and most importantly, do you LOVE real estate. in order to perform at a high level you've gotta spend all your free time studying your market, trends, etc. if you don't love it you'll probably be able to pull down 65/70k a year, but you could earn that kind of money just punching a clock at a regular job, so is it worth it to become an agent for 70k a year?

I realized I needed to break the cycle of earning money just to spend it all while traveling the globe and returning right back where I started.

Can somebody explain how the new tax bill's  limitation of business financing interest deduction to 30% of earnings applies to rental property mortgages?

.$4800 cash flow$11,160 equityyear2:2 year1 houses, worth total $200k3 year2 houses, worth total $300ktotal = 5 housesequity = $11,160 - $10,000 (downpayment for 5th house) + $27,900 (equity earned on 5 houses in year 2) = $29,060cash = $4800 + $12,000 = $16,800year3:2 year1 houses = $200k3 year2 houses = $300k6 year3 houses = $600ktotal = 11 housesequity = $29,060 - $30,000 + $61,380 = $60,440cash = $16,800 - $10,000 + $26,400 = $33,200year4:...11 new houses = $1,100ktotal = 22 housesequity = $60,440 - $60,000 + $122,760 = $123,200cash = $33,200 - $30,000 + $52,800 = $56,000year5:19 new houses == $1,900ktotal = 41 housesequity = $123,200 - $120,000 + $228,780 = $231,980cash = $56,000 - $50,000 + $98,400 = $104,400year6:35 new houses == $3,500ktotal = 76 housesequity = $231,980 - $230,000 + $424,080 = $426,060cash = $104,400 - $100,000 + $182,400 = $186,800year7:62 new houses = $6,200k138 total housesequity = $426,060 - $420,000 + $770,040 = $776,100cash = $186,800 - $180,000 + $331,200 = $338,000year8:112 new houses = $11,200k250 total houses = $25,000kequity = $776,100 - $770,000 + $1,395,000 = $1,401,100cash = $338,000 - $330,000 + $600,000 = $608,000year9:202 new houses = $20,200k452 total houses = $45,200kequity = $1,401,100 - $1,400,000 + $2,522,160 = $2,523,260cash = $608,000 - $600,000 + $1,084,800 = $1,092,800year10:363 new houses = $36,300k815 total houses = $81,500kequity = $2,523,260 - $2,520,000 + $4,547,700 = $4,550,960cash = $1,092,800 - $1,090,000 + $1,956,000 = $1,958,800So after 10 long years, you have ~$6.5 million in equity & cash.

Trust has to be earned, and put systems in place that control and track expenses.

Ensure the earned premium is minimal.

Hour spent are not an expense until it keeps you from earning a greater income.

If you can earn 15% on your portfolio average you may determine that your personal rate of return is 15% and that locking up that money in the property is costing you the difference between your 4.875% and the 15% you could be earning (10.125% spread) as an example.Interest is always earned or paid even if you're doing neither you're losing the opportunity to do so (minus reserves of course since those are always recommended).

But, it's the ratios that will tell you:- How efficiently you're using labor/materials to generate whatever you're selling;- How efficiently you're generating profit from business earnings;- How effectively you're managing the business overall.Additionally, ratios provide a sensitivity benchmark for the business. 

They earn approximately $80,000 in total; rent is $1,200 a month, so rent is handily 3 x income.