Guides

Rental investing guides

Plain-English explainers for the numbers behind a rental deal. Every guide pairs with the free Rental Property Calculator.

What is a good cap rate for rental property?

There is no universal number. What cap rate measures, the ranges investors use, and why higher is not always better.

Three metrics, three different questions. What each includes, when to use it, and how they can disagree.

From gross rent to effective gross income, operating expenses, NOI, and the cash that lands in your pocket.

Two quick screens, not buy signals. What each says, how to use them, and where they break down today.

A category-by-category guide, with the common rule-of-thumb ranges for management, maintenance, capex, and vacancy.

Qualifying on the property's rent instead of your income: ratio, down payment, credit, and the trade-offs.

NOI, cap rate, cash-on-cash, IRR, GRM, DSCR, cost basis, depreciation recapture, and more, each with its formula.

Permanent 100% bonus depreciation, a bigger Section 179 limit, the permanent 20% QBI deduction, and 1031 left intact.

Defer capital gains and depreciation recapture: the 45 and 180-day deadlines, like-kind rules, the intermediary, and boot.

The real pros and cons of rental property, weighed without the hype, and how to decide on a specific deal.

A compliant, step-by-step screening process: written criteria, fair housing, credit and background checks, and adverse action.

These guides are educational estimates, not financial, investment, or tax advice. Verify important decisions with a qualified professional.