Snapshot · The Ramsey Show
Dan bought a $1.6M Hollywood Hills property, can't find a renter, and is currently burning $8,000 per month while also facing a potential $200,000 loss on sale.
Where this was said
At 1:37:17 · chapter starts 1:35:30
Dan calls from Los Angeles with a real estate dilemma that crystallizes the risk of overleveraged property investing. He bought a 1,400-square-foot Hollywood Hills property for $1.6 million at 6.8% interest two years ago, planning to rent it out [1] — Dan "Hollywood Hills property losing $8K/month: Dan bought a $1.6M Hollywood Hills property, can't find a renter, and is currently burning $8,00…" 1:37:17 . Ninety days later, he still has no renter at $7,000/month and is burning $8,000/month in carrying costs. If he drops the rent to $6,000, he's $2,000/month in the hole. He believes he'd have to sell for $1.4 million in today's market — a $200,000 loss against a $500,000 down payment. His other properties carry 2.7% rates and cash flow well. John runs the portfolio numbers: $5 million in assets against $3 million in debt — roughly $2 million in net equity. He advises taking the $200K loss and calling it expensive tuition. Jade notes that if Dan genuinely can break even on Airbnb, that buys time to wait for a better exit. But both agree: hemorrhaging $8,000/month while hoping for appreciation is not a strategy.
Dan bought a Hollywood Hills property for $1.6M at 6.8% interest two years ago. He can't find a renter at $7,000/month and faces a $200,000 loss on sale. Jade and John lay out his options: convert to Airbnb to break even, or take the $200K hit now rather than continue hemorrhaging.
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