Monthly cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and DSCR on a rental — with vacancy, management, maintenance, and CapEx reserves so the numbers are honest.
Estimates for informational purposes only — not a loan offer, commitment, financial advice, or a lending decision. Program limits shown are illustrative and vary by lender.
The fastest way to buy a bad rental is to forget the expenses that don't show up on a mortgage statement: vacancy, management, ongoing maintenance, and a CapEx reserve for the roof and HVAC you'll eventually replace. This tool bakes them in, so the cash flow it shows is the cash flow you'll actually see.
Cash flow answers “does it pay me every month?” Cap rate answers “how good is the operation, ignoring my loan?” Cash-on-cash answers “how hard is my cash working?” And DSCR answers “will a lender finance it?” — check it against the DSCR calculator when you're ready to borrow.
Cash flow = effective rent − operating expenses − mortgage. Effective rent applies a vacancy factor; operating expenses include management, maintenance, CapEx reserves, taxes, insurance, and HOA. Skipping reserves is how paper-positive deals go negative.
Cap rate is NOI ÷ price and ignores financing, so it lets you compare properties on operating merit. 'Good' is market-dependent — 5–7% is common for stabilized residential in many metros; higher usually means more risk or work.
Annual pre-tax cash flow divided by the cash you invested (down payment, and closing/rehab if you add them). It tells you how hard your actual cash is working, which cap rate alone doesn't.