With 32 acres and a small cabin, the county might indeed be overestimating land vs improvements.You don’t need an appraiser who knows cost seg you just need a certified real estate appraiser who can provide a land vs improvements allocation in their report.

The tax treatment depends on whether the $40k was repairs/maintenance (often deductible now on Schedule E) or improvements (generally must be capitalized and depreciated over time), and this applies whether you own it personally or through an LLC. 

In our latest cost seg, 5-year class life was 22.5% of improvements and 15-class life was 8.4% of improvements, so about 30% of the improvement values were eligible for bonus depreciation. 

That means this spike points to stronger closing activity early in the new year, especially as affordability improves.NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted that lower mortgage rates, rising wages, and increased inventory are finally pulling more buyers off the sidelines.Home Prices Show Early Signs of Renewed MomentumThe Case-Shiller Home Price Index showed prices were up 0.4% month over month (seasonally adjusted), with annual appreciation ticking up to 1.4%, its first acceleration since January.The FHFA Index, which tracks homes financed with conventional mortgages, also showed prices rising 0.4% on the month and 1.7% year over year.Why this matters: After months of slowing appreciation, prices are starting to stabilize — and even re-accelerate — at the same time buyer demand is improving.

We have made significant improvements to all the properties.

Living through that renovation wasn’t fun, but it significantly upgraded the unit and helped me feel like I was finally catching up on deferred improvements instead of just reacting to problems.Right after that, one of the biggest milestones from my Year 1 goals happened early: I refinanced again.

Mortgage rates are expected to remain elevated but show modest improvement throughout 2026.

Hi All,Recently went live on our first STR, looking to some input on improvements to make our listing more appealing!

.• You cap the loss once• You free up capital and bandwidth• You avoid 10 years of hoping the math fixes itselfMany investors underestimate how powerful not carrying a bad deal can be.Option 3: Improve economics without refiBefore injecting $30–40k, explore:• Roommate or mid-term rental strategy (if HOA allows)• Employer-backed or furnished rentals• House-hack style repositioning if layout allowsThese are operational fixes, not financial ones, but sometimes they bridge the gap.The biggest mistake to avoidHolding purely because “it should appreciate” while ignoring opportunity cost.

Across most asset classes, we are seeing improving fundamentals paired with a return of capital to the market—creating what may be one of the most attractive environments for transactions in recent years.In 2025, both real estate equity fundraising and transaction volume began to recover meaningfully.