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LESSON 4 · Real Estate Decoded

Real Risks

Real estate investing isn't passive income — it's a business with real risks:

  • Vacancy: Every empty month costs you the full mortgage payment plus expenses
  • Problem tenants: Evictions can take months and cost thousands in legal fees
  • Unexpected repairs: A new roof ($8,000-$15,000) or HVAC system ($5,000-$10,000) can erase years of cash flow
  • Illiquidity: You can't sell a property in 5 minutes like a stock
  • Concentration risk: One bad property can dominate your entire portfolio

Successful real estate investors aren't lucky — they're disciplined operators who run numbers conservatively, keep reserves, and treat every property as a business, not a dream.