25 yr old investor with 2 rentals stuck on scaling
Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 7 votes
25 yr old investor with 2 rentals stuck on scaling
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Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 13k+ posts · 9k+ votesQuote from @Ethan Fabian:
Hi I'm Ethan! I used to be an agent but moved into healthcare. I now am in school full time, in an unpaid internship, and working part time at a hospital (also getting married in 3 months!). I have 2 rentals that are cash flowing well, but I'm stuck on how to scale from there with limited cash and time. House hacking is no longer an option for me. I'm new to wanting to start taking this seriously just not brand new to real estate investing. Any tips or pointers I would really appreciate it. Seriously I need all the help I can get. Looking forward to being involved in this community and to learn, share, and grow with you all!
Why can't you househack?
Kids involved?
Where are you living now?
Buy a 2-4 unit with FHA 203(k) to wrap in rehab funds.
If you REALLY want to do this, sacrifices are required.
Or you can wait until you graduate and make more money to throw at real estate.
Logical Property Management4.9469 Reviews
21 Replies
I like a live-in flip as the next play. Your spouse will likely be on board with the idea of making it your own and adding equity together to build your new life together.
- Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 7 votes8mo
@Marcus R. I love that idea and my fiancee would probably be willing as well. We are just super fortunate(spoiled) that my parents are letting us live in their walkout basement on the lake and are currently remodeling it to be its own apartment. And they aren't charging us rent(very spoiled). So I don't think I could convince her to move out of there unless my parents really start to get on her nerves.
- Realtor · OH · Member since 2026 · 122 posts · 77 votes8mo
Quote from @Ethan Fabian:
Hi I'm Ethan! I used to be an agent but moved into healthcare. I now am in school full time, in an unpaid internship, and working part time at a hospital (also getting married in 3 months!). I have 2 rentals that are cash flowing well, but I'm stuck on how to scale from there with limited cash and time. House hacking is no longer an option for me. I'm new to wanting to start taking this seriously just not brand new to real estate investing. Any tips or pointers I would really appreciate it. Seriously I need all the help I can get. Looking forward to being involved in this community and to learn, share, and grow with you all!
Ethan — congrats on your rentals and wedding! To scale with limited cash and time, leverage equity from your existing properties via a HELOC or cash-out refi, focus on Ohio deals with strong cash flow you can manage (even remotely), and consider partial property management (8–10%) to free up time. I can help you identify a pipeline of Ohio properties that cash flow and are lender-friendly so you can scale without needing more W2 income.- Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 7 votes8mo
@Alioune Camara Thank you for that offer! I don't know if I'm quite ready to start investing in out of state properties yet. I'm a bit of a control freak and am in a vulnerable position as an investor. It would be something I will definitely do in the future.
- 8moArman AhmedPro MemberReal Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2024 · 2k+ posts · 966 votesThat’s a great start! If you’re looking to scale without tying up all your cash or time, a lot of investors pivot to more affordable Midwest markets where you can grab duplexes or small multis well below replacement cost that cash flow immediately, so you can grow your portfolio without overleveraging. Pair that with a solid local property manager and a trusted team on the ground, and you can scale remotely while keeping your day job and school on track.
Quote from @Ethan Fabian:
Hi I'm Ethan! I used to be an agent but moved into healthcare. I now am in school full time, in an unpaid internship, and working part time at a hospital (also getting married in 3 months!). I have 2 rentals that are cash flowing well, but I'm stuck on how to scale from there with limited cash and time. House hacking is no longer an option for me. I'm new to wanting to start taking this seriously just not brand new to real estate investing. Any tips or pointers I would really appreciate it. Seriously I need all the help I can get. Looking forward to being involved in this community and to learn, share, and grow with you all!
- 8moJimmy LieuBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
Quote from @Ethan Fabian:
Hi I'm Ethan! I used to be an agent but moved into healthcare. I now am in school full time, in an unpaid internship, and working part time at a hospital (also getting married in 3 months!). I have 2 rentals that are cash flowing well, but I'm stuck on how to scale from there with limited cash and time. House hacking is no longer an option for me. I'm new to wanting to start taking this seriously just not brand new to real estate investing. Any tips or pointers I would really appreciate it. Seriously I need all the help I can get. Looking forward to being involved in this community and to learn, share, and grow with you all!
Hey Ethan, welcome to BP! It sounds like you’ve already got a solid start with two cash-flowing rentals, so the next step is really about strategy and leveraging what you have. With limited cash and time, many investors focus on building a system for long-distance investing, like finding reliable property managers, targeting markets where your money stretches further, and looking for deals that already cash flow or need light improvements rather than big rehabs. Another approach is using financing creatively—small down payments, portfolio loans, or even partnerships can help scale without tying up all your cash. Since you’ve got experience as an agent, you can also leverage your network to find off-market deals or connect with other investors. The key is setting a repeatable process that works with your schedule so you can scale steadily without burning out. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!
Jimmy Lieu, Red 1 Realty4.9122 Reviews - 8moSam McCormackBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Cincinnati, OH/NKY · Member since 2021 · 1k+ posts · 834 votes
Quote from @Ethan Fabian:
Hi I'm Ethan! I used to be an agent but moved into healthcare. I now am in school full time, in an unpaid internship, and working part time at a hospital (also getting married in 3 months!). I have 2 rentals that are cash flowing well, but I'm stuck on how to scale from there with limited cash and time. House hacking is no longer an option for me. I'm new to wanting to start taking this seriously just not brand new to real estate investing. Any tips or pointers I would really appreciate it. Seriously I need all the help I can get. Looking forward to being involved in this community and to learn, share, and grow with you all!
Take it slow, build cash, and buy another one. Is this an option still? I like @Marcus R. strategy with a live in flip, it will lower your taxes you'll pay and increasing your take home. But if you just want to do long term rentals, I would just save and buy another in an LLC using a DSCR
Sam McCormack Realtor- Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 7 votes8mo
@Sam McCormack Yes that is the plan right now just to take it slow. I don't think owner occupy is on the table for me right now, but definitely would be a great option.
- Lender · Marlboro, NJ · Member since 2025 · 243 posts · 150 votes8mo
You’re ahead of most people your age already having 2 cash-flowing rentals, especially while juggling school and everything else. When people get stuck at this stage, it’s usually not a deal problem, it’s a capital and financing strategy problem.
A few paths I see work well for investors in your position:
- Refinancing to pull equity and reuse it
- Partnering with someone who has capital but no deal flow
- Targeting smaller value-add properties where you can force appreciation
- Focusing on debt structures that preserve liquidity so you can keep scalingThe biggest unlock for most people isn’t finding better deals, it’s learning how to recycle the capital they already have. If your current properties have appreciated, you may be closer to your next acquisition than you think.
Happy to share some ideas if you want to talk through your situation.
- 8moCaeli RidgeBusiness MemberLender · Portland, OR · Member since 2016 · 32 posts · 13 votes
Ethan — first off, congrats on the upcoming wedding and on already having two cash-flowing rentals. That’s a strong foundation, especially with everything else you’ve got going on right now.
When time and cash are limited, scaling usually becomes more about strategy and leverage than hustle. A few ideas that tend to work well in your stage:
1. Let the properties work for you.
If they’re cash flowing well, focus on optimizing them — small rent adjustments, reducing expenses, or refinancing strategically (if it makes sense) to free up capital without overextending yourself.2. Look at partnerships.
If you’re short on time but have experience, partnering with someone who has capital but less knowledge can be a way to scale without doing everything yourself. Clear roles and expectations are key.3. Consider DSCR or investor-focused loans down the road.
If your personal income is temporarily lower because you’re in school, some financing options focus more on property performance than W-2 income. That can help you grow even during a transition period.4. Be okay with a “maintenance phase.”
There are seasons in life where holding steady is actually the smart move. You’re in school, working, and getting married — protecting what you’ve built and strengthening reserves might be the best short-term strategy.You’re not starting from zero — you’ve already proven you can acquire and manage rentals. Scaling doesn’t have to be aggressive to be successful. Sometimes slow and steady during busy life seasons wins long term.
– Ridge Lending Group (Licensed in 49 states, excluding NY)
- 8moDrew SygitBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 13k+ posts · 9k+ votes
Quote from @Ethan Fabian:
Hi I'm Ethan! I used to be an agent but moved into healthcare. I now am in school full time, in an unpaid internship, and working part time at a hospital (also getting married in 3 months!). I have 2 rentals that are cash flowing well, but I'm stuck on how to scale from there with limited cash and time. House hacking is no longer an option for me. I'm new to wanting to start taking this seriously just not brand new to real estate investing. Any tips or pointers I would really appreciate it. Seriously I need all the help I can get. Looking forward to being involved in this community and to learn, share, and grow with you all!
Why can't you househack?
Kids involved?
Where are you living now?
Buy a 2-4 unit with FHA 203(k) to wrap in rehab funds.
If you REALLY want to do this, sacrifices are required.
Or you can wait until you graduate and make more money to throw at real estate.
Logical Property Management4.9469 Reviews - Investor · Charleston, SC · Member since 2018 · 198 posts · 87 votes7moEthan, congrats on having 2 cash flowing rentals at 25. You're way ahead of where most people start.
Everyone here has given solid advice on the capital side (HELOC, DSCR, partnerships), so let me add a different angle: the operational side of scaling.
I went from 4 to 10 doors in about a year using the BRRRR strategy with Section 8 tenants in Birmingham, AL. I work a full time W2 job and manage everything remotely with a property manager. Here's what I learned about scaling with limited time:
1. The capital problem is real, but BRRRR solves it. I'm buying properties under $60K, putting $25K to $30K into rehab, and getting Section 8 rents between $900 and $1,300/month. After the DSCR refinance at 75% LTV, I'm recycling most of my capital back out to do the next deal. You don't need a mountain of cash if you can recycle it.
2. The bigger bottleneck nobody talks about is operations. At 2 properties, you can track everything in your head or a simple spreadsheet. At 5+, that breaks. PM statements, document management, insurance tracking, lease renewals, bank reconciliation. The admin hours creep up fast. If you're also in school and working, those hours matter more than anything.
3. Out of state with a PM is very doable, but you have to verify everything. I cross reference every PM statement against my bank deposits. I've caught fee discrepancies that ran for months before I had a system for it. Trust your PM, but build a process to verify.
4. Section 8 is worth looking into if you're scaling in the Midwest. Guaranteed rent from the housing authority, longer tenant retention (my average is 3+ years), and predictable income. The compliance side (vouchers, inspections, FMR limits) adds some work, but the stability is worth it.
The biggest thing that unlocked scaling for me was getting the operational side systemized so that adding one more property didn't mean two more hours of monthly admin. Capital strategies are important, but if your back office can't handle 5 properties, having the money for a 6th doesn't help.
Happy to talk more about the BRRRR process or out of state investing if you have questions. You're in a great spot to start building momentum. - 7moKyle DeutschmannPro MemberInvestor · Washington, DC · Member since 2017 · 428 posts · 205 votes
Quote from @Ethan Fabian:
Hi I'm Ethan! I used to be an agent but moved into healthcare. I now am in school full time, in an unpaid internship, and working part time at a hospital (also getting married in 3 months!). I have 2 rentals that are cash flowing well, but I'm stuck on how to scale from there with limited cash and time. House hacking is no longer an option for me. I'm new to wanting to start taking this seriously just not brand new to real estate investing. Any tips or pointers I would really appreciate it. Seriously I need all the help I can get. Looking forward to being involved in this community and to learn, share, and grow with you all!
Hey Ethan, you're in a great market to be "stuck" in! I've worked with several investors recently finding cash-flowing 1-4 unit rentals and BRRRs in Milwaukee at relatively low price points compared to a lot of other markets around the country.
To help with the limited cash - there are options to put very little down (5-15%) on light to moderate rehab projects with 100% of the rehab financed as well. There are also options for advanced rehab draws, financed monthly payments, etc. as well as "no-seasoning" DSCR refi products to help get your money back out as soon as the rehab is complete so you can rinse & repeat.
In regards to limited time - perhaps see if you can find another local investor to partner with who has some time to manage contractors. I partnered with a friend in the past on a deal - he was a bit more handy than I was whereas I was better at figuring out the financing and finding tenants, so it was a great partnership while it lasted. If you can find a deal that cash flows well enough, you could also hire a property manager to take over once the rehab is complete instead of managing the rental yourself, hire a CPA to do your more complicated taxes, etc. to "buy back" your time. - Investor · Get yourself trained before doing something inadvisable. · Member since 2024 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes7moI'd put all of that on hold. You're getting married and that requires a whole lot more time than you may think. Once you and the new wifey adjust to being together, there will be time to jointly pursue properties.
Quote from @Ethan Fabian:
Hi I'm Ethan! I used to be an agent but moved into healthcare. I now am in school full time, in an unpaid internship, and working part time at a hospital (also getting married in 3 months!). I have 2 rentals that are cash flowing well, but I'm stuck on how to scale from there with limited cash and time. House hacking is no longer an option for me. I'm new to wanting to start taking this seriously just not brand new to real estate investing. Any tips or pointers I would really appreciate it. Seriously I need all the help I can get. Looking forward to being involved in this community and to learn, share, and grow with you all!
- 7moMike PaolucciBusiness MemberRealtor · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2022 · 504 posts · 556 votes
Quote from @Ethan Fabian:
Hi I'm Ethan! I used to be an agent but moved into healthcare. I now am in school full time, in an unpaid internship, and working part time at a hospital (also getting married in 3 months!). I have 2 rentals that are cash flowing well, but I'm stuck on how to scale from there with limited cash and time. House hacking is no longer an option for me. I'm new to wanting to start taking this seriously just not brand new to real estate investing. Any tips or pointers I would really appreciate it. Seriously I need all the help I can get. Looking forward to being involved in this community and to learn, share, and grow with you all!
Sounds like you got a lot going on my friend. Might not be a bad idea to put it on hold till after you get married and settled in.
If you're dead set on scaling though, you can look into how much equity you have built up on your current duplexes. If you can somehow find a quad, you can try doing a 1031 if you can have both the buyer & seller lined up. It's pretty hard to have everything all lined up but it's possible to scale that way.
You can also 1031 into multiple properties if you have enough equity built up.
Reafco - Mike Paolucci 512 Reviews - 7moRebecca KnoxBusiness MemberSpecialist · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
Hi Ethan. I am in Milwaukee too, Captain Save A Home LLC and also run a few local real estate groups on Facebook. If you are looking to scale, the top strategy investors use in our market is BRRRR'ing. Obviously house-hacking is extremely popular as well. I would suggest attending an RPA meeting. They are an organization of landlords and also advocate for landlord rights in WI....but the main reason I suggest going to one of their meetups is that you will meet people that are actual landlords and will get so many ideas from them on how they scaled. There's one couple in particular that you should reach out to...Ann & Steve Belter because I think their story is very inspiring and may be an option for you and your fiancee. Also, reach out to Teresa & Anthony Machi from Mach1 Lending and Zach Starnes (mortgage broker) as they could both give you some great advice on scaling and what the strategies they see most commonly employed. Good luck on your real estate journey!
- 7moDave FosterBusiness MemberQualified Intermediary for 1031 Exchanges · St. Petersburg, FL · Member since 2013 · 9k+ posts · 9k+ votes
@Ethan Fabian, With no source of income other than the rentals, it will probably prove difficult to obtain financing to add a new property without selling the ones you have. And they sound like good rentals. But if either one were a candidate to sell, you could do a 1031 exchange. This would allow you to take all of the equity from the sale and put it towards a new investment property without having to pay tax on the sale. You could explore consolidating your properties and investing in larger investment opportunities like multi-family or commercial. Or you could use the sale to purchase multiple smaller properties.
Otherwise, you may have to develop that "patience muscle" as you finish your education, start a new life married, and enter your next career. But 25 with 2 rentals is no small feat - congrats!!!
The 1031 Investor5140 Reviews - 7moCharles HolderPro MemberLender · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2019 · 141 posts · 27 votes
Hey Ethan, Charles Holder veteran and mortgage broker here. I'd love to have a phone call and see how things look and go over how they could look.
I run a real estate team and started investing 6 years ago starting from 0. I currently hold about 3m in RE here in TX
- Real Estate Agent · Milwaukee · Member since 2022 · 57 posts · 25 votes7mo
Hey Ethan, I am in Milwaukee and totally understand when it comes to scaling. I would also agree, since you currently live rent free, I would stay there as long as possible. If capitol is the only thing holding you back, you should explore some hard money options that will fund the deal and the rehab and do a BRRRR. Especially if you are somewhat handy and can do the cosmetic items to save money and then hire out the rest. Sure the deal might not be a home run, but if you don't have to come into it with any money, it is a win-win! I have done this with some of my other clients / friends and it got them going from one to the next. Let me know if you want to see what that would look like!
- Brooklyn, NY · Member since 2026 · 28 posts · 14 votes7mo
Sounds like you’ve already done a lot right getting two rentals that cash flow while juggling school, work, and life stuff. That’s not easy.
A lot of people hit that same wall after the first couple properties where the next step isn’t obvious, especially when cash and time are tight. Some investors start looking at partnerships at that stage, teaming up with someone who has capital while you bring deal analysis or management. Others focus on finding value add properties where improving rents can create equity to refinance later.
Another thing that helped me think about scaling was focusing a lot on the numbers and really understanding what deals actually work before chasing the next one. A lot of deals just don’t move forward once you factor everything in.
Are your current rentals local to you in Milwaukee or out of state?
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