
Multifamily Insights
When "Buy and Hold" Stops Making Sense, Ep. 810
This week, learn how to decide whether to sell or hold a multifamily property you already own. John Casmon answers a question many investors are asking him, and explains why holding an asset indefinitely can cost you upside. The longer your equity stays locked in one deal, the higher the opportunity cost, and there is an ideal window to sell and maximize returns. John walks through the questions he asks before making the call: how the property is performing today, how the current market would receive it, what you plan to do next, how much upside remains, and what options your loan, your investors, and your reinvestment opportunities leave you. He also explains why current conditions are unfavorable for sellers and how cap rate expansion erased value for operators who successfully grew NOI. If you own an asset and are weighing an exit, this episode gives you a practical framework for timing that decision. Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions Every Passive Investor Should Ask, here . Key Takeaways Account for the opportunity cost of equity locked in a deal Let current property performance guide the decision to sell or hold Fix operational issues yourself before passing them to a buyer Weigh remaining upside against the risk of cap rate expansion Review your loan term, investor needs, and reinvestment options before selling Stick to your business plan and avoid getting greedy Topics The Hidden Cost of Holding John believes investors should always be buying, with a clear business plan and debt strategy Holding a property too long gradually reduces your upside At some point, locked equity can create more value in another deal Start With Property Performance Strong current performance tends to signal strong future performance and supports holding A property that held up over the last 3 to 4 years has proven its resilience Persistent occupancy, collection, or expense problems strengthen the case to sell Fix Problems Before You Sell Buyers will either inherit your operational issues or need to address them upfront If you can solve those issues, John recommends doing it so the buyer starts with a clean slate Emotional fatigue from a difficult property is a valid factor in the decision Read the Market Conditions Assess whether a sale would achieve fair value or only attract discount buyers Identify whether weak demand stems from the market, location, asset class, or operations The less you can control, the stronger the case for exiting At the time of recording, conditions favor buyers and sellers are missing out on premium pricing Define What Comes Next John shares a coaching client weighing a refinance against a sale Long-term goals determine whether a sale should fund the next opportunity Without a next deal in mind, the decision rests on the current asset alone Measure the Remaining Upside A $3 million purchase now worth $5 million, with a path to $8 million, makes a strong case to hold A path from $5 million to $5.5 million may not offset the opportunity cost of reinvesting Many operators grew NOI and still lost value when cap rates expanded Know Your Options Review loan maturity, investor appetite, and reinvestment options such as a 1031 exchange Limited options favor holding and weathering the storm An expiring loan or investors who want out push the decision toward selling Years left on a fixed-term loan and satisfied investors remove the pressure to sell Revisit Your Business Plan Changing your planned hold period requires a compelling reason If you hit your numbers, avoid holding on to squeeze out extra profit If you are close, have protected downside, and see real upside, holding can make sense Announcement: Learn about our Apartment Investing Mastermind here . Next Steps Explore the Apartment Investing Mastermind and request more details here. Join the free Investor Insights community on Facebook for discussions, live webinars, and expert guests Review the current performance of every asset you own Resolve operational issues before taking a property to market Compare the remaining upside on each deal against the opportunity cost of reinvesting Check loan maturity, investor expectations, and reinvestment options Measure your results against your original business plan Thank you for joining us for another great episode! If you're enjoying the show, please LEAVE A RATING OR REVIEW , and be sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss an episode.

