Losing motivation. Am I close or do I need to move onto something else?

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Losing motivation. Am I close or do I need to move onto something else?

Nicholas A.
Buffalo Grove, IL · Member since 2017 · 54 posts · 39 votes

I’m at a bit of a crossroads and would appreciate some honest feedback.

I bought my first rental in 2020 and a second in 2023 — both were decent investments, though I’ll admit there was some luck involved. Over the past 6–8 months, I’ve gotten more serious: read two books (not helpful), completed an online course (helpful), joined a mentorship (not helpful), and have been networking with wholesalers and investors online.

Here's where I'm struggling: even after this effort, quality deals — rentals or flips — seem very hard to find. Most potential deals I see are through wholesalers, but many aren't great, or you need a strong relationship to see the better ones. MLS deals seem too tight.

I’m starting to wonder if the only way to find consistent, quality opportunities is to fully embrace this as an entrepreneurial effort — direct marketing, cold calling, door knocking — which I’m not eager to do. I’m not a people person, and the grind doesn’t appeal to me. Flipping seems to require the same level of hustle.

At this point, I don’t know if I’m close to landing a good deal and should stay the course, or if I need to step back and ask whether this is the right fit for me. If I need to run a marketing operation to any extent to find deals, it may not be worth it compared to more passive options like investing in the S&P 500.

Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe you can do this without becoming a marketer/entrepreneur/realtor/people person. But if not, my way of currently doing it may not yield me enough returns to continually do it. Wholesalers, realtor.com, networking with people.

Spending time weekly for months and months or longer to acquire a property and merely make $300 a month cash flow just doesn't seem cost effective over the long term for me. I know theres debt pay down and other ways you get paid too but it doesnt seem super cost effective and I'd rather do other things with my time, even if they're not geared towards making money.

Question:
Is my way of doing this worth pursuing further, or do I truly need to build my own pipeline even if part time to succeed in this endeavor?

Appreciate any honest insights.

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Don KonipolBusiness Member
Investor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votes
1y
Quote from @Nicholas A.:

I’m at a bit of a crossroads and would appreciate some honest feedback.

I bought my first rental in 2020 and a second in 2023 — both were decent investments, though I’ll admit there was some luck involved. Over the past 6–8 months, I’ve gotten more serious: read two books (not helpful), completed an online course (helpful), joined a mentorship (not helpful), and have been networking with wholesalers and investors online.

Here's where I'm struggling: even after this effort, quality deals — rentals or flips — seem very hard to find. Most potential deals I see are through wholesalers, but many aren't great, or you need a strong relationship to see the better ones. MLS deals seem too tight.

I’m starting to wonder if the only way to find consistent, quality opportunities is to fully embrace this as an entrepreneurial effort — direct marketing, cold calling, door knocking — which I’m not eager to do. I’m not a people person, and the grind doesn’t appeal to me. Flipping seems to require the same level of hustle.

At this point, I don’t know if I’m close to landing a good deal and should stay the course, or if I need to step back and ask whether this is the right fit for me. If I need to run a marketing operation to any extent to find deals, it may not be worth it compared to more passive options like investing in the S&P 500.

Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe you can do this without becoming a marketer/entrepreneur/realtor/people person. But if not, my way of currently doing it may not yield me enough returns to continually do it. Wholesalers, realtor.com, networking with people.

Spending time weekly for months and months or longer to acquire a property and merely make $300 a month cash flow just doesn't seem cost effective over the long term for me. I know theres debt pay down and other ways you get paid too but it doesnt seem super cost effective and I'd rather do other things with my time, even if they're not geared towards making money.

Question:
Is my way of doing this worth pursuing further, or do I truly need to build my own pipeline even if part time to succeed in this endeavor?

Appreciate any honest insights.

I’m not going to get into the math here; other posters have covered how they personally view ROI, profit, cash flow etc.

What I will tell you is that the number one attribute I’ve seen in SUCCESSFUL “active” investors is that they LOVE the real estate industry, the process, the “deal”.  They get an excitement from completing a successful transaction.  From finding the needle in a haystack.  From putting together a group of investors, completing the purchase, adding value to the property, and eventually liquidating at a profit. 

If you’re into real estate investment because, well, you like the potential returns but you’d rather visit a museum rather than visit a potential property acquisition, or you’d rather read a good novel rather than an appraisal, or you’d rather socialize with the neighbors than attend a real estate conference, you won’t be happy, and probably won’t have great success as an ACTIVE real estate investor.  Go find something you love, that “turns you on”, that provides a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, because that’s not real estate for you.

And if you still believe real estate is the investment that provides the highest RISK adjusted rate of return, invest PASSIVELY, in REITS, as a limited partner in syndications, in a real estate or mortgage fund. 
Private Mortgage Financing Partners, LLC
WebsiteView Page
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  • Jo Bradley
    Member since 2023 · 17 posts · 20 votes
    1y

    2 thoughts….For me, once I owned more than a handful of properties, the deals started coming to me. Most often, from other investors I know that are retiring. The more people that know you are in the market for houses, the better. That said, I never needed to market myself, it came along organically. Secondly being a landlord is a long game. if you finance real estate it is generally a slow income producer for many, many years initially while you wait for either market appreciation or loan pay down to give you more options. While I am thrilled with a $300 initial cash flow, if you are not maybe there are other forms of investment that might interest you more. You might consider buying a property with cash if you want to see bigger returns or selling one of your rentals to pay off the second one if there is enough equity in it. 

    3Reply
    • Joe VilleneuvePro Member
      Plymouth, MI · Member since 2013 · 13k+ posts · 19k+ votes
      1y
      Quote from @Jo Bradley:

      2 thoughts….For me, once I owned more than a handful of properties, the deals started coming to me. Most often, from other investors I know that are retiring. The more people that know you are in the market for houses, the better. That said, I never needed to market myself, it came along organically. Secondly being a landlord is a long game. if you finance real estate it is generally a slow income producer for many, many years initially while you wait for either market appreciation or loan pay down to give you more options. While I am thrilled with a $300 initial cash flow, if you are not maybe there are other forms of investment that might interest you more. You might consider buying a property with cash if you want to see bigger returns or selling one of your rentals to pay off the second one if there is enough equity in it. 

      Using cash doesn't get you a bigger return.  A return is based on the difference between cost (which is the cash you put in) and the cash coming out.  If you put all cash in, it will take a long time to recover that cash, which means a long time to profit.  Paying all cash and thinking it makes you profits faster is an illusion.  Numbers with dollar signs in front don't lie.
      3Reply
    • Jo Bradley
      Member since 2023 · 17 posts · 20 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Joe Villeneuve:
      Quote from @Jo Bradley:

      2 thoughts….For me, once I owned more than a handful of properties, the deals started coming to me. Most often, from other investors I know that are retiring. The more people that know you are in the market for houses, the better. That said, I never needed to market myself, it came along organically. Secondly being a landlord is a long game. if you finance real estate it is generally a slow income producer for many, many years initially while you wait for either market appreciation or loan pay down to give you more options. While I am thrilled with a $300 initial cash flow, if you are not maybe there are other forms of investment that might interest you more. You might consider buying a property with cash if you want to see bigger returns or selling one of your rentals to pay off the second one if there is enough equity in it. 

      Using cash doesn't get you a bigger return.  A return is based on the difference between cost (which is the cash you put in) and the cash coming out.  If you put all cash in, it will take a long time to recover that cash, which means a long time to profit.  Paying all cash and thinking it makes you profits faster is an illusion.  Numbers with dollar signs in front don't lie.
      You are right, the return on investment might be higher with financing, but paying cash increases your monthly cash flow dramatically which seemed to be the concern of the OP who was concerned with only getting a $300/mo return. If I finance a project, it takes me 15 years (conservatively) to pay off that loan. Assuming I credit myself the same amount I would have spent towards principal and interest, I recover my investment in less than 10 years if I pay cash.  Sometimes I pay cash, sometimes I finance, it just depends on the situation. 
      2Reply
    • Joe VilleneuvePro Member
      Plymouth, MI · Member since 2013 · 13k+ posts · 19k+ votes
      1y
      Quote from @Jo Bradley:
      Quote from @Joe Villeneuve:
      Quote from @Jo Bradley:

      2 thoughts….For me, once I owned more than a handful of properties, the deals started coming to me. Most often, from other investors I know that are retiring. The more people that know you are in the market for houses, the better. That said, I never needed to market myself, it came along organically. Secondly being a landlord is a long game. if you finance real estate it is generally a slow income producer for many, many years initially while you wait for either market appreciation or loan pay down to give you more options. While I am thrilled with a $300 initial cash flow, if you are not maybe there are other forms of investment that might interest you more. You might consider buying a property with cash if you want to see bigger returns or selling one of your rentals to pay off the second one if there is enough equity in it. 

      Using cash doesn't get you a bigger return.  A return is based on the difference between cost (which is the cash you put in) and the cash coming out.  If you put all cash in, it will take a long time to recover that cash, which means a long time to profit.  Paying all cash and thinking it makes you profits faster is an illusion.  Numbers with dollar signs in front don't lie.
      You are right, the return on investment might be higher with financing, but paying cash increases your monthly cash flow dramatically which seemed to be the concern of the OP who was concerned with only getting a $300/mo return. If I finance a project, it takes me 15 years (conservatively) to pay off that loan. Assuming I credit myself the same amount I would have spent towards principal and interest, I recover my investment in less than 10 years if I pay cash.  Sometimes I pay cash, sometimes I finance, it just depends on the situation. 
      Wrong.  Sorry.  You're using incomplete math.  The math is very simple.  Cash in, cash out.  If you pay cash, your monthly cash flow goes up, but your return is severely delayed because it doesn't start until you first recover all of your cash in.  Thinking that your cash flow increase when you pay all cash up front is an illusion.
      Keep in mind, your cost as an investor is ONLY the cash you put in.  If you buy all cash you are paying full price, and have to recover all of that cost.  When you pay only the DP, and you have positive CF, the tenant is buying your property for you.  You ONLY cost is that DP, and your profit comes as soon as you recover that.  Your monthly CF is less, but the recovery of your cost is much faster.
      On top of that, if you took that full amount and spread it over multiple properties, not only will your total monthly CF return on that same cash spent (now on more than just one property) be much larger, but your total property value from having more than one property bought with that same cash be much greater.  That also means, your equity build up increases faster because any appreciation applied is now applied to a much higher total PV.
      0Reply
  • Bryce JamisonPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Mebane, NC · Member since 2015 · 493 posts · 439 votes
    1y

    I agree deals are harder to find because sellers still want COVID prices and interest rates are much higher. I don't think you need to do any of the entrepreneurial stuff you mentioned though. Instead, you could start making offers where the numbers do make it a deal for you. Your RE agent won't like making so many offer, and they'll give you flak for making "low ball" offers, but that's okay because there's dozens of other realtors behind them that will do it for you if they won't. You may get frustrated getting 19 offers rejected, but when the 20th one gets accepted you'll be stoked!

    I'd also advise changing your paradigm on profit. I completely agree this is a ton of work for $300 a month. That's not what I'm doing this for though. It's the 10, 20, 30 year appreciation and debt paydown you mentioned that will truly build wealth. The $300 a month hopefully is enough to cover maintenance. You'll either eventually get enough $300s to live off, or you're old enough where you can sell some to bridge you until you can pull from your 401K and get SS (maybe), or sell and live off the proceeds. The dream a lot of guru sell of sitting on the beach retired at 30 after buying 2 houses is far from reality.

    1Reply
  • Evan HoppleBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2023 · 284 posts · 420 votes
    1y

    @Nicholas A.

    If you're on the fence now about building your own direct pipeline then I wouldn't go down that path. Lean on pros that have established deal flow and connections that will still give you a leg up without the buy-in it takes to establish a full-on business.

    In my opinion, the BRRRR method is still one of the best options for higher returns. The forced equity and higher cash on cash still make it a better investment than most other options. As you do more deals in one market and gain experience, you'll get some momentum, and deals will start to come.

    [email protected]614-924-8151
    Reafco Real Estate
    View Page
    1Reply
  • Beauford Jefferies
    Member since 2025 · 19 posts · 15 votes
    1y

    @Nicholas A. I feel you! My wife and I looked at 30-40 properties before we made our first purchase and it seemed like forever. But what did we gain in this time, relationship. We built a relationship with a real estate agent who began to truly understand what we were looking for and as a result we went from no properties to closing on a SF & MF with in 30 days of each other that came with rent money to us at closing because they were fully rented. To make a long story short build your dream team of agents, contractors, possible investors who can add the value that you want to help you be more successful. It's okay to have those feelings I've been there and want to encourage you to stay the course and remember it only takes one yes despite the number of no not yet that you have been experiencing! Hope this helps!!

    0Reply
  • Sebastian E.
    Flipper/Rehabber · Berkeley Springs, WV · Member since 2017 · 164 posts · 103 votes
    1y

    I think you are feeling what a lot of people are feeling to be fair. I am at a similar inflection point where either I pull back or push through, which in my case means investing into some of the lead generation techniques you mentioned in order to be able to scale the business. It is not without risk of course and like you mention there may very well be other investment vehicles that could be more preferable for your circumstance. There are lots of ways to make money--RE is just one of them. 

    0Reply
  • James Hamling
    Real Estate Broker · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2011 · 5k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    1y

    @Nicholas A. let's step back and reframe this to see if we can't get better clarity. 

    What I hear you saying is similar to: 

    I want to buy and own restaurants. And to make good $ doing it. 

    But I don't like dealing with people, so i don't want to deal with customers, or staff, or chef's. 

    And I don't want to do any cooking. 

    And I don't want to do any of the advertising or marketing stuff. 

    ....... 

    Well....... The answer seems pretty simple and clear to me. 

    If you don't want to do or engage in any of the things required to do the business well, you'd have to hire and staff other people to do those things for you. 

    And if you don't want to hire and staff for those things.... Well it's simply not a viable or realistic business now is it. 

    Now maybe there is other business's within the industry that are a better fit, for example being a private $ lender. But again, it will require networking, interacting with people etc.. 

    There is very few business's out there one can do that have limited to no component of sales, marketing and human interaction. 

    And if by investing in S&P your talking about being a trader, I'd remind that >80% of people loose $, if not more. My experience is it's something closer to 95% if not more. 

    Now if your talking about just plowing $ into S&P to let it sit long term, oh-man if you think returns are slow coming now you better prepare yourself for discovering a whole new level of slooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww.    Not to mention the cycles where you watch gains melt away in days, hours, minutes, to then grit your teeth for weeks, months, years to claw back to $0. 

    2Reply
  • Brooke RoundyPro Member
    Investor · Member since 2021 · 45 posts · 41 votes
    1y

    Hi Nicholas, maybe you need to find a different real estate strategy that appeals more to you. I personally enjoy hosting guests for short and midterm stays more than being a passive investor acquiring rentals with long term tenants. I occasionally (like today) wonder if I'm really cut out for this as challenges and obstacles appear. I think, maybe I can make more money and have less hassle investing elsewhere or sticking with my boring W-2. But then what brings me back is the creativity of real estate, the vast possibilities to build wealth and my own business where I answer to me. I'd suggest maybe widening your lens on what kind of real estate strategy might make sense for your personality and style, and pivoting. There are so many possibilities. Good luck!

    0Reply
  • Don KonipolBusiness Member
    Investor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    1y
    Quote from @Nicholas A.:

    I’m at a bit of a crossroads and would appreciate some honest feedback.

    I bought my first rental in 2020 and a second in 2023 — both were decent investments, though I’ll admit there was some luck involved. Over the past 6–8 months, I’ve gotten more serious: read two books (not helpful), completed an online course (helpful), joined a mentorship (not helpful), and have been networking with wholesalers and investors online.

    Here's where I'm struggling: even after this effort, quality deals — rentals or flips — seem very hard to find. Most potential deals I see are through wholesalers, but many aren't great, or you need a strong relationship to see the better ones. MLS deals seem too tight.

    I’m starting to wonder if the only way to find consistent, quality opportunities is to fully embrace this as an entrepreneurial effort — direct marketing, cold calling, door knocking — which I’m not eager to do. I’m not a people person, and the grind doesn’t appeal to me. Flipping seems to require the same level of hustle.

    At this point, I don’t know if I’m close to landing a good deal and should stay the course, or if I need to step back and ask whether this is the right fit for me. If I need to run a marketing operation to any extent to find deals, it may not be worth it compared to more passive options like investing in the S&P 500.

    Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe you can do this without becoming a marketer/entrepreneur/realtor/people person. But if not, my way of currently doing it may not yield me enough returns to continually do it. Wholesalers, realtor.com, networking with people.

    Spending time weekly for months and months or longer to acquire a property and merely make $300 a month cash flow just doesn't seem cost effective over the long term for me. I know theres debt pay down and other ways you get paid too but it doesnt seem super cost effective and I'd rather do other things with my time, even if they're not geared towards making money.

    Question:
    Is my way of doing this worth pursuing further, or do I truly need to build my own pipeline even if part time to succeed in this endeavor?

    Appreciate any honest insights.

    I’m not going to get into the math here; other posters have covered how they personally view ROI, profit, cash flow etc.

    What I will tell you is that the number one attribute I’ve seen in SUCCESSFUL “active” investors is that they LOVE the real estate industry, the process, the “deal”.  They get an excitement from completing a successful transaction.  From finding the needle in a haystack.  From putting together a group of investors, completing the purchase, adding value to the property, and eventually liquidating at a profit. 

    If you’re into real estate investment because, well, you like the potential returns but you’d rather visit a museum rather than visit a potential property acquisition, or you’d rather read a good novel rather than an appraisal, or you’d rather socialize with the neighbors than attend a real estate conference, you won’t be happy, and probably won’t have great success as an ACTIVE real estate investor.  Go find something you love, that “turns you on”, that provides a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, because that’s not real estate for you.

    And if you still believe real estate is the investment that provides the highest RISK adjusted rate of return, invest PASSIVELY, in REITS, as a limited partner in syndications, in a real estate or mortgage fund. 
    Private Mortgage Financing Partners, LLC
    WebsiteView Page
    7Reply
  • Patience EchemPro Member
    Member since 2024 · 68 posts · 50 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Nicholas A.:

    I’m at a bit of a crossroads and would appreciate some honest feedback.

    I bought my first rental in 2020 and a second in 2023 — both were decent investments, though I’ll admit there was some luck involved. Over the past 6–8 months, I’ve gotten more serious: read two books (not helpful), completed an online course (helpful), joined a mentorship (not helpful), and have been networking with wholesalers and investors online.

    Here's where I'm struggling: even after this effort, quality deals — rentals or flips — seem very hard to find. Most potential deals I see are through wholesalers, but many aren't great, or you need a strong relationship to see the better ones. MLS deals seem too tight.

    I’m starting to wonder if the only way to find consistent, quality opportunities is to fully embrace this as an entrepreneurial effort — direct marketing, cold calling, door knocking — which I’m not eager to do. I’m not a people person, and the grind doesn’t appeal to me. Flipping seems to require the same level of hustle.

    At this point, I don’t know if I’m close to landing a good deal and should stay the course, or if I need to step back and ask whether this is the right fit for me. If I need to run a marketing operation to any extent to find deals, it may not be worth it compared to more passive options like investing in the S&P 500.

    Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe you can do this without becoming a marketer/entrepreneur/realtor/people person. But if not, my way of currently doing it may not yield me enough returns to continually do it. Wholesalers, realtor.com, networking with people.

    Spending time weekly for months and months or longer to acquire a property and merely make $300 a month cash flow just doesn't seem cost effective over the long term for me. I know theres debt pay down and other ways you get paid too but it doesnt seem super cost effective and I'd rather do other things with my time, even if they're not geared towards making money.

    Question:
    Is my way of doing this worth pursuing further, or do I truly need to build my own pipeline even if part time to succeed in this endeavor?

    Appreciate any honest insights.


     Nicholas,

    I believe you are on the right part. It takes a while for efforts to start to bear meaningful fruit. It does sound to me like you will prefer passive or turnkey investing. That is exactly what I am doing. I got into real estate because all my assets were in the market and periods of downturn was scary especially with me close to retirement. I figured that having tangible asset will help decrease my anxiety over the market. I said this to say it depends on what your goals are. All the activities (reading books, taking classes, networking) you are currently doing is good to continue to build on. Remember that not everyone into real estate has to be active. 2 homes in 3 years are not bad if you want to take it slow and steady, but if you would really love to scale, then it calls for a change of mindset. Be willing to spend more money and time be it on marketing or other activities needed to grow.  

    Remember that deals are harder to come by now with higher interest rate and price. My mentor told me that this is the time to save money, to continue looking, and be ready to buy once a great deal comes around. If we can't make a deal, we definitely will wait it out, not give up completely, because the market will eventually turn. Some of us love our W-2 and do real estate on the side. Notting wrong about not loving all aspects of real estate, just do the one you care about really well. 

    0Reply
  • Ned CareyPro Member
    Moderator
    Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    1y

    @Nicholas A. 

           real estate investing is a really hard way to be financially successful.  

                                   It is just less hard than other ways. 

    Yes a lot of people made easy money in the last several year but that was not due to being smart that was due to the market rewarding anybody in the market, good deal or bad. 

    Right now we are at high point in the cycle (although it seems to be changing) It is always going to be harder at the top of the cycle. 

    3Reply
  • Seth McGatheyBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Milwaukee WI · Member since 2024 · 318 posts · 252 votes
    1y

    What market are you in? That could be part of your problem. I am in Milwaukee and just last year I found a duplex on market that cash flows $500 a month. To be fair I did put 20% down on it plus another $10,000 of work into it. But really not too bad for an on market $300,000 property. Plus one of the renters is a little low on market rents because she is a hold over that I didn't want to triple the rent on in one go. 

    [email protected]708-297-0996
    Seth McGathey - Shorewest Realtor4.913 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
  • Melissa JusticeBusiness Member
    Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2024 · 518 posts · 1k+ votes
    1y

    @Nicholas A.,

    This is a really honest and thoughtful post and I think a lot of people are quietly wrestling with the same things but don’t articulate it this clearly. So let’s unpack it realistically:

    The Short Answer:
    Yes, the way you're currently doing it can work, but it's slow, competitive, and unlikely to yield consistent or exceptional deals unless you:

    * Get really lucky
    * Have a competitive advantage (capital, partnerships, hyper-local insight)
    * Or go very long-term buy-and-hold with low expectations

    If you're hoping for deals that truly move the needle, without running your own marketing machine, you're likely going to hit a ceiling. That’s not a personal shortcoming, that’s just the math in a saturated market.

    So Do You Need to Build a Marketing Pipeline?

    Not necessarily. But you need a better system and possibly a different strategy.

    Here are a few directions you might consider based on what you’ve said:

    Option 1: Lean Into Truly Passive Investing
    If you’re finding the hustle-to-reward ratio unsatisfying, you might be more aligned with:

    *Private lending / hard money lending
    * Real estate syndications (LP investing)
    *Turnkey buy-and-holds in high-cash-flow markets
    * REITs or private REITs (like Fundrise or RealtyMogul)

    These won’t require marketing, cold calling, or major involvement, but they do require capital and trust in other operators. Still, it’s often a better return on your time if cash flow is not your only driver.

    Option 2: Become a Capital Partner
    If you have some capital and want equity without the sourcing hustle:

    * Partner with an active investor who does like marketing and deal flow
    * You bring funding, they bring deals + execution
    * Equity split or preferred return structure

    This allows you to stay in the real estate game, grow equity and passive income, but skip the grind.

    Option 3: Out-of-State Turnkey Strategy
    You’ve probably heard it before, but it exists for a reason. A lot of the “$300/month” cash flow frustrations come from trying to force cash flow in tighter markets or average deals.

    With turnkeys in Midwest or Southeast markets (Birmingham, Indy, Cleveland, etc.), you can:

    * Plug into pre-vetted deals
    * Work with a reliable PM
    * Get decent returns with low involvement

    Is it sexy? No. But it works.

    Option 4: House Hack or Hybrid Strategy
    If you're still building your portfolio and are okay with one hands-on move:

    * Consider a house hack or a live-in flip
    * Possibly paired with mid-term or short-term rental strategy for higher yield
    * It's a way to gain leverage, equity, and tax benefits without becoming a full-time hustler

    Final Thought: ROI on Time vs Money

    This part of your post is key:
     “Spending time weekly for months and months to acquire a property and merely make $300/month cash flow doesn’t seem cost-effective…”

    That’s a fair observation, especially if your opportunity cost is high. For someone making six figures or just preferring more freedom, the juice often isn’t worth the squeeze unless you really love the game or plan to scale hard.

    You don’t have to become a wholesaler or direct-marketer to be successful in real estate… but you do need systems, leverage, or partnerships that remove the friction between you and consistent deals.

    TL;DR:
    * No, you don’t have to become a marketer, but yes, you need a more scalable or passive strategy.
    * Consider turnkeys, syndications, private lending, or capital partnerships - not MLS and wholesaler scraps.
    * If your ROI on time isn’t worth it to you - that’s not quitting, that’s smart strategy.

    Happy to dive deeper into any of those options if you’re curious. You're not missing something - you're just at the decision point most people delay for years.

    Best of luck,

    Melissa

    [email protected]313-221-8718
    3Reply
  • Aaron ZimmermanBusiness Member
    Accountant · Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    1y

    I completely understand where you're coming from. I still firmly believe that there's deals to be had but it's significantly harder than it used To be. 

    I would recommend looking for longer days on market, offering lower, and working with wholesalers. I'd also add that deals tend to be had a bit easier during the slower parts of the year (in my market, it's generally September - January). I'd recommend seeing if there's more inventory sitting during these periods.

    of course, you will still want to analyze deals now and see if there's good deals. But patience is a virtue. Better to wait for the right deal than buy a wrong deal. 

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  • Nick Perret Efferson
    Real Estate Agent · Greater Milwaukee Area · Member since 2025 · 54 posts · 27 votes
    1y

    Search your soul, bro. Look at why you entered this space in the first place. Chances are, this struggle will lead to the next exciting phase of investing if you solve this problem. You may not enjoy every person you meet, but I know you would enjoy the next person who finds you a deal. 

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  • Charles ClarkBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2020 · 306 posts · 209 votes
    1y

    Thanks for sharing so openly — you're definitely not alone in feeling this way. Real estate can be passive, but finding solid deals consistently often requires that upfront hustle or building strong partnerships with people who do it. If direct marketing isn't your thing, consider aligning with a trusted operator or turnkey provider, or even leaning into JV deals where someone else handles acquisitions. You don't have to build a pipeline yourself, but without it, returns may stay modest. Totally fair to weigh this against more passive vehicles like the S&P. Self-awareness is a strength — trust it as you choose your path.

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  • Basit SiddiqiBusiness Member
    Accountant · New York, NY · Member since 2015 · 8k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    1y

    It is a little bit hard to find deals now compared to 2020 given the price of real estate and interest rates.

    $300 a month doesn't sound like a lot but it is $3,600 over a year. You would likely need to make $5,000 working to make that $3,600 since the $3,600 is likely sheltered from taxes.

    If you can find maybe 10 more investments like this and have someone manage the properties, you will set yourself up well financially.

    Sometimes the best action is not to buy an investment if there is no opportunities available.

    best of luck!

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  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    1y

    Either get in the game and like it or..

    Just buy quality assets and KNOW going in your in for a 20 year Plus investment money is made in tenant paying down the asset for you and appeciation.. Cash flow goes back into reserves no one lives on 300 a month from a hand ful of houses.

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