The Cost of Waiting to Buy Your First Rental Property (The $100K Mistake)

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If you earn around $70,000 per year and delay buying your first rental property for five years, what does that decision actually cost?

In this episode of the Money Makin’ Mamas Show, Nancy Wallace-Laabs and Kelcie break down the real numbers behind the compound cost of waiting to invest in single-family rental real estate. Using a realistic example of a $300,000 three-bedroom rental property, they walk through how wealth builds from four core drivers:

• Monthly cash flow

• Property appreciation

• Mortgage principal reduction

• Long-term compounding

With conservative assumptions:

• $300 monthly net cash flow ($3,600/year)

• 4% annual appreciation (~$12,000/year)

• ~$3,000–$4,000 annual principal paydown

• 6.75% investment property interest rate

That equals roughly $19,000 in first-year wealth movement from one rental property.

Over time, the numbers become harder to ignore.

Delay 3 years → ~$55,000 missed wealth growth

Delay 5 years → approaching $100,000

This episode is not about hype or rushing into real estate investing. It’s about understanding how time impacts outcomes and why single-family buy-and-hold rentals remain one of the most practical strategies for building long-term income and financial flexibility.

If you’ve been researching real estate investing, watching videos, attending workshops, or waiting for the “right time,” this conversation will help you see the math behind that decision.

Topics covered:

• Real estate investing for beginners

• Buy and hold rental strategy explained

• How rental properties build wealth over time

• Salary growth vs asset growth

• Why waiting to invest can be expensive

• The role of appreciation, cash flow, and leverage

• How one rental property can change trajectory

The goal isn’t to own dozens of properties. It’s to understand what owning one can do.