My Mom's Monthly Phone Battle (A Real-Estate Investor Story)
Every month, like clockwork, my mom calls the building administration of one of her apartments.
Every month, they tell her she hasn't paid last December's condominium fee, or whatever month they feel like.
Every month, she pulls out her notebook—yes, an actual physical notebook—and does the math herself. Adds up all her properties, all the fees, all the expenses. Checks the charges. Realizes they're asking for more than they should.
Every month, she has to fight for 2 hours on the phone to correct their "mistake."
It's not a mistake. It's incompetence. And after watching this same cycle repeat for years while she was manually tracking everything about her investments, I decided there had to be a better way.
The Problem With Not Tracking
Real estate investing isn't just about buying a property and waiting for it to appreciate.
It's about tracking multiple properties. Understanding your actual cash flow. Knowing how much you've made, how much you've spent, and how much you have available for your next investment. It's about having proof when someone tries to overcharge you.
My mom and I started investing together years ago. We analyze properties, negotiate deals (this is mostly her), handle everything ourselves. So what do we do?
My mom uses a notebook.
Every month, she sits down and manually calculates what we paid in fees, what the building says we owe, and where the discrepancy is. Then she calls and argues about it.
It's 2026. We shouldn't be doing this with pen and paper every single month.
When I Realized What We Needed
One evening, I watched my mom do her monthly calculations. She was frustrated, tired, and frustrated again when the administration called with another "adjusted" charge.
That's when I thought: I can fix this.
She shouldn't be making calculations every single month. She should have them calculated already and just add the new month's info—like an Excel sheet that does the work for her.
But with something simple, organized, and actually useful. Because she thinks it's a waste of time paying for an app every single month to keep track of things she can do by herself.
An Excel spreadsheet.
I built a tracking system where we could:
Log every property we own
Track the actual value of each property (purchase price, improvements, market adjustments)
Calculate real ROI on each investment
See our total net worth in real estate at any moment
Know exactly how much capital we had available for the next purchase
Document every payment, every fee, every expense
Suddenly, when the building administration called with inflated charges, my mom had proof. Numbers. Evidence. All in one place.
Already there. No extra work.
What This Actually Looks Like
I recently bought my first apartment—a small 40m² studio. That's when I really understood why this system matters.
As a new investor, I needed to understand:
Is this a good investment?
What's my actual ROI?
How does this compare to other properties?
How much do I have left for the next one?
What are my real monthly costs? Because it's not just paying for the apartment itself. I need to keep up with tax payments, condominium fees, fixings inside the apartment…
Without tracking, you're just guessing. With it? You know.
My mom and I didn't know how much we owned in real estate until I made the Excel tracker. We were in shock.
If You Want to Start Investing in Real Estate or Have Already a Small Portfolio—This is For You
Here's the truth: property management apps cost $50-200 per month. That makes sense if you're managing 50+ properties.
But if you're a family investing together? If you're someone with 2-3 properties? Even up to 40? You shouldn't have to choose between expensive software and a notebook, or spend a week building an Excel sheet. I already did the homework for you.
You deserve a tool that's simple, affordable, and organized. Something you can actually use to track everything about your real estate investments.
So I built two versions:
Real Estate Tracker - Simple ($17) or Rastreador de Cartera Inmobiliaria - SIMPLE
Property inventory
Basic value tracking
Monthly expense logging
Quick ROI calculation
Available in English & Spanish
Real Estate Tracker - Premium ($27) or Rastreador en Excel de Cartera Inmobiliaria - PREMIUM
Everything in Simple, plus:
ROI analysis
Long-term value projections
Portfolio performance comparison
Cash flow forecasting
Both are on my Gumroad.
The Real Benefit
My mom spent years letting administration play her. Not because she didn't know better. But because she didn't have her proof organized.
The moment she had clear data? Everything changed. Suddenly, when they tried to overcharge her, she had the receipts on hand and didn't have to waste 2+ hours searching and doing the math all over again.
But that's just one benefit. The real power of tracking is knowing exactly where you stand with your investments at any moment. How much you own. How much you're making. How much you have available to invest next.
That's the power of tracking. It's not just organization. It's leverage. It's clarity. It's power.
I mean, she still uses her notebook, but step by step I'm trying to teach her the easiest ways.
Next Step
If you're serious about real estate—whether it's your first property or your fifth, you NEED to track your investments.
Not with a notebook. Not with loose spreadsheets you rebuild every month.
Grab the tracker that fits your needs. Start documenting. Start understanding your true returns.
You'll have the numbers by your side.
Your data. Your power.
Find both trackers on my Gumroad.
P.S. Curious about how my mom started investing with limited capital and built a portfolio without bank loans? I'll be sharing that story soon.
