Real Estate Investment Insights publishes working notes for people who already know what a cap rate is and still lose money on expenses, rent, and terms. These three guides are the spine. The blog is extra reading. The calculators are arithmetic. Use them together.
Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell, or finance a property. See the investment disclaimer.
- Underwrite a rental before the listing photos talk you into it — A working underwriting sequence for small residential rentals: lock rent, rebuild expenses from bills, then decide whether leverage still helps.
- Twelve checks that should change the offer — or kill it — A short pre-offer checklist for rental buyers. Each item is something that should move price, terms, or a walk-away, not a 50-point ritual.
- The expense stack the 50% rule hides — Where the 50% rule understates real carrying costs on small rentals — insurance, reassessment, turnover, and the monthly worksheet to replace the slogan.
Related tools: Deal Analyzer, Mortgage calculator, Scenario simulator, Glossary.