month you have GROSS rents of $3000/month or let's say $2500/month after paying PM costs, repairs, etc....BEFORE you pay the mortgage.If you get the rents on 1st of the month and you pay down $2500 into the HELOC, but you don't have to pay the mortgage ($1600) until 15th of the month.NOw you have paid down principle in the amount of $2500 for the first 15 days and $900 for the next 15 days.If you use the traditional method, you only have $900 extra money that you may or may not use to pay down your loans.   

I know what the rents should be for each of the units (2 vacant and 1 significantly under market), the taxes are listed on the MLS, I’m familiar with the water/sewer costs in close proximity to this building, and I know what percentage to use for my Vacancy, CapEx, and repairs and maintenance based on my knowledge of the local market.

Certain expenses are all lumped together for the sake of the P&L like insurance and taxes and others like repairs and maintenance can be viewed collectively or by individual property.

@Maria JeanetteHere are some of the downsides of putting real estate into a self directed IRA or 401k.No tax deductions: You can’t claim deductions for property taxes, mortgage interest, depreciation, repairs, improvements and other property-related expenses.Property expenses: All expenses, repairs, and maintenance costs must be paid with IRA or 401k funds.

As the owner of Oz Realty, I wouldn’t recommend any other property manager in Toledo to take you on.Most companies don’t allow landlords to use their own contractors for repairs due to internal operating inefficiencies. 

Hey @Steve Johnson, I found your website but it does not explicitly mention HVAC and I actually was about to ask on the forum if anyone had a recommendation for a furnace repair job... not a big job, one unit in a duplex not working properly.

In MA, tenants generally have 30 days to pay repair costs.

Without substantial renovation or repair / forced equity, I doubt that since almost 12 months ago you have enough to do a DSCR cash out refi.

I’m not skilled in repairs and live in a high-cost, tenant-friendly area, what would be the best way to invest my money?

.- You close on December 10th- The property is in great shape and does not need any significant repairs- It only needs some paint touch-up and changing a couple of broken fixtures, which you do yourself- You spend the next week buying furniture, electronics and supplies and installing/arranging everything yourself- You also roll up your sleeves and scrub the toilets and sinks and appliances- You put it on AirBnB/VRBO and have your first guest renting it for the 3 days of Christmas- You second guest rents it for the following weekend and leaves before NYE- You personally clean and restock the place between these two guestsCongrats!