Investing

Investing Section 8 in Metro Atlanta: The Honest Pros, Cons, and Math By Jose MendozaSeptember 4, 20262 min read The Housing Choice Voucher program — still widely called Section 8 — is one of the most debated topics among metro Atlanta rental owners. Done right, it can mean reliable, largely government-backed rent. Done carelessly, it

Investing Short-Term vs. Long-Term Rentals in Metro Atlanta (2026) By Jose MendozaSeptember 1, 20262 min read Airbnb math looks irresistible on a spreadsheet — nightly rates that dwarf monthly rent. But short-term rentals (STRs) and long-term rentals (LTRs) are genuinely different businesses in metro Atlanta, with different rules, workloads, and risks. The core trade-off A

Investing The Accidental Landlord: Turning Your Atlanta Home Into a Rental By Jose MendozaAugust 29, 20262 min read Plenty of metro Atlanta homeowners become landlords by accident — they move for a job, buy the next house, and can’t bring themselves to sell the old one. Keeping it as a rental can be a smart

Investing How to Screen Tenants in Georgia Without Getting Burned By Jose MendozaAugust 26, 20262 min read The single most expensive mistake a metro Atlanta landlord can make happens before the tenant ever moves in: renting to the wrong person. Good screening is your best protection — and it has to be both thorough and

Investing Should You Self-Manage or Hire a Property Manager in Atlanta? By Jose MendozaAugust 23, 20262 min read Every metro Atlanta rental owner eventually hits this fork: keep managing the property yourself to save the fee, or hand it off and buy back your time. The right answer depends on your numbers, your distance, and

Investing How Investors Use 1031 Exchanges in Metro Atlanta By Jose MendozaAugust 14, 20262 min read A 1031 exchange lets a real estate investor sell one investment property and roll the proceeds into another while deferring the capital-gains tax — a powerful way to trade up and compound wealth. But the rules are strict, and

Investing The 1% Rule Is Broken in Atlanta — Here’s What to Use Instead By Jose MendozaAugust 11, 20262 min read The old ‘1% rule’ — monthly rent should equal at least 1% of the purchase price — barely exists in today’s metro Atlanta. Prices have climbed faster than rents in most desirable areas, so

A line-by-line breakdown of property management costs vs DIY landlord savings in metro Atlanta — with a real-numbers example on a $2,200/month Smyrna rental and a break-even table by rent price.