We started dating in 2012, and I've always held a W-2 job of some kind. I hated the last job I worked at. It was at an asphalt plant and I made good money, usually around $850-1000/week, depending on overtime, etc. I was extremely unhappy at the job and knew that I had more potential that I hadn't tapped into.

Fast forward to 2015 and I started to have a serious interest in persuing real estate. I bought my first duplex for $16,000 and now make $650 on one side and $675 on the other. After that one, I bought a house for $27,500, worth $130,000. Fixed it up a bit and rented it out for $975/month. Next house, bought it for $36,000 and fixed it up, rented it out for $1600/month for the past 3 years, and so on. It was just really blowing up and I was getting insane deals left and right. Seeing this, my wife supported me and when I brought up the idea of quitting my job to do real estate full time, she fully was on board.

It is now 2018. We've built a very successful real estate portfolio over 18 units, and here are the figures for each:

- Have 60k into house, house worth 150k. Rents for $1280/month. (523)

- Have 25k into duplex, worth 40k. Rents for $1325/month. (8-10)

-Have 40k into house, worth 130k. Rents for $975/month. (122)

-Have 50k into house, worth 110k. Rents for $1025/month. (46)

-Have 50k into house, worth 125k. Rents for $1250/month. (40)

-Have 60k into house, worth 130k. Rents for $1200/month. (709)

-Have 50k into house, worth 85k. Rents for $985/month. (59)

-Have 60k into house, worth 125k. Rents for $1747/month. (290)

-Have 50k into house, worth 110k. Rents for $1245/month. (78)

- Have 75k into houses, worth 130k. Rents for $2115/month. (77)

-Have $10,000 into duplex, worth 30k. Rents for $1150/month. (171-173)

- Have $65k into house, worth 125k. Rents for $1200/month. (12)

- Have 25k into house, worth 35k. Rents for $1150/month. (640)

We also have a flip house coming up. We bought it for $15,000 and will have around $100,000 into it when finished. It will sell for in the 130k neighborhood.

As you can see, we've brought on a good amount of properties in the past 3 years, and the returns on them are around 20%. On the business side, we have $450,000 in debt for them all, and our net worth is around 1.3 million, minus our debt, our net worth is around $645,000. We make around $7,000 cash flow per month in rental income, net.

Here's the thing. So, on a business side, our business is running itself pretty much and doing great, making a monthly return. BUT on the personal side, my wife is now the only one who holds a W-2 job, and makes $700/week. Since I quit my job to focus on real estate full time, we've been paying our household bills and living on JUST her income, and putting 100% of the business income back into the rentals and acquisitions of new rentals.

She has recently come to me, upset, feeling like it's "not fair" that she is the only one of us who now goes to an office M-F and pays all of our monthly bills (My $477 monthly truck payment, $540 electric/heat bill, groceries, both of our credit cards, and anything else we buy) out of solely her paycheck, and feels that I do not contribute.

In my defense, I feel that me managing the rentals (meeting with contractors, looking at and aquiring new properties, and keeping the ball rolling in general) is my contribution, and going back to a W-2 job would be going backwards for me, with all that I've built while not having a W-2 job anymore.

She feels like a "sugarmama" and "used."

Is she justified in feeling this way? In your opinion, should I go back to getting a W-2 job and doing the rentals, etc, as well, on top of it?

Or is she being unreasonable?

Thank you!

6 Votes