Yes, there are a lot of people who spend less than they make and have a surplus.There are others who are inheriting wealth from othersBut there is another subset that we often forget: those who have equity in their homes.Much of the equity has built up due to a runup in home values since 2020, which allows these people to use a HELOC to purchase a home for cash.When rates were low there was a group of people who were using Hard money to purchase and rehab buildings and then refinancing at the end this was the BRRR strategy.Hard Money is not an option these days since the cost of refinancing at the end of the project is too expensive.So when we see people paying cash, it is often pent-up savings and HELOC money that people use, and not as often Hard Money.

@Mike Musarra  If you plan on doing a BRRRRR your best bet will be refinancing into a DSCR loan.

I could understand refinancing if there is equity that can be tapped into but I wouldn't refinance in order to transfer the property to an LLC.

The current house was bought in 2017 for $260,000, refinanced in 2021.

Save yourself from the HM rate and points plus the cost of refinancing later.

So if he refinanced then he'd actually have a higher payment after paying in what he was paid for the land?  

Cash - Then refinanced to renovate in 2020.

Also is there is a way to defer Capital gains.Market Conditions: Look into local rental market trends and economic outlook to decide if things might improve or get worse.Management Burden: Assess if managing these properties is too much work and if it’s affecting your cash flow.Alternatives: Consider refinancing to reduce costs or a 1031 exchange to defer taxes and keep investing.Consult with a financial advisor for personalized advice for sure.

Unfortunately, I do own investment properties abroad that are still financed, so any lender that has experience with this would be much appreciated, the lack of experience in that regard has been a painful, and long underwriting process at first when I bought and then again when I refinanced my home a few years ago...

Not sure if it would make sense for you specifically, would need to know a bit more about your situation and everything, some people we help that are looking to consolidate debt consider refinancing to lump all their payments together since a primary residence lending option has lower rates than some of the alternatives.