Money · 1 of 5
What real estate investors make
Typical first rental
$0
Most new investors
$0
Owner of several paid-down rentals
$60,000
No survey measures this cleanly, so this is our estimate from the math. A rental bought now with a normal down payment usually has little or negative monthly cash flow. The return comes from rent slowly paying down the loan and from price growth, which is not guaranteed. Investors who earn a living from rent typically own several properties bought years ago, often with most of the loans paid off.