How do you know if a rental property will make enough cash flow before you buy? Budgeting is KEY. When breaking down a deal, it’s critical that you account for the costs of all capital expenditures (CapEx), maintenance, and repairs. Overlooking an important line item could easily put you in the red!

Welcome back to another Rookie Reply! In today’s episode, we’re going to show you how to budget for the everyday operating costs that come with owning rental properties, as well as how to set minimum cash flow requirements when analyzing a rental. Should you find a partner for your next house hack? We get into the potential advantages and disadvantages of joining forces with other investors. We also talk about the many tax benefits in real estate and whether you need a limited liability company (LLC) to maximize them!

If you want Ashley and Tony to answer a real estate question, you can submit a question here, post in the Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group, or call us at the Rookie Request Line (1-888-5-ROOKIE).

In This Episode We Cover

How to budget for everyday rental expenses, maintenance, and repairs

How to set minimum cash flow requirements when analyzing deals

The pros and cons of forming a real estate investing partnership for a house hack

How to distinguish capital expenditures from repairs and maintenance

Whether you NEED an LLC to reap all of the tax benefits of real estate investing

And So Much More!

(00:00) Intro

(00:31) Claiming Tax Write-Offs

(04:02) Budgeting for Property Expenses

(15:45) Partnering on a House Hack?

(23:42) CapEx vs. Repairs & Maintenance

(26:37) How Much Cash Flow Do You Need?

(32:37) Send Us Your Question!

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-404

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Episode #78: How to deal with performance anxiety + tips to overcome mental blocks