Quote from RXIS:
Quote from Smart Money:
I got this one. If you buy a $100,000 house as rental property, and pay 10% down, you might pay 7% on your money, or 7% of $10,000 or $700 a year in interest on a borrowed downpayment. Even if you don't borrow it, that is the opportunity cost.
What do you mean borrowed downpayment?
I meant it literally. You borrow money for the downpayment. Borrow it through a line of credit at the bank, a second mortgage, etc. Some people have even used a cash advance on credit cards, though I don't advise it.
You can use your own money, but if you only have to pay 7% or so on borrowed funds, it doesn't make sense to use your own money because there is likely somewhere that you can make better than 7% on your own money. Opportunity cost is higher.
If you invest in real estate as a landlord, you borrow money at 7 or 8%, but get a 30%+ percent return on it in the form of equity due to leverage. You can see why it makes sense to have as much money as possible invested like that...(i.e., finance as many rental properties as you can). If you could borrow money at 7% and earn 30% on it, wouldn't you borrow as much as you could?
Ok, before some doom and gloomer says it, No, I don't run so many rentals that I'm in over my head. When I say to finance as many rental properties as you can, I'm talking about investing safely, using fixed notes, and in anticipation of vacancies and repairs.
SM