When I am talking refinance I am talking about taking equity out after you have bought a value add deal and increased the value substantially.I am not talking about an existing property you want to tap out.Banks for refi's are being very conservative anyways now.They will only refi at maybe 70 to 80%ltv and nowhere near 90% to 100% of FMV.This is because many markets are still declining in value.The banks if they had to take back loaning close to full value would sell at a big loss.

Regional population has steadily declined, in fact Allegheny County has the highest population loss per year with the exception of the Lousiana Perishes centered around Hurricane Katrina.

Short sale means you are taking a loss.

And our policies include loss of rental income while the structure is out of service.

And in my experience the delayed (larger) increase is more likely to cause a loss of tenant than a smaller one.I used to use the change in the consumer price index as a minimum for my increases, sometimes adjusted up from that if insurance or taxes had taken a big hit.all cash

Passive income is subject to INCOME tax, NOT social security/medicare.Passive income has limitations on the amount of losses that can be offset against, (although I think there are some income limitiations).Many people mistake the "connotation" of the word passive with the IRS definition of "passive income".

An extra 2k or 3k is only another $10 to $15 a month....... versus the loss of another $300 to $400 a month profit.Congratulations on your new deal.

If one buys and sells homes using their personal names, and say there is a profit of $50K on house 1, and a loss of $20K on house 2, can we offset them and just  pay tax on the net of $30K?

Majority of the capital from China investors are locked or loss in the market and you have already started seeing Chinese investors back away from large high priced homes.

Hire a professional.If you are reading this post view your Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet and see if:- Can you file your tax return today?