Planning tools
Model cash flow before you buy
Explore mortgage, expenses, growth, and simplified tax assumptions in one view — including pre-tax vs after-tax returns. When you are ready for market-specific pricing, get a free rent estimate for your address.
Rental investment calculator
Cash flow, equity paydown, appreciation, and simplified tax effects. Results are illustrative only and are not financial, tax, or lending advice.
Property
Purchase price
$450,000
$100,000
$2,000,000
Down payment
20%
5%
40%
Monthly rent
$2,800
$500
$10,000
Mortgage
Interest rate
7.0%
3.0%
12.0%
Loan term
30 yr
10 yr
30 yr
Expenses
Property tax (annual)
1.2% of value
0.3% of value
3.0% of value
Insurance (monthly)
$120
$40
$500
Maintenance (annual)
1.0% of value
0.5% of value
3.0% of value
Vacancy rate
5.0%
0.0%
15.0%
Growth
Annual appreciation
3.0%/yr
0.0%/yr
8.0%/yr
Rent growth
2.0%/yr
0.0%/yr
6.0%/yr
Tax assumptions
Marginal income tax rate
32%
10%
50%
Building value (% of price)
80% (land = 20%)
50% (land = 50%)
90% (land = 10%)
Refinance
Mortgage refinancing
Lower your monthly payment — refinancing to a better rate can meaningfully improve your cash flow month over month.
Doorstead partners with Lima One Capital for investor lending. Offers subject to credit and program guidelines.
Monthly snapshot
Monthly mortgage
$2,395
$360,000 financed
Monthly cash flow
-$680
-$8,161 / year (pre-tax)
Monthly breakdown
$2,800 gross rent
Mortgage P&I
-$2,395
Property tax
-$450
Insurance
-$120
Maintenance
-$375
Vacancy loss
-$140
Net cash flow
-$680
Operating metrics
Cap rate
4.57%
NOI / purchase price
Gross rent mult.
13.4x
Price / annual rent
DSCR
0.72
Below 1.25 threshold
Break-even occupancy
100.0%
Occupancy to cover mortgage + operating
Full return stack (year 1, on cash invested)
Cash-on-cash
-$8,161/yr
-9.07%
Equity paydown (principal from rent)
$3,657/yr
4.06%
Appreciation (leveraged)
$13,500/yr
15.00%
Total pre-tax return
$8,996/yr
10.00%
Net tax benefit (after-tax adj.)
$5,630/yr
6.26%
Total after-tax return
$14,626/yr
16.25%
Pre-tax total
10.00%
After-tax total
16.25%
CoC (pre-tax)
-9.07%
Tax benefits (Schedule E, year 1)
Annual deductions
Mortgage interest
$25,084
Property tax
$5,400
Insurance
$1,440
Maintenance / repairs
$4,500
Depreciation ($360,000 ÷ 27.5 yrs)
$13,091
Total deductions
$49,515
Taxable rental income
-$17,595
Net tax benefit (32% marginal rate)
$5,630
After-tax cash flow
-$211/mo
-$2,531/yr
After-tax CoC
-2.81%
vs -9.07% pre-tax
10-year projection
Equity at year 10
$295,838
$90,000 invested
After-tax CF (10yr cumul.)
-$11,032
Pre-tax cumulative CF plus tax benefit × years (simplified)
How to internalize
You are building wealth through:
- Property appreciation
- Principal paydown
- Tax deductions
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