Free real-estate investment calculators

Cap rate (capitalization rate) is a property's net operating income divided by its price — the quickest read on unleveraged yield. It's how investors compare deals across markets, but it only tells you the going-in yield: it ignores financing, upside, and risk. Use it to screen, not to decide.

Cash-on-cash return is your annual pre-tax cash flow divided by the actual cash you put in (down payment + closing + rehab). Unlike cap rate, it reflects your financing — it's the number that tells you what your invested dollars actually earn in year one.

DSCR (debt service coverage ratio) is NOI divided by annual debt service. Lenders use it to size loans — it tells you how much cushion the property's income has over its mortgage payments. Below 1.0 means the property doesn't cover its own debt.

The 1% rule is a fast screen: monthly rent should be at least 1% of the purchase price. It's a rough filter, not a decision — it ignores expenses, taxes, and financing — but it's a quick way to throw out obvious non-cash-flow deals before you underwrite.