Instagram story viewer> @bhfarwell> Tagged

Brian Farwell

@bhfarwell

766

followers

145

following

Husband to @amandajfarwell
Dad to Addy & Caleb
Follower of Jesus
Mortgage Advisor @farwellfinance 💸

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

My Letter of the Heart this month talks about the power of Community in both the seasons of challenge and the seasons of celebration.

In the digitalized social media influenced world we live in we have to be extra diligent to seek out and find real community. It’s not easy but from my personal experience it’s worth it.

If you don’t get my monthly Letter of the Heart, shoot me your email and I’ll add you to the list.

5

0

This was the first house I ever bought.

$404,000 in 2014.

It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t my dream house. And I definitely didn’t buy it thinking it would someday be worth $800,000+.

Amanda and I lived here for three years.

Eventually, we did a cash-out refinance and used some of the equity to help buy our next home.

Then we kept this one.

It became a rental in 2017 for $2,700/month.

Today it rents for $3,800/month, while the principal and interest payment on the mortgage has stayed the same.

I think about this house sometimes because it’s a good reminder that building wealth rarely looks very exciting in the beginning.

Sometimes it just looks like buying a slightly rundown house you can afford, living in it for a while, and giving it a lot of time.

You don’t always need the perfect house.

Sometimes you just need a good first one.

24

5

We were in Mammoth last week when a rainstorm rolled through right at sunset.

Amanda walked outside into the rain and I grabbed this picture.

One of those totally unplanned moments that ended up being one of my favorite photos from the trip.

4

1

Had the chance to get away for a few days with my family and enjoy the beauty of Mammoth. I’ve been coming up here for the winter ski season for decades but only recently discovered how amazing summers up here can be.

36

2

Proud of this kid.

It’s fun seeing this game through his eyes. Learning how to play, what the etiquette is and how fun this game can be. He even made sure to count every single of his 18 strokes on the first hole.

Excited for my next round with him.

26

1

Every month I send out a Letter of the Heart.

No sales pitch. No interest rate updates. No request for business.

Just a reflection on something life has been teaching me.

This month’s letter is about something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately:

Bridges are much easier to burn than they are to rebuild.

When someone makes a decision we don’t agree with, it’s easy to let disappointment become distance. Burn the Bridge.

I’ve been the person hoping others would understand my decision, and I’ve been the one trying to respond with humility when I would’ve chosen differently.

I haven’t mastered this. Far from it. But I am working on growing in this area.

If you’d like to receive my monthly Letter of the Heart, send me a DM with your email address and I’d be happy to add you to the list.

5

0

When my tenant of 8 years moved out, I had a choice.

I could patch a few things and put the house up for sale…

Or I could reinvest in it.

That meant writing checks for:

• New roof
• Fresh paint
• Repairs
• Landscaping

Over $20,000 before a new tenant even moved in.

On the surface, that sounds crazy but here’s why I decided to keep it…

Purchase Price (2014): $404,000
Estimated Value Today: $800,000+
Monthly Rent: Nearly 2x my mortgage payment (PITI)

When I looked at those numbers, I stopped seeing a $20,000 expense.

I started seeing an investment that could help this property produce another 10+ years of appreciation, increasing rents, and equity growth.

If this home is worth $1M+ in the future while rents continue to climb 3-5% per year, this $20,000 will likely be one of the best investments I made.

That’s one of the biggest lessons this property has taught me:

The real wealth isn’t created by collecting rent. It’s built by owning a great asset for a long time.

Would you have sold it… or made the investment?

6

0

For the past few weeks, I’ve been asking myself a question that a lot of rental property owners eventually face:

Do I keep it or do I sell it?

On paper, selling can be really attractive. You unlock equity, simplify your life, and can invest the money elsewhere.

But it’s never that simple.

Selling also means giving up future appreciation, a low-interest mortgage, potential tax advantages, and the opportunity for the property to continue building wealth over time.

I’ve spent hours running the numbers, talking with advisors, and thinking through every option. Here is what I decided on for my personal situation.

I’m curious… if you owned a rental today, would you keep it or sell it? Let me know why in the comments.

10

7

Happy 11 years to my amazing wife.

Amanda, you are the most loving wife, an incredible mom to Addy and Caleb, and someone who faithfully points our family toward Jesus every single day. Your kindness, generosity, and servant’s heart make our home such a gift.

I’m so thankful for the life we’ve built together and can’t wait for all that’s still ahead. I love you. Happy Anniversary! ❤️

99

12

A lot of buyers are saying:

“I’m waiting for rates to drop.”

But what if you didn’t have to wait?

We’re now offering a strategy that gives eligible buyers a 0.5% lower introductory rate for the first 6 months with no seller credit required.

Simple. Cleaner. Lower payment upfront.

Swipe through for the breakdown.

Realtors: feel free to share this with buyers sitting on the sidelines.

5

0

Fun trip to NYC to visit my brother and explore the city. We got to do both the typical tourist spots as well as enjoy some of the lesser known hangouts thanks to our local resident tour guide. And I was reminded why they say this city never sleeps. 🗽🍎🚕

45

0

This photo may seem random, but the story behind it is something I won’t ever forget.

It was a sunny Saturday in June. The weekend before, on Father’s Day, we noticed my dad didn’t look well so he went to the hospital. Despite being released a few days later, we knew something serious was unfolding. We had an appointment scheduled with UCLA oncology that following Monday, already bracing for what was likely ahead.

But on this Saturday, we simply enjoyed life.

I remember my dad opening bottles of his best beer (Pliny) and best wine insisting we drink the good stuff now. We swam, BBQ’ed, laughed, and just enjoyed being together as a family.

Today marks 6 years since he passed away.

This picture hits me differently now because lately life has felt heavy. Difficult news. Friends fighting battles. People we love hurting deeply.

And as I came across this photo this morning it reminded me how quickly perspective can change. So many things I stress over today would have felt completely insignificant if I could go back to this afternoon with my dad where all we wanted to do was be together enjoying the good stuff and being present with the people who mattered most.

138

11