05/22/2026
We bought a house for our boys. I know that sounds crazy, but hear me out: My sons, Chase and Crew, may be young, but I can’t help but think about their futures. Don’t get me wrong, Bill and I are all for saving as much money as we can in a 529 college savings plan to pay for the kids’ college tuition.
But what if we leveraged our rental properties instead?
In 2024, we purchased a home here in Bucks County for about $185K. It’s a great home located in an area where rents are very stable. It needed some work, so we invested about $80,000 in renovations. Including the acquisition costs like title insurance, lender fees, and homeowner’s insurance, we invested a total of $275K.
The rehab took about 8 weeks to complete, and once finished, we refinanced into a DSCR loan. What really matters here is the appraised value after the renovation came in at $375K!
That means we created instant equity of $100,000!
Over the last two years, we’ve rented the property out and we cash flow about $400/month. Not only are the tenants paying down the principal, but we also get a tax write off while the home appreciates every year.
In 2026, this home is now worth $400K! 🤯
In 15 years, which is right around the time that Chase would be getting ready to go to college (if he chooses to go that route), if we follow current market trends, this home could be worth upwards of $500,000. That’s a 170% increase in value!
Now, I am certainly no financial planner. However, I do know real estate.
And it makes me wonder if having a tenant basically contributing into your kid's savings plan is a better route than dumping money into a 529 plan.
- Becky
(215) 313-1930
