Property & financing

Property nickname

Purchase price ($)

Down payment (%)

Interest rate (%)

Loan term (years)

Closing costs ($)

Initial repairs ($)

Income & operating costs

Monthly rent ($)

Vacancy allowance (%)

Applied to scheduled rent.

Property tax ($ / year)

Insurance ($ / year)

Maintenance (%)

Share of scheduled rent.

Management (%)

Share of collected rent.

Reserves & additional expenses

Capital reserves (%)

Set aside for replacements; excluded from NOI.

HOA dues ($ / month)

Other income ($ / month)

Other costs ($ / month)

Long-term projection assumptions

Appreciation (% / year)

Change in property value each year.

Rent growth (% / year)

Expense growth (% / year)

Applied to tax, insurance, HOA and other fixed costs.

Holding period (years)

Selling costs (%)

Agent commission, transfer taxes and closing costs at sale.

Example assumptions only. Replace these numbers with your own.

Decision support

Stress-test the deal.

Compare a deliberately tougher case, your current assumptions and a modest upside case. These scenarios change only the values listed below.

Target cash-on-cash return

Break-even monthly rent—Estimated rent for $0 monthly cash flow

Break-even occupancy—At current rent and expense assumptions

Maximum purchase price—For the selected cash-on-cash target

Conservative: rent −10%, vacancy +5 points, interest +0.75 points, maintenance and reserves +2 points.

Optimistic: rent +5%, vacancy −2 points, maintenance and reserves −1 point. Financing stays unchanged.

Illustrative example inputs. Break-even values and target price are mathematical outputs from your assumptions, not valuations, forecasts or lender limits.

Long-term view

Hold it, then sell it.

Project cash flow, loan paydown and appreciation over your holding period, including an estimated sale. Change the growth rates under Long-term projection assumptions in the form.

Total profit—Cash flow + sale proceeds − cash invested

Internal rate of return—Annualized, before income tax

Equity multiple—Total cash returned ÷ cash invested

Growth rates are your assumptions, not forecasts. The projection excludes income tax, depreciation, capital gains tax, refinancing and major repairs beyond your reserve percentage.

How rental cash flow is calculated

Monthly cash flow = collected income − operating costs − capital reserves − debt payment

Collected rent accounts for vacancy. Taxes and insurance are entered annually and converted to monthly costs. Maintenance and replacement reserves are percentages of scheduled rent, while management is a percentage of collected rent.

NOI and cash flow answer different questions

NOI subtracts ordinary operating expenses from effective income. It excludes financing and capital reserves. Cash flow goes one step further and subtracts both from NOI. A positive NOI alone does not mean a property pays for itself.

Debt service coverage

Our DSCR is annual NOI divided by annual principal and interest. A value below 1 means NOI does not cover modeled debt service. Lenders may use a different definition, such as rent divided by PITIA, and different underwriting adjustments.

Stress-test the assumptions

Try lower rent, more vacancy and a higher insurance estimate. Save each scenario with a clear nickname. This first-year model does not forecast rent growth, appreciation, tax benefits or a future sale.

Read all formulas and assumptions

Keep exploring the toolkit.

Rental Property Calculator

See the full picture: cash flow, financing, operating expenses and returns.

Rental Cash Flow Calculator

Find out what stays in your pocket after expenses, reserves and debt.

Cap Rate Calculator

Compare operating income with property value, independent of financing.

Cash-on-Cash Return Calculator

Measure annual cash flow against the cash you actually invested.

Investment Property Mortgage Calculator

Calculate fixed-rate payments and see how your loan pays down.

DSCR Loan Calculator

Check the debt service coverage ratio lenders use and the largest loan the rent supports.

BRRRR Calculator

Model buy, rehab, rent and refinance: cash left in the deal, cash flow and equity.

1% Rule Calculator

Screen a listing in seconds with the 1% rule, 50% rule and gross rent multiplier.