DSCR · Cap · Cash-on-Cash · IRR · 10-year projection · sensitivity table.
| Year | Rent | Op Ex | NOI | Debt Svc | Cashflow |
|---|
Stress-test: how cashflow holds up if rent or vacancy moves against you.
If you're evaluating a rental property — single-family, duplex, small multifamily — the numbers either work or they don't. There's no "feel" to it. This analyzer runs gross rent, vacancy, operating expenses, NOI, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and monthly free cash flow on any property in under two minutes. If the deal pencils, you know. If it doesn't, you save yourself a bad acquisition.
Buy-and-hold real estate investors, house hackers, BRRRR practitioners, and anyone with a brokerage account who's considering replacing some of their stock allocation with real estate. Especially useful for evaluating MLS listings before sending an offer.
1. Purchase price + closing costs + repairs. The all-in cost to acquire and stabilize the property. Many investors only count purchase price; that's wrong. Closing typically runs 2-3% and most properties need at least $5-15K of make-ready work.
2. Down payment + financing. Down payment percentage, interest rate, loan term. The analyzer computes your monthly principal-and-interest payment from these.
3. Gross monthly rent. What the market actually pays. Pull comps from Rentometer, Zillow, or actual signed leases on similar units. Don't use the listing's optimistic projection.
4. Other income. Laundry, parking, pet rent, storage. Real, repeating money — not a one-time deposit.
5. Vacancy assumption. Industry default is 8% (1 month per year). Hot markets run 4%; rougher submarkets run 12%. Be honest.
6. Operating expenses. Property taxes (annual), insurance, maintenance (estimate 8% of gross rent for older properties, 5% for newer), property management (8-10% if you outsource), HOA, utilities you pay, and a CapEx reserve (5-10% for big-ticket future repairs — roof, HVAC, water heater).
7. Mortgage payment. Auto-calculated from your financing inputs.
NOI (Net Operating Income). Gross rent + other income, minus vacancy, minus operating expenses. Does NOT include mortgage. This is the property's operating performance independent of financing.
Cap rate. NOI divided by all-in cost. Healthy cap rates in 2026 range from 5% (premium markets, new construction) to 9%+ (older properties in C-class areas). Lower cap = lower risk + lower return.
Cash-on-cash return. Annual cash flow (after mortgage) divided by cash invested. This is what your DOWN PAYMENT is earning. Target 8%+ for a healthy buy-and-hold; below 5% means you're paying for appreciation, not income.
Monthly free cash. The actual dollars in your pocket each month after every expense. If this number is negative, the deal doesn't work at today's price.
Always run the analyzer with 8% vacancy minimum. Even in the best markets, you'll have a turnover gap. Underestimating vacancy is the #1 cause of "the deal pencils on paper but I lose money in reality."
Stress-test interest rates. Run the same property at +1% rate. If it still works, you have a deal with a margin of safety. If a 1% rate increase wipes out your cash flow, you're too levered for the market environment.
CapEx reserves aren't optional. The roof WILL need replacement. The HVAC WILL die. Setting aside 5-10% monthly means you're not surprised when it happens.
Don't forget the 1% rule sanity check. Monthly gross rent should be at least 1% of purchase price for a quick "does this even make sense" filter. A $200K property should rent for at least $2,000/month — below that, you'll be subsidizing the property for years.
The sample uses national averages. Your version is pre-filled with YOUR state's property tax rate, YOUR target return, YOUR financing terms, YOUR specific cost assumptions. $19 personalization, $97 fully custom at yoursaas.diy. Excel-compatible. Print-ready for lender meetings.