starting out with a single family rental without an LLC

[Henry Le]

Hi BP community! I'm so glad to have found this online community and resource to help me get started on my real estate rental investment. I am a complete novice but wiling to learn because of my interest in this asset class. 

I am currently in contract with a relatively new single family home that looks like might produce some cash flow or at least break even the first year according to the property calculator. It's a 2020 built 3 beds 2 baths. I figure if I start out with a low maintenance property, I can lower the learning curve and decrease the stress of managing a business and rental property myself to allow me time to figure things out as I go along. 

I am getting a fixed rate mortgage at 6.5% with a point. I am planning to form an LLC but due to the mortgage being not a commercial loan, i am not allow to put the house under the LLC. So my plan is to form the LLC later and just take the risk of operating without an LLC and just have landlord insurance and umbrella insurance to start out. Maybe this is a bad idea but this is the only option I have available or see within my limited knowledge so far. I will take any advice the BP community may offer!

[Ashish Acharya]

Starting with a single-family rental without an LLC is perfectly fine, especially since your mortgage won't allow it right now. Your plan to rely on landlord insurance and umbrella insurance for protection is a good approach while you’re learning. The newer property should keep things low-maintenance, which is smart for your first investment. You can always set up an LLC later as you get more experience. For now, focus on managing the property and gain knowledge as you go. 

If your AGI is less than 150k, think about cost segregation.