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DealCalc calculator guide

Rental Property Calculator

Analyze a buy-and-hold rental the same way DealCalc frames it in the app: income first, then operating drag, debt coverage, Cash Required, and hold quality.

Primary outputMonthly Cash Flow
Primary outputCash-on-Cash Return

Calculator

Start with the rental assumptions that control the hold.

The web guide shows the workflow. The app lets you enter the address, save the deal, revisit assumptions, and turn the result into a report.

Example inputs

  • Purchase Price$245,000
  • Avg Monthly Rent / Unit$2,550
  • Vacancy Rate5%
  • Management Fee8%
  • Repair Budget$18,000
  • Down Payment25%

In-app workflow

  • Pick the calculator in Analyze.
  • Enter assumptions and review Deal Score.
  • Save the deal when the numbers deserve a second look.
  • Upgrade for AI Insights, Project Tracker, portfolio, and investor-ready reports.

Results

Read the result like an investor, not a spreadsheet.

Monthly Cash Flow$431/mo
Cash Flow$5,172/yr
NOI$22,840
Cap Rate7.6%
Cash-on-Cash Return7.1%
DSCR1.31
Cash Required$85,750
Deal Score7.4 / 10

Metric explanations

DealCalc metric names used on this page

  • Monthly Cash FlowThe monthly income left after vacancy, operating expenses, and debt service. This is the first hold-quality signal in DealCalc.
  • NOINet operating income before debt service. DealCalc uses NOI to support Cap Rate, DSCR, and value checks.
  • Cap RateNOI divided by property value or purchase basis. It shows unlevered yield before financing structure.
  • Cash-on-Cash ReturnAnnual Cash Flow divided by Cash Required. It connects monthly performance to your actual cash in the deal.
  • DSCRNOI divided by Annual Debt Service. Lenders use it to judge whether the rental can carry the loan.
  • Rent CushionScheduled rent minus Break-even Rent. It shows how much monthly room exists before the deal stops covering itself.

AI Insights

Use the guide to learn. Use the app to decide faster.

Coverage comes first

DealCalc AI Insights would flag whether DSCR and Monthly Cash Flow are both strong enough for a stable rental, instead of relying on rent alone.

Expense realism matters

The app keeps vacancy, taxes, insurance, management, repairs, and maintenance visible so a high gross rent does not hide weak NOI.

Upgrade moment

Use the page to understand the math, then use DealCalc Pro when you need saved deals, portfolio tracking, and investor-ready reports.

Step-by-step guide

How to use this calculator workflow

  1. 01

    Enter purchase, rent, debt, taxes, insurance, and operating expense assumptions.

  2. 02

    Review Monthly Cash Flow and Cash Flow before judging returns.

  3. 03

    Use NOI, Cap Rate, and DSCR to check whether the deal works without relying on appreciation.

  4. 04

    Compare Cash Required against Cash-on-Cash Return so your cash is not trapped in a low-yield hold.

  5. 05

    Save strong scenarios in DealCalc and monitor them in your portfolio workflow.

Common mistakes

Where investors usually distort the answer

  • Using gross rent as if it were cash flow.
  • Leaving out vacancy, management, repairs, or maintenance reserves.
  • Looking at Cap Rate without DSCR or Monthly Cash Flow.
  • Ignoring Cash Required when comparing multiple rental opportunities.

FAQs

What should a rental property calculator include?

It should include rent, vacancy, operating expenses, financing, Monthly Cash Flow, NOI, Cap Rate, Cash-on-Cash Return, DSCR, Cash Required, and a clear Deal Score or verdict.

Is Cap Rate enough to decide on a rental?

No. Cap Rate ignores debt structure. DealCalc pairs Cap Rate with DSCR, Monthly Cash Flow, and Cash Required so you can see whether the property and loan work together.

When should I move from the web guide to the app?

Use the guide to learn the workflow. Use DealCalc when you need address-based analysis, saved scenarios, AI Insights, reports, Project Tracker, and portfolio visibility.

Run it in DealCalc

Run the full rental workflow in DealCalc.

This page is built to teach the workflow and drive search traffic. The full DealCalc experience adds saved deals, AI Insights, Project Tracker, portfolio dashboards, and investor-ready reports.

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