It’s adapting.Learning new skills.

Passing on deals has been one of the hardest skills to develop.Early on, everything looks like an opportunity.

This escrow shortage would go away after next 12 months but I am still left with new property tax amount of $11,000 annually for following year)Cash flow AFTER rise in property tax: (rent – (mortgage $2970 + PM fee))= Negative ~$1000/month Taxes were $3500, now $11k => +$7,500 / 12 = $625 increase/monthMortgage P&I $1,335 + $917 Tax + (Ins $1k/12 = $83) => TOTAL PITI $2,335So, your actual negative cashflow is $2180 - $2335  = -$155/monthThe escrow shortage is an interest free "loan" from your lender and shouldn't really be included in your analysis.So, you're losing $155/month, but rents and value should increase over time - unless you didn't analyse the market correctly.Negative monthly cashflow is not uncommon for the first 3-5 years of owning a Class A rental.

It could hinder development and actually exacerbate the core issue driving housing un-affordability which is a housing shortage. 

Alternative path B; go to local college and get a skilled labor degree: Electrician etc..

@Jackson BenefieldBased on your skill level you could invest in BRRRR deals and use your skills to do simple cosmetic updates.

Properties in rent controlled areas tend to have stronger appreciation due to the housing shortage caused by rent control 

But we are in an equal opportunity industry, meaning rerardless of skill, consumers will choose an agent for all sorts of reasons, actually performance or skills are not one of them.

You didn’t just save the deal but you also expanded your skill set and that is what creates long-term staying power in this business.

I would say that an in demand skill for a commercial investor (especially the older generation) would be someone knowledgeable on new AI tools that is able to use those tools in order to find undervalued opportunities.