Real Estate Investment
Rental property ROI, house hacking, flipping, 1031 exchanges, investor loans
Owning property as an investment is a different discipline from owning a home. The house you live in is a lifestyle decision with a financial component; a rental is a small business, and it lives or dies on numbers you can calculate before you buy — cash flow after every real expense, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and what happens to all three when the property sits vacant for two months.
This category covers rental property analysis, house hacking, short-term and Airbnb rentals, the BRRRR strategy, house flipping economics, and the financing investors actually use — DSCR loans, hard money, seller financing and investment-property mortgages with their higher rates and down payments. It also covers the tax layer that makes or breaks returns: depreciation, the 1031 exchange, renting out a room, and the reporting rules that come with it. Run any deal through the rental ROI, cash-on-cash and BRRRR calculators before you get emotionally attached to it.
This section currently holds 12 in-depth guides and 5 free calculators. Everything is free to read, with no signup and no paywall.
Latest in Real Estate Investment
Recently published & updated guides
Running a Home-Based Business in 2026: Zoning, Permits, and Insurance You Can't Skip
What homeowners need to know before running a business from home in 2026 — local zoning and home-occupation permits, HOA rules, and why your homeowners insurance won't cover the business.
Renting Out a Room in Your Home in 2026: The Tax and Money Guide
How renting a spare room affects your taxes in 2026 — what income to report, which expenses you can deduct, depreciation, the personal-use rules, and how it interacts with selling your home.
Hard Money Loan Guide 2026: Rates, Points, and How Flippers Finance Deals Fast
A 2026 guide to hard money loans for real estate investors and flippers — rates, points, LTV and ARV limits, when to use one, and how they compare to DSCR and bridge loans.
Seller Financing Guide 2026: How Owner Financing Works for Buyers and Sellers
A 2026 guide to seller (owner) financing — how it works for both sides, promissory note terms, interest and balloon payments, the risks, and when it makes sense.
Calculators
Rental Property ROI Calculator
NewCalculate a rental's monthly cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and gross yield.
Fix & Flip Calculator
Estimate house-flip profit and ROI, and find your max purchase price using the 70% rule.
BRRRR Calculator
Model a BRRRR deal: cash invested, cash pulled out on the refi, cash left in, and post-refi cash flow.
Cash-on-Cash Return Calculator
Compute cash-on-cash return from cash invested and annual cash flow, with a sensitivity table.
Airbnb Income Calculator
Project Airbnb gross revenue (ADR × occupancy × 365), net annual income, and monthly cash flow.
More Guides
House Flipping Costs & Profit Guide: The Real Numbers (2026)
Average house flip profit is $56,000 — but 28% of flips break even or lose money. Realistic cost breakdown and profit calculation.
Investment Property Mortgage Rates & Requirements (2026)
Investment property loans require 15-25% down and charge 0.5-0.75% higher rates. Compare conventional, DSCR, and portfolio loan options.
DSCR Loan Guide 2026: How Investors Finance Rental Property With No Income Verification
A complete 2026 guide to DSCR loans for investment property. Learn how the Debt Service Coverage Ratio is calculated, what rates and down payments to expect, who qualifies, and whether a DSCR loan beats a conventional mortgage.
BRRRR Method Guide 2026: How Real Estate Investing Recycles Your Cash to Scale a Rental Portfolio
A complete 2026 guide to the BRRRR method (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat). Walk through real numbers, the 70% rule and ARV, the financing path from hard money to DSCR, seasoning periods, the risks, and a step-by-step checklist.
Short-Term Rental & Airbnb Investment Guide 2026: How to Make the Numbers Actually Work
A realistic 2026 guide to short-term rental (Airbnb and VRBO) investing. Learn how STR returns compare to long-term rentals, how to pick a market, how to survive local regulations, and how to underwrite a deal with ADR, occupancy, RevPAR, and cash-on-cash return.
House Hacking Guide 2026: How to Live for Free (or Almost Free) and Start Investing
A complete 2026 guide to house hacking. Learn how to rent out part of your home to offset your mortgage, which low-down-payment loans work best, real PITI vs. rental income numbers, and the pros, cons, and owner-occupancy rules to know before you start.
1031 Exchange Real Estate Guide 2026: How to Defer Capital Gains Tax When You Sell Investment Property
A plain-English 2026 guide to the 1031 like-kind exchange for real estate investors. Learn the 45-day and 180-day deadlines, why you need a Qualified Intermediary, how boot and the identification rules work, and the traps that blow up exchanges.
Rental Property ROI Analysis 2026: Cap Rate, Cash-on-Cash, and the Numbers That Tell You to Buy
A 2026 guide to analyzing rental property ROI before you buy. Learn how to calculate cap rate, cash-on-cash return, gross rent multiplier, the 1% rule, the 50% rule, and DSCR with real examples, plus how to build an honest NOI and avoid the expenses new investors forget.
How to use the real estate investment numbers on this page
Every cost figure we publish is a range, not a quote. National averages are a starting point for budgeting and for spotting a bid that's wildly out of line — they are not a substitute for getting three written estimates from licensed contractors or lenders in your own market. Labor rates, permit fees, material availability and local code requirements move these numbers more than anything else, which is why our project pages break costs down state by state instead of quoting a single national figure.
If you're early in the process, start with a calculator to get a ballpark, then read the guide that matches your situation to learn which line items are negotiable and which ones aren't. If you're already holding quotes, use the guides to check what should be included in the scope of work before you sign anything.