And hopefullt you won't need a traffic light, which costs in excess of $100,000, though you will be required to do a traffic study. 

Principal Paydown: $2,441 Total Gain: $58,317 ROI: 360.32% (on $16,185 upfront investment: 3.5% down payment of $8,715 + 3% closing costs of $7,470).Year 2 Analysis Cash Flow: -$752 Home Appreciation: $6,120 Principal Paydown: $2,617 Total Gain: $7,985 ROI: 49.34%.Year 3 Analysis Cash Flow: -$375 Home Appreciation: $6,242 Principal Paydown: $2,806 Total Gain: $8,674 ROI: 53.59%.Year 4 Analysis Cash Flow: $9 Home Appreciation: $6,367 Principal Paydown: $3,009 Total Gain: $9,386 ROI: 57.99%.Based on these numbers, you’d have negative cash flow for the first three years and only break even in Year 4, assuming a 2.5% annual rent increase.Adjusted Scenario see second picture: Landlord Covers Gas and WaterIn the second scenario, I assumed the landlord would pay for gas and water at $300/month while maintaining the same 2% home appreciation rate.

For example, using 70-80% leverage could preserve your cash for more deals while maintaining strong returns.A blended approach might work: pay cash for smaller deals to avoid delays and borrow on more significant properties to spread risk.

If a cost segregation study was performed, the accelerated depreciation may further reduce the property’s basis, potentially increasing taxable capital gains when sold.Depreciation recapture will occur when you sell the personal residence, so it’s essential to keep detailed records of all depreciation claimed while the property was used as a rental to ensure accurate tax reporting at that time.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

THEN, I plan to purchase the second home using a FHA or conventional loan (3%-5% down), for which I will likely pay the monthly cost out-of-pocket, maybe with some rental income support if it is a duplex.My concern is, I do not want to spend my savings or weigh down my debt-to-income ratio so much so that I cannot qualify for and pay the down payment and closing for the lending on the second home.Questions: - With the first home being multi-family, 75% of the rental income (or potential rental income initially) will relatively either maintain or boost my debt-to-income ratio from lenders' perspectives, right? 

There are also additional costs of operating and maintaining an LLC, like separate bank accounts, annual report filings, tax filings, etc.2.

This is not the utility company's responsibility.Your lease should state the tenant is responsible for maintaining utilities.

This means the IRS will treat the LLC as if you and your wife still own the property directly, maintaining the continuity of ownership for tax purposes.

Over the years, I’ve learned that offering tiered returns can be a win-win strategy—it rewards investors for their level of commitment while helping us maintain flexibility in our business.

We have created work instructions for every step of the process so we can maintain consistency in how we evaluate properties, communicate with tenants, market our properties, handle rent increases, manage property turnover, etc.....