Rental property investing guides
Straight, practical explanations of how to evaluate a rental — the numbers that matter, what to aim for, and how to turn an analysis into a decision. Each guide links to the free calculator that runs it.
How to Analyze a Rental Property
A 7-step framework: estimate rent, total the expenses, run the return metrics, check the price, stress-test, and decide.
What Is a Good ROI on a Rental Property?
Benchmarks by metric — cash-on-cash, cap rate, IRR — and why a 'good' number depends on your market and strategy.
Cap Rate vs. Cash-on-Cash Return
The two most-confused rental metrics: one measures the property, the other measures your money. When to use each.
How to Finance an Investment Property
Conventional, DSCR, portfolio, HELOC and more — plus what lenders require and how to qualify.
How Much Cash Flow Should a Rental Property Make?
The $100–$200/unit rule of thumb, why cash-on-cash return matters more, and what changes the target.
Rental Property Expenses: The Complete List
Every operating cost a rental carries, the operating-vs-capital distinction, and the 50% rule sanity check.
Rental Property Due Diligence Checklist
What to verify before you close — condition, finances, legal, and the numbers — in one organized checklist.
DSCR Loan Requirements
Credit score, ratio, down payment, reserves and documents — the actual bar, and what quietly gets applications declined.
DSCR Loan Rates and Costs
What drives your quote, the closing costs line by line, and the prepayment penalty lenders rarely lead with.
DSCR Loan vs. Conventional Loan
One qualifies you, the other qualifies the property. When the cheaper conventional loan is still the better choice.
How Many DSCR Loans Can You Have?
No federal cap, but real limits — each lender's exposure ceiling, and the reserve requirement that binds first.
Property Management Fees: The Real Cost
The headline 8–12% is not what you pay. Leasing fees and maintenance markups push year one to 15–20% of rent.
How Much Money Do You Need to Buy a Rental Property?
Down payment, closing costs, reserves and day-one repairs — the four buckets, with a worked example.
Using Rental Income to Qualify for a Mortgage
The 75% rule, netting against PITIA, and why a shortfall is added to your debts rather than taken off your income.
LLC for Rental Property: Do You Need One?
What it protects, the due-on-sale risk on a mortgaged transfer, one entity or several, and when insurance does the job.