Let’s talk about a dirty little word in real estate investing: *vacancy*.
Right now, one of our properties is just… sitting. Empty. Quiet. Unrented. And while some people might enjoy peace and quiet, we prefer the sound of rent hitting our account on the first of the month. Instead, this place is giving us the silent treatment—and it’s cutting into our cash flow more than we’d like to admit.
The upside? We’re not personally handling showings or screening tenants, because our property management company is on it. The downside? Our property management company is on it. And waiting on updates or watching days tick by without any solid leads makes us feel about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
It’s one of those moments in our REI journey that definitely doesn’t make the highlight reel. But it’s real. And if you’ve ever had a unit sit vacant longer than expected, you know the special kind of stress it brings. Every day without a tenant feels like a tiny leak in the financial boat—nothing dramatic, just enough to keep you slightly on edge and moderately caffeine-dependent.
We’re reminding ourselves that this is part of the process. REI isn’t all passive income and Instagrammable wins. Sometimes it’s waiting. And hoping. And emailing your property manager again because you “just wanted to check in.”
But we’ll get through it. This won’t be our forever status—just a low point in an otherwise forward-moving journey. And when that lease gets signed, you better believe we’ll be celebrating like it’s 1999.
Until then, we’re holding the line and trusting the process (mostly). If you’re riding out a vacancy too, solidarity. Let’s hope we both see “Tenant Approved” in our inboxes soon