New Member from Oxford, MS – Ready to Scale My Rental Portfolio

[Ryan R.]

Hey everyone!

I’m Ryan, based in Oxford, Mississippi. I’m relatively new to the real estate investing community and excited to connect with others who are building and scaling their portfolios.

I currently own a detached condo that I'm renting out for $1,500/month. After PITI and HOA, it's cash flowing about $530/month. I've got around $180K in equity based on recent sales in the same development, and I'm now looking to put that to work and expand into more properties.

I spent over a decade as an automotive technician before recently transitioning into the tech industry. I’ve always had an interest in real estate. Now that I’ve gotten my first deal under my belt, I’m eager to learn from those of you who’ve scaled successfully—especially in tighter markets where finding good deals or value-add opportunities is tough.

Looking forward to networking, learning, and sharing the journey. If you're in Mississippi (or nearby), I’d love to connect!

[Melissa Justice]

@Ryan R.,

Welcome to the community & and congrats on that first rental! $530/month in cash flow with solid equity is a strong first move, especially in today’s market. Most people never even get that far, so you’re already ahead of the curve.

Now that you're sitting on ~$180K in equity, you're in a perfect position to leverage what you’ve built and start scaling with more intention.

In Tight Markets, Scale Requires Strategy -
Finding good deals—especially in tighter, competitive areas—gets harder as markets mature. That’s why a lot of investors are leaning into one of two routes:

Out-of-state investing in high-cash-flow or appreciation markets

Turnkey rentals—which let you deploy capital quickly into stable, rehabbed, and tenanted assets

Why Turnkey Might Make Sense for You -
Given your new career transition and interest in scaling without getting bogged down in renovations or property headaches, turnkey properties offer a few key advantages:

You buy back your time while building cash flow and equity

You can invest in stronger rental markets, even if they’re out of state

It helps you stay passive, but still profitable—a smart move as you juggle tech work and RE growth

With your background in problem-solving and systems from the automotive and tech industries, you’ll likely thrive in identifying scalable solutions—and turnkey could be one of them.

If you're open to exploring markets or want to know what kind of returns to expect from a well-vetted turnkey deal, happy to share some examples or walk through the numbers.

Either way, congrats again on your first win—and excited to see where you take it next!

Wishing you much success!

Melissa Justice

Investment Strategist at Rent to Retirement