Real estate

With government subsidized mortgages and tax deductible interest, buying a rental property is an accessible way for anyone to invest with leverage. But, even if you start Googling like mad, you won’t see very much about investing in condo rentals. Im my opinion, they’ve gotten a bad rap when they offer a lot of advantages. Here’s what I mean…

One of the main reasons real estate is so attractive as an asset class is its privileged tax treatment. Understanding the full implications of real estate taxes for both primary residences and income properties is a vital part of being a real estate investor.

For some reason, people get confused about condos. I think it’s because most Americans -myself included- grew up in a single family home and the idea of owning only a piece of a building is weird. But, condos are a great way to get started on the property ladder and they don’t have as many downsides as you might think!

Homeowners association fees are one of the biggest expenses that condo owners have to deal with, but they cover maintenance and upkeep that decreases the overall burden of ownership for condo owners.

It’s easy to get suckered in by a beautiful house. “I can afford it, but just barely…” you might say. But, as the largest expense on most people’s budgets, housing is the number one factor determining whether you will be able to save and invest enough to retire early - or at all.

I write quite a bit about buying and remodeling condos, because they are the best way to get into the market in expensive cities. But what questions should you ask before you pull the trigger?

It takes a big pot of money to retire early. And if you want to have a nice lifestyle as well, it takes millions to safely retire early. But, if you are smart about your taxes, you can reduce those numbers significantly. Here's the smartest ways to keep your income taxes low for FIRE.

Mortgage recasting lets you pay down your mortgage and secure a lower monthly payment. But, when does it make sense to refinance instead?

Mortgage recasting is a little known but useful trick that allows you to pay down your mortgage balance and secure a lower monthly payment while keeping your original loan and rate. Read on to see when mortgage recasting makes the most sense.

You have your appraisal back, finally. But… uh… how do you read it. And what are all these Q’s and C’s?

Getting your house appraised can be a little intimidating if you have never done it before. Here’s a quick introduction into how the process starts, what information it is attempting to obtain, how much it will cost, and how it will end.

Real estate investing is one of the more profitable and accessible ways to invest your money, but being a landlord comes with a lot of responsibilities. Today I am going to take a look at some ways to mitigate the biggest challenges of being a landlord.

A home is often the most expensive and most emotionally meaningful investment anyone will ever make, which is why it is vital to know when the best time to buy a house is.

There are more ways to get started real estate investing than you might think. Even in an expensive city, there are plenty of options.

I’ve always wanted to own a vacation home, but it may not be worth the cost or the hassle.

You can avoid PMI without 20% down in many ways. You can use an equity partner, take a secondary loan, or use a loan that doesn’t require it. Here’s how.

I'm not sure what's wrong with me exactly, but when I see EVERYONE agreeing on something, I always want to disagree. So i’ll say it: I don’t think a recession is imminent.

How much do I need to make from my passive income streams to #fatFIRE (retiring early without extreme frugality)? Here’s my plan, and my own #fatfire retirement calculator.

This calculator asks a very simple question: when should I refinance… or should I at all?

What’s better: condo vs townhouse? Let’s dissect the positives and negatives of both across a variety of factors including Cost per Square Foot, Privacy, Outdoor Space and Maintenance. 

I’ve repeatedly seen two narratives told over and over again. First of all, debt is bad. Second, although debt is bad, having a mortgage is alright because it acts like a forced savings plan, slowly enabling borrowers to build wealth. But can't the “forced savings plan” idea can be extended beyond simply mortgage debt, if executed intelligently with low interest, short term debt?

It seems like everyone I talk to about real estate believes that condos are the most egregious rip-off in real estate. In my experience, it’s exactly the opposite. So… are condos worth it, after all?

How much does it cost to remodel a small kitchen? My ~150 sq. ft. kitchen cost around $20-$25k. A very small kitchen could be done for around $10k… and larger or fancier kitchens can cost $100k+.

HELOCs and refinancing aren't the only options for accessing the equity in a home. This week, I take a close look at a third option. 

Private mortgage insurance (PMI) is one of the biggest ripoffs in real estate. Many people that have it don’t need it, and could remove it. Use this calculator to see if you qualify.

Congrats! You are entering the insane world of being a landlord. The only rub? How much to charge. It's a very important question, and one that is a little more complicated to answer than it may seem at first. 

I've had a couple of questions swirling around my mind recently, and for whatever reason they all had to do Unicorns (startups value at $1b or more). 

As I've been writing about buying and remodeling condos, I think it's about time that I go over how much it costs to do condo renovations on a budget. It'll be pretty much impossible to know whether you can turn a profit on a condo remodel if you can't ballpark how it costs to remodel your condo.

It's much cheaper (and easier) to buy and fix up a $300k condo than a $600k house. Having just purchased a condo and renovated it, I can confirm that the numbers pan out, but it's easy to pick the wrong plac and end up losing money. No one wants to buy a $300k condo, put $50k into it and end up with a condo worth $325k.  Luckily, the right place can be fairly easy to find if you follow these guidelines.