JMZ Blog › Investor Guides

The major expenses most likely to hit a single family rental are the big systems that wear out on their own schedule: roof, furnace, air conditioner, water heater, sewer line, electrical panel, windows and appliances, plus turnover repairs between tenants. You cannot stop them from aging, but you can find out how old they are before you buy and save for them before they fail.

JMZ Blog › Investor Guides

A rental home's purchase price is reasonable when it lines up with recent sales of similar homes and when the rent it can earn supports the price after realistic expenses. An investor needs both checks: a home can be priced fairly for a homeowner and still be a poor deal as a rental.

JMZ Blog › Investor Guides

The rent you can realistically charge is what similar homes nearby have actually leased for recently, adjusted for your home's size, condition, features and the time of year you list it. It is not the highest listing price you can find, and it is not the number that makes your spreadsheet work.