That operational knowledge translates directly to evaluating deals.One thing to keep in mind as you build your portfolio: once you BRRRR and stabilize, you'll need to decide how you want to tenant the property.

– What do you wish you had evaluated earlier?

Great question, and you’re absolutely right to evaluate whether Buildium’s accounting is strong enough to stand alone for your portfolio size.Here’s why we still pair Buildium with QuickBooks:1.

Those stress tests usually expose the thin deals quickly.Your approach of padding, assuming system age, and evaluating by exterior/vintage clues is spot-on.

That’s not explosive growth—but it is steady, incremental progress.

Tools like AirDNA can give valuable insights, but market conditions can also shift rapidly, particularly in high-tourism areas.One potential adjustment could be to evaluate your minimum stay requirements.

The re-evaluation of assets will extend beyond portfolio composition to actual asset composition.

Sometimes it’s progress, sometimes it’s setbacks, and sometimes it’s frozen toilets and tough conversations.As we head into the end of the year, this is the part I think gets missed online:Real estate isn’t about avoiding problems — it’s about learning how to navigate them without quitting.Curious to hear from others here — what’s one challenge this year taught you that no course or podcast ever warned you about?

They argue by proxy, make each other miserable rather than communicating with each other, sue each other and spend a fortune avoiding direct communication because they progressively piss each other off.

I’d also look for an agent who actively invests themselves, as they usually understand how to spot misclassified properties and evaluate deals through an investor lens.When it comes to your first deal, real estate often starts as a way to reduce your housing costs.