We are actually fixing it up for family to live in. We have overseas relatives who visit for 6 months a year. When they are not here, we might use it for ourselves as well - but more likely we will rent to traveling nurses.
I’m not interested in being a long term landlord. I’ve lived with enough self-entitled roommates to want to never have to be on the other side of that relationship as a landlord.
This is me.
Bought a nearly 100 year old house earlier this year, 1.5 hours away from where I live. I work full time.
I’ve spent nearly every weekend and ALL of my free cash (plus credit that I’ll likely be paying off for a few years) to replace the sewer lines, insulate the crawlspace and basement, replace the roof, replace the siding, replace the leaking windows, update the electrical, update the plumbing, replace old appliances, replace corroded cabinet hardware, seal holes around the house from rodents, paint the walls, ceiling, and cabinetry inside the house, remove and clean up a dilapidated wood shed, empty an incredible amount of rotten and corroded junk from the basement, CLEAN the basement, replace the broken door to the basement, fill in and repair cracked and broken concrete, replace the rotten hot tub, and ongoing efforts to prevent water from flooding the basement every time it rains.
And I’m not finished. Not even close. There is so much to be done to make this place work and make sure it stays in good condition for years to come.
The initial priority was pest control, deep cleaning, painting, and furnishing. Once that was done the place was listed on AirBnB. It’s helped to offset the costs, but will take decades to break even. After utilities, taxes, supplies, and expenses for cleaning between guests I’m pulling in maybe a couple hundred dollars a month. But it helps.
Be sure to compare unit cost, not just overall cost. Often times, the thing you buy at Walmart for $5 is less quantity/weight than the comparable thing you buy at Costco for $4.75.