Sell or Hold My First Home? SoCal VA Buyer + New Electrician Apprentice Needing Strat

[Roberto Lopez]

Looking for some experienced SoCal multifamily investors to help me think clearly through a big decision. I’m 26, married with a newborn, transitioning out of active-duty Marines into an IBEW apprenticeship (Local 11 or 441), and trying to make the smartest move with my first property.

Current Primary Residence (OC):

• Purchased for $850,000
• Mortgage: ~$6,400/mo
• Current rent potential for entire home: $3,600–$3,900/mo
• I also currently have one roommate (a friend) renting a room, helping offset some of the payment
• We originally intended to build an ADU, but we don’t have the funds right now and the project feels overwhelming with school, the new baby, and a career change happening all at once.

Upcoming Changes:

• Planning to complete a VA IRRRL refinance in January
• Planning to move out next year and rent the home
• Saving to purchase a duplex/tri/4-plex, likely in LA County (Whittier, Downey, Norwalk, Long Beach, etc.)
• Using the VA again if the numbers make sense

The Dilemma:

Renting out the entire house will still put us negative each month unless I finish the ADU — which I can’t realistically fund right now. Selling would reset our finances, relieve stress, and give us capital for a multifamily purchase, but I don’t want to prematurely give up an appreciating OC asset.

My long-term goals:

• Build a rental portfolio
• Use the VA strategically
• House hack again in a multifamily
• Create stability while starting a new trade career
• Set my family up for long-term wealth

Questions for those who’ve been here:

1. When does holding a negative-cash-flow SoCal property actually make sense?
2. Has anyone regretted selling their first home early to reposition?
3. For tradespeople or veterans: how did you balance cash flow vs. appreciation during career transitions?
4. Would you sell, reset, and go after a 4-plex in a better cash-flow area?
5. Or hold the property, take the short-term loss, and wait for ADU funding + appreciation?