Ethical dilemma around kicking tenants out

Ethical dilemma around kicking tenants out

Tacoma, WA · Member since 2017 · 2 posts · 3 votes

I bought a 8-unit apartment building; the value add is that rents are 20% below market value. My strategy was to buy, let the tenants go, rehab, and raise the rents. We gave notice to all the tenants (who are month-to-month) to vacate. During the walkthrough I saw quite a scene where tenants were genuinely shocked that they would be moving out.

During coffee with a friend I mentioned what I am doing with this property. He was shocked and said "so this is what you do for money." I tried to rationalize that if I don't buy the building, someone else would and they would have done the same thing. I also tried to say something of the effect that this is the byproduct of a capitalistic society - should I feel bad about being a software engineer, for instance, because I know that machines one day could replace human labor? He maintained that he could have an opinion, and said that this is why rich people are hated by some. From the discussion, I can see that he thinks money corrupts the conscience, and pursuit of money is bad. From my perspective I told him that if I were just to be rich, I would not have done house hacking, live frugally, and drive an old car. I said financial freedom and not having someone direct me at work one day is important to me. 

I am new in my investing journey. I am asking for advice from experienced investors on what framework do you use to think about all the ethical dilemmas you face in your real estate journey. For instance here are some options; none is right / wrong, more important is I pick one and stick with it:  

1. I now embark on a journey that I would be hated by people simply because they are jealous and they don't understand the function of money the way I do, and I would accept that as part of my tradeoff. 

2. I would not invest in any apartment buildings where rent increase means kicking tenants out 

3. If the path to financial freedom means that some people lose their homes but it's done so in a most humane way (proper notice, empathy etc), so be it. 

Thanks for reading! 

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Investor · Lakeland, FL · Member since 2015 · 344 posts · 606 votes
9y

I am a Christian and do investments.  I love people, I enjoy this business.

I understand the issues on both sides.  The number one key to this business and faith, keep your word.

If you have decided to purchase a property renovate it, raise the rents... keep your word.

If you have signed a contract with your tenant promising to exchange housing in good order and repairs when necessary for rent paid on time on a monthly basis... keep your word.  

If your agreement says that if they don't pay their rent in a timely fashion that you will evict them from the premises... keep your word.

The most loving thing you can do is listen to the leading of the Lord.  And keep your word.  And do everything to the glory of God.

It could be that your raise in rent woke up a tenant who had gotten lethargic on moving forward and now with this wake up call, they are now opened up for a new blessing.  (Maybe home ownership.  Maybe they need to move from the area?  Who knows?)

You be obedient in your actions and let God take care of theirs.  (That is the most loving thing you can do)

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  • Mindy JensenPro Member
    BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    9y

    @Erik Haugen , This is a difficult situation. You can't afford not to raise rents, right? But these people now have to leave their homes. I can see both sides.

    There is a 4-ples I've been discussing with the owner, but she bought it in 1978, it's been paid off for decades, and she can afford to keep rents ridiculously low. Well, then you can't expect the new owner to pay full price and keep rents where they are. 

    Did you give notice to all tenants at the same time? Did you give notice of non renewal or did you give them the option to stay and pay higher rent? Giving them the option to stay and pay higher rent may be the better move. Let them choose between two options, rather than giving them only one. 

  • Tacoma, WA · Member since 2017 · 2 posts · 3 votes
    9y

    @Mindy Jensen - thank you so much for the response. I gave all tenants notice at the same time. I gave them option of moving back in after the rehab on a higher rent. 

    P.S. Wow, didn't realize you're the same Mindy on the podcasts. Hi! 

  • Mindy JensenPro Member
    BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    9y

    Hi @Erik Haugen ! 

    Are you rehabbing all units at once? If not, you could allow some of them to continue to live there through the other unit remodels. 

  • Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    9y

    We are capitalists operating a business. The advantage tenants have is they have the option to live anywhere they choose. People move all the time. Tenants are by nature  transient. Yes it is somewhat inconvenient but so what there is no emotional attachment to a building. There is another one down the street they can move to and be just as happy. That is what tenants expect when they choose to live in someone else's property. 

    Owners/investors have no moral obligation to provide anyone housing for the rest of their life. This is a business, if you do not make decisions based on what is best for the business you should not be in business.

    I never understand the responsibility attachment investors believe they should have for people that choose to be tenants. Forcing or asking someone to move is not a life shattering event.  

  • Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    9y

    Not all tenants are transient , I have tenants living in a house 24 years now , another they are hitting the 10 year mark .  Have a neighbor who has been renting , they have been there 11 years . 

  • Real Estate Agent · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 15 posts · 4 votes
    9y
    It sounds mean but as a renter you have to understand that this is always a possibility, specially if you are renting on a month to month basis. If you don't what this as a possibility then you need to own where you live. I know not everyone can do that but it's not your responsibility to lose money so that they have a place to live.
  • Real Estate Investor · Williamson County, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 961 votes
    9y
    People renting in multifamily buildings expect rent increases but not non-renewal of leases. Rental Houses are often sold to an o/o or the owner wants to move back in, etc. Yes, your tenants would be surprised.
  • Real Estate Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2011 · 271 posts · 106 votes
    9y
    I'd crunch the numbers and see what your rehab costs, carrying costs, etc are for kicking out a tenant, rehabbing and then renting it. Why not just rehab as the units go vacant naturally like Mindy said? What about offering to improve a unit in exchange for a rent bump but not doing a full rehab (like just tops, appliances)?
  • Investor · Lakeland, FL · Member since 2015 · 344 posts · 606 votes
    9y

    I am a Christian and do investments.  I love people, I enjoy this business.

    I understand the issues on both sides.  The number one key to this business and faith, keep your word.

    If you have decided to purchase a property renovate it, raise the rents... keep your word.

    If you have signed a contract with your tenant promising to exchange housing in good order and repairs when necessary for rent paid on time on a monthly basis... keep your word.  

    If your agreement says that if they don't pay their rent in a timely fashion that you will evict them from the premises... keep your word.

    The most loving thing you can do is listen to the leading of the Lord.  And keep your word.  And do everything to the glory of God.

    It could be that your raise in rent woke up a tenant who had gotten lethargic on moving forward and now with this wake up call, they are now opened up for a new blessing.  (Maybe home ownership.  Maybe they need to move from the area?  Who knows?)

    You be obedient in your actions and let God take care of theirs.  (That is the most loving thing you can do)

  • Investor · Riverside, CA · Member since 2014 · 351 posts · 220 votes
    9y

    Few good deeds go unpunished.... 

    One of my favored sayings, the longer I do this type of work the more untalerent I become.  Christan or non religious alike you can not be a bad steward of your money.

    I won't bore you with the numerous times I have counted on renters or buyers and even sellers to treat me with the same respect they demand but because I'm a cold hearted investor some how it's OK to lie renegociate disregard contracts not keep time lines you name it I have delt with it. 

     Funny thing is I have learned they are just out for themself.  I have determined that if I can't beat a person from off the street in a head to head negotiation I should just leave the business.  I TRADE WHAT I KNOW FOR THERE EQUITY.  If they agree we do a deal if they don't we dont.... keep it simple stupid my father in law always said.

  • China, ME · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    9y

    @Erik Haugen So long as you treat tenants (and everyone else you encounter in life) honestly, ethically and fairly, there is no ethical dilemma here at all.  

    Yes, I'm a Christian - and take my faith very seriously.  Since you are too, consider what Paul wrote to the young pastor Timothy in 1 TIM 5:18:  For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

    It sounds like you're up against someone who believes that capitalism and profit are evil things.  They are not.  Many people know and MISquote the saying "money is the root of all evil".

    It's not just a saying though.  It also comes from the Apostle Paul's letter to Timothy.  From 1 TIM 6:9-10:

    Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

    It's not money per se.  It's the LOVE of money.  It's the pursuit of money above all else.  It's serving money instead of God.  It's making money your de facto god.

    No matter what you do, do it with a clean conscience and do listen to your critics - but after carefully considering what they have to say, don't be afraid to arrive at your own conclusion and dismiss the criticism completely if that's where your conscience leads you.

  • Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    9y

    Business owners must put the needs of the business first. By keeping this one factor in the forefront the customers/tenants will, in the long run, always be the winner.

    Regardless of whether you are evicting, non renewing or waiting for a unit to go vacant to renovate it must be done in such a way that the benefit is to the business owner otherwise in the long term all tenants will be the losers.

    Every tenant knows they never have control over where they live.

  • Dallas, TX · Member since 2016 · 26 posts · 17 votes
    9y

    I'm not where you're at yet so I wonder how I'll react given a similar situation.

    Honestly though, I'm going to start doing this as a means to ensure the success of my family. Buying and renting these properties will provide for many things including my child's education. It's going to allow me to retire and know that I'll have what I need in those years. I'm not going to be greedy. I'm going to get what I need to secure my future.

    My job would have no problem firing me if they needed to downsize. My landlords for various apartment complexes have raised my rent. I lost a job while in college because the owner couldn't sell the business and didn't want to keep throwing money at it. The reason I'm still successful today is because I found solutions to my problems. There's always a solution it just depends on whether or not people want to find it.

    If you're renting and the property owner is making decisions that negatively effect you, it's time to find a different solution. If the rent is too high, move somewhere cheaper. For example, I live in Monterey, CA. I can't afford to by a home here. I'm not blaming anyone else but that doesn't change the fact that I want to buy a place. So... instead of crying about it... I applied for a transfer to Dallas, TX and I'm moving in a couple weeks. All so I can continue reaching for my goals of buying and renting properties. I found a solution that works for me instead of wallowing in my own self pity. While each person's solution may vary, there is a solution.

    Anyone that tries to tell you that you're <insert descriptor here> because of your decisions regarding ensuring your business' success really has no business telling you what you should do. Sometimes, people have to move. They could choose to move right back in and pay market rent in a soon-to-be nicer place. Hopefully, they choose to react well and find their own solid solutions whatever the solution may be.

    tl;dr - Not your issue. Life isn't always perfect. The tenants will choose the best solution for them and they'll survive.

  • Investor · Oxford, MI · Member since 2016 · 110 posts · 41 votes
    9y
    At 20% below markets the tenants have been earning a free years rent every 50 some months.. they got a good deal.
  • Investor · Massillon, OH · Member since 2015 · 266 posts · 156 votes
    9y

    It's ironic  I'd bet if any of the tenants knew that another person at their job was doing the same work for 20%  more money then they would demand a raise. But when the shoe is on the other foot, you're a greedy capitalist pig. It really doesn't matter if you can afford to rent it for free, you can't charge more if you have negative cashflow,  it's what the market says. That said, I would probably  offer them a lower  increase in rent to just stay. If you don't rehab, then you don't need to go full market . Its your business model though, so it may not work.   

  • Saugerties, NY · Member since 2017 · 81 posts · 33 votes
    9y

    Hi @Erik Haugen! Thanks for raising these important questions. I'm a little late to the party on this thread, but I'm interested in the same basic questions: is there a way to be an ethical (or, in my words - "socially responsible") real estate investor, and if so, what are the rules I should set for myself to make sure my financial goals are in line with my core values? Because if they're not, I KNOW I'm going to be unhappy.

    I'm from Portland, OR, where there's a "housing crisis" happening. For the past 5 years, it's all anyone has been able totalk about. My friends are generally a low- or middle-income crowd: many of them are artists (for instance, they're professors and practitioners of art), or they work for non-profits, or they're school teachers, etc. The ones who have been able to stay either have partners who make significantly more money, or they were able to buy their homes back in the 90's or early 2000's.

    I, too, was a low-income earner up until about 2011 or 2012 when I became what I would consider a middle-income earner. Because I was so used to living frugally, and because I didn't have any college debt thanks to hard work, scholarships and help from my parents, I was able to save more than enough for a down payment on a house in just one year of earning not-that-much (I think I made $40-$50k?). I bought a home in 2013 just as the housing market was starting to get super hot. I got lucky, because after two failed offers I found a house through a friend of a friend and was able to make a deal before it was listed.

    The house, which has a separate rentable basement unit, now NETS me $1800/mo. (I no longer live in Portland).That is enough for this frugal girl to LIVE on! And now that I see what’s possible, of course I want to do it again! And again! I love the freedom a passive income provides.

    But the anti-landlord vibe in Portland has been enough to make me question the ethics of buying and renting more property.

    It would be easy for me to tell myself a story about how anyone could do what I did if they were smart enough, or worked hard enough, or were frugal enough, etc. And certainly, there would be some truth to that story. But I’ve also come to recognize that not everyone has the advantages I’ve had in my life. Not everyone is “like me.” Frankly, not everyone has the brains to get scholarships, or to ace grad school to land that middle-income job (let alone a high-income job) that would allow them to save up that down payment. Some people have more difficulty with math/finances than I do (and lord knows some people are a lot better at them than I am!), or have mental health difficulties, or experienced/are experiencing trauma in their lives, or experience subtle or not-so-subtle racial or sexual discrimination when they look for housing, or are going through a devastating illness, etc. etc. etc. Basically, some people, through no fault of their own, have a MUCH harder life than I’ve had so far.

    So, as someone who has been so fortunate in life so as to be in this position where I get to actually contemplate buying a SECOND house (or multi-family unit, which is what I actually want to do), I feel it’s my responsibility to really research and understand if and how I can buy another property (and another one after that) in such a way that I am truly impacting society in a positive way.

    People like @Thomas S. who say things like “tenants have the option to live anywhere they choose” and “there is no emotional attachment to a building” are, in my opinion, grossly oversimplifying. Of course some renters have a strong emotional attachment to the homes they rent! Some don’t, sure, but of course some do! And of course some people cannot just pick up and move down the street, because they don’t make enough money to rent a place down the street at market rates! So, sure, they will be forced to find something cheaper, and maybe it’s a long ways away from the neighborhood they’ve lived in for decades. And maybe that’s okay, maybe it’s just capitalism (for the record, I don’t think capitalism is a perfect system). But maybe it’s not okay? As owners, we get to grapple with that.

    And I guess I just wanted to chime in here to say: I haven’t figured out the answer yet (although I think it’s either #2 or #3 in your list of options, perhaps combined with some active engagement in housing policy-making at the local level) but I wanted to encourage you not to blindly accept overly simplistic answers to your important questions. Keep digging! Read some books to educate yourself! Keep asking for advice from people you trust (pastor, family members, friends) and weigh what they say. For what it’s worth, I just started reading a book called “A Right to Housing” (https://www.amazon.com/Right-Housing-Foundation-Social-Agenda/dp/1592134327) to better educate myself about housing policy in the U.S. in the past century. I find it’s a nice complement to the other types of books I’ve been reading about “how to get rich quick with real estate!” J

    Good luck out there!

  • Investor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2014 · 186 posts · 34 votes
    9y

    Religion aside, if you are polite and honest, I don't see a problem.  With the amount of risk real estate carries, you cannot let your feelings get between you and the proper amount of rent your property should command.  If you let sob stories soften you, there is a high risk of getting burned and losing money or ending up bankrupt.  If feelings are that big of an issue proceed with caution.  If you got into the real estate business to save the world, then you might be in the wrong business.  

  • Investor · Hillsboro, OR · Member since 2014 · 77 posts · 35 votes
    9y

    I'm more of a reader then a poster with my 12yr old writing style, but I've felt this dilemma myself.

    The conclusion I came to is, there's no right or wrong as long as your following the laws in your location. That said it's your business and you get to make the choices that are right for you. I don't look at thinks like the other person has to loose for me to win. 

    My examples , 

    4-5 years ago I was out mowing my lawn, my neighbor of 8-10 years came out to b/s and let me know he was going to sell because he couldn't afford his house any longer. He was very upset about the whole thing. 

    I ended up buying his house and renting it back to him cheap for 18 months. I got a lower purchase price he got cheap rent to save up for a new place to live. I went into that deal knowing I'd be burning negavite cash flow for at least 18 months, but the amount negative added to what I was paying still had me making a deal on the place, it was a great return on investment in the form or equity, outside of all the other advantages to rental property. This is a house that is vintage 1985 with a single old man living in it. Can you smell it? =)

    The real value add is the remodel on this place, but I don't really need the value add until I sell. When I take the current mortgage and refi in the repairs to get it up to top of the market of course the payment goes up.

    It ends up from a cash flow point of view I can rent it to him for probably  less then market and have about the same cash flow with the rehab/re-rent. So he pays a reduced rent he can afford that cash flows for me about the same and I don't have to spend the money on the rehab. It's really a win win at this point, he's been my neighbor for over a decade and I like the ole coot =)

    I'm probably fooling myself a little on the cash flow difference, but like I said I like the ole coot. It's been a set it and forget it situation and not messing with it has allowed me to pursue other opportunities. I have a huge value add situation sitting there on my books, there's worse things =) 

    Some would argue that it's a value loss deal for me by not kicking him out and remodeling it, I view it as a value add, during the time I would of needed to remodel it I was off buying a foreclose that was a full remodel that's done and re-rented, ti was a big value add. And instead of having one house in that time I actually have two with one still having a lot of upside just sitting there. That from overall standpoint was a way better deal for me.

    2nd example

    earlier this year I bought a duplex, nasty dirty kinda place but tons of good potential upside when rehabbed. One side the tenants had been in there for 12yrs with no rent increase, the other they'd been in there 20yrs.

    My plan was to buy it, evict, rehab, re-rent at market. Then I started messing with the math. Turns out that If I don't do a full remodel, saving that expense and raise the rents to a certain point the cash flow is close to the same. (I'm trying to be shorter and less rambley) So we fix the parts of the place that were hurting itself (5k) and put the current tenants on a scheduled rent raise over 9 months, I had the funds on reserve if one of both moved out. I took some negative cash flow to start and now have positive cash flow. I ran the math to make sure it made sense, and it did. Today I have a duplex that runs to the positive side with long term tenants, I've left the value add in for another day. I don't really need the equity until I sell. I now have two really good value add plays that I already own for me to do in the future. When I really can't find another deal, I'll already have one on my books. Make sense?

    3rd example

    a few months ago I found a great deal on a duplex, a great value add through rehab. The numbers were looking good! But as we walked through the property and talked to the tenants the whole place was rented to one big poor family, I'm guessing like 4 generations, were talking about a lot of people in this place, from elderly great grand parents down to lots of little kids running around. The place was a total dump, I'm not afraid of dumps I've rehabbed several at this point. The return on investment was good leaving it how it is, and lots of value add kicking them out rehabbing and re-renting for market. It would of been a real good one.... But here's the rub, I don't want to own slum houses, old is ok but not slum with bunk beds in the living room and little kids living in filth. I grew up like that, I don't want to own places like that, not for me... And I don't want to be the one who kicks this huge multi generation poor family out, It's not something I want to be responsible for doing...

    So what did I do? I walked away, I let that one go.

    Opportunity is really never ending in my view, I figure I take the one's that are right for me and walk away from the rest.

    As long as your following the law, In my view it's not a religious question, or a moral question. It's really a what do I want to do with my time? With real estate there's just so many ways to make money pick the one's that are right for you, leave the rest.

    As you can see, typing spelling grammer etc. is my worst skill set

    sorry if it hurt your eyes =)

    D

  • Real Estate Agent · Westford, MA · Member since 2016 · 92 posts · 52 votes
    9y
    I would assume you based your purchase price on your cap ex / remodeling expenditures as well as market rent. The previous landlord did themselves a disservice by leaving money on the table, and the tenants know they are getting their units for below market. I think the only real issue would be the non-renewal of the leases for renovations. People rent for a variety of reasons, including school districts, job commute etc. so for them your building may be an ideal location. You could certainly consider a unit by unit renovation, with rents increasing at the completion, offering the tenants interested in staying the opportunity to increase their rent x percent without renovations, or to seek alternate housing or even renovate vacant units and move remaining tenants into the renovated units as you complete them? Your friend doesn't understand the rental business and you may find it better to avoid the subject.
  • Investor · Hillsboro, OR · Member since 2014 · 77 posts · 35 votes
    9y

    Your friends will hate you because your beautiful =)

  • Real Estate Investor · Portland, OR · Member since 2012 · 70 posts · 26 votes
    9y

    Um......what ethical dilema??

    I have been a landlord for 30 years.  And a renter for years before that.    I've seen it all and i know both sides.  

    This moral dilemma mentality is a dangerous slippery slope that leads to extremely biased and unfair regulations like we now have in Portland,  where if I need to have a tenant leave my person property so I can do an extensive remodel of the unit, (or because I have just had it with a bad tenant),   I have to give them 90 days notice and pay them $3500 "moving assistance".    

    Because you rent your private property to a complete stranger does not make it there's indefinitely after they move in.    You still own it.    Never lose sight of this basic fact.  And you should not have to jump through hoops and pay the person lots of money to get your property back either.    IT has nothing to do with religion, ethics, or how good a person you are,   or even how "business-like" you are.  If you rent a car,  is it yours to rent indefinitely?  

    Beside that basic fundamental fact,   also consider that the majority of tenants out there know that as long as you "rent" and don't own,  you can be uprooted at any time for no reason.  That is the inherent risk built into renting someone else's property,  it's common sense,   and everyone knows it.     If tenants are shocked when they find they have to move out for whatever reason,   they are living with their heads in the sand.       

  • Flipper · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2017 · 218 posts · 345 votes
    9y

    @Erik Haugen

    Here's my take on being a wealthy Christian: Matthew, Mark, and Luke largely agree on what Jesus said about being rich and going to Heaven.

    These are the verses I'm focusing on in the New International Version translation:

    Matthew 19:24 "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

    Mark 10:25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

    Luke 18:25 "Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

    These are the very words of our Lord and Savior.

    You can call it "financially free" and not call it rich, but in the context that a 1st century building laborer turned itinerant preacher from the miserably poor Galilean hamlet of Nazareth would obviously mean the term "rich" in speaking to his fellows, you and I and practically everyone living in the developed world today qualify as RICH.

    So if you're doing this to heap on AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES, I think the Message is clear.

    Should you plan for a financially secure future? Does Christ ask that of us? The answer is again, obviously, a full-bodied NO.

    In Luke 12:22-33, Jesus says the following:

    “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"

     “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them But seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well."

    “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

    I don't think landlording is for you unless you intend to set your face against the clear teachings of Scripture, even the Words of Christ.

    I hope you pray on this carefully.

  • Portland, OR · Member since 2008 · 123 posts · 73 votes
    9y

    @Erik Haugen I'm interested to hear a follow-up from you on this. I understand the dilemma a bit, but you can't let others dictate your business. Not everyone understands how business works, sounds like your friend is one of them. 

  • Investor · St. Louis, MO · Member since 2017 · 4 posts · 0 votes
    9y

    I grew up poor and was taught by my peer group to hate the landlords and capitalism because they were "taking advantage" of us or that in someway they were getting rich because of us and being rich is somehow wrong.  Then I grew up and became a responsible citizen. I still avoided investing in real estate because of these cultural sentiments.  Then got burned on my first rental with bad tenants but felt bed for them for various reasons. Did some soul searching and I had some of the same ethical concerns but what really helped me was reading some books that many people on this forum have read and recommended.  Rich Dad Poor Dad and Think and Grow Rich are two that really hit points home that there is nothing wrong with what we are doing. I'm sure there are some other great books that could help too.  My point being reading books have helped me get past some ethical dilemmas and misplaced shame and blame I had about money. 

  • Investor · Jasper GA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    @Account Closed

    How does someone that isn't a good steward of their money accomplish Proverbs 13:22?

    Are you suggesting that only poor people go to Heaven? 

    Proverbs 13:22

    A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,

    but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

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