Guides
Every term a landlord or small investor actually looks up, defined with a worked example.
Guide · 3 min read
A swap of one rental for another that defers capital gains tax, with strict 45 and 180 day deadlines and a qualified intermediary.
What an ADU is, a worked yield example, and why zoning and a certificate of occupancy decide whether it pays.
Guide · 2 min read
A property's estimated value after renovations, and the number your rehab budget, refinance, and BRRRR plan all depend on.
The schedule that splits each mortgage payment between interest and principal, and why the mix matters to a landlord.
A licensed opinion of market value the lender orders. It sets your loan size and can make or break a purchase or a refinance.
The value your assessor assigns for property taxes, how it differs from market value, and when it is worth appealing.
A balloon payment is a large lump sum due at the end of a loan that was never fully amortized. The math, and why it bites landlords.
What bonus depreciation is, what qualifies on a rental, and why a big first-year deduction comes back as recapture when you sell.
BRRRR means buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat: recycling one pile of cash into several rentals when the appraisal cooperates.
NOI divided by value, in plain terms. What cap rate tells a small landlord, what it hides, and a worked duplex example.
What CapEx means for a rental, why it is depreciated instead of deducted, and how to budget for the roof before it leaks.
Capital gains are the profit when you sell a rental for more than your adjusted basis. Here is the math, the rates, and what feeds the bill.
Work that betters, restores, or adapts a rental is a capital improvement, depreciated over years, unlike a repair you deduct now.
The money left after rent collects and operating costs, reserves, and the full mortgage go out. Worked line by line on a real duplex.
Annual pre-tax cash flow divided by the cash you put in. What your money earns inside a deal, with a worked duplex example.
Replacing a mortgage with a larger one and pocketing the difference, with the LTV and payment math worked out.
A certificate of occupancy is the city's sign-off that a building is legal to live in. Why the unit count on it decides what you can rent.
The fees due when a rental purchase or refi funds, and why most of them land in your cost basis instead of a first-year deduction.
A CMA estimates value from recent sales of similar nearby properties. The worked adjustment math, and how it differs from an appraisal.
When a rental gets so unlivable the tenant is forced out, and the law treats it as if you evicted them. What triggers it and how to avoid it.
A contract condition (inspection, financing, appraisal) that lets a buyer walk with their earnest money if it is not met.
What cost basis means for a rental, how adjusted basis changes over time, and why it drives both depreciation and your gain on sale.
A cost segregation study splits a building into shorter-life parts to front-load depreciation. Here is the math and the catch.
An annual IRS election to expense items of $2,500 or less per invoice now instead of depreciating them over years.
The tax on depreciation you claimed when you sell a rental, capped at 25 percent, owed even on deductions you never took.
An investor mortgage qualified on the property's rental income, not your W-2. What the ratio means and where it bites a small landlord.
The inspection-and-verification window after you go under contract: condition, leases, financials, title, and zoning, with a worked example.
The mortgage term that lets a lender call your loan when the property transfers, and why it matters for subject-to deals and LLC moves.
A good-faith deposit held after your offer is accepted, credited at closing or forfeited if you walk without a protective window open.
The realistic top line of a rental P&L: gross potential rent plus other income, minus vacancy and credit loss, worked out on a fourplex.
What equity means for a rental, how it grows through paydown and appreciation, and how you reach it through a refinance or HELOC.
Escrow holds money in trust. The two kinds a landlord meets: closing escrow at purchase, and the mortgage escrow for taxes and insurance.
A tenant-signed statement confirming rent, lease dates, and deposit that buyers and lenders rely on during a sale or refinance.
The federal law barring housing discrimination, the seven protected classes, and the uniform screening test that keeps a small landlord clear.
The 50% rule assumes operating expenses eat about half your rent before the mortgage. A quick screen, with a worked duplex example.
The IRS form for reporting payments to unincorporated contractors over the threshold, due January 31. What it covers and when a landlord must file.
The days after the due date when a tenant can pay rent without a late fee, why your lease sets it, and where it bites.
A guarantor signs the lease and pays if your tenant defaults. Here is how the liability works and when to ask for one.
A short-term, high-rate loan secured by the property and sized off its after-repair value, used for flips and BRRRR rehabs.
A revolving line secured by your property's equity, drawn for rehabs or the down payment on your next rental. Here is the math.
A renter who stays past lease end without a new agreement, and the one mistake that quietly resets the tenancy.
What a Housing Choice Voucher is, how the rent split works, and what a small landlord trades for steadier payments.
A landlord's baseline duty to keep a rental safe and livable, with a worked rent-offset example and why speed protects you.
A lease clause that puts each co-tenant on the hook for the full rent and damages, so you can collect the whole balance from any one signer.
What a DP-3 landlord policy covers, why it differs from homeowners insurance, and how the deductible and loss-of-rent limits actually pay out.
What a rent late fee is, how flat and percentage fees are calculated, and the paperwork that makes one hold up.
A creditor's legal claim on a property for unpaid debt. What liens are, how they get cleared at closing, and why they bite landlords.
LTV is your loan balance divided by property value. It sets your rate, triggers PMI, and decides how much cash a refinance can pull.
The IRS depreciation system: residential rentals write off the building, not the land, over 27.5 years.
What make-ready means, a worked turn-cost example, and why splitting repairs from replacements protects your Schedule E.
A rental agreement that renews each month until either side ends it with proper notice, with a worked example and the trade-offs.
Guide · 4 min read
A documented walkthrough with photos and a signed checklist that records unit condition and backs your deposit deductions.
What NOI is, how to calculate it, and why it sits underneath every cap rate you run.
The aging a tenant cannot be charged for, with the wear-versus-damage line and the depreciated-value math that holds up.
The advance written notice you give before entering an occupied unit, commonly 24 to 48 hours, with a worked example and where it bites.
A written notice ending a tenancy on a set date. What it is, the lead-time clock, and how it differs from a rent demand.
The recurring costs of running a rental, taxes through management, and the two big items they leave out.
What a passive activity loss is, the $25,000 allowance, the MAGI phaseout, and what happens to a rental loss you cannot use this year.
A pay or quit notice gives a late tenant a fixed window to pay overdue rent or move out, the first legal step before eviction.
A recurring monthly pet charge, how it differs from a pet fee or deposit, and why it counts as taxable rental income.
Principal, interest, taxes, and insurance: the full monthly mortgage payment lenders qualify you on, with a worked duplex example.
What PMI is, what it costs on a low-down-payment rental loan, and the equity threshold where it drops off for good.
A pro forma projects a rental's income and expenses. Here is what the model includes, with a worked example and why seller numbers need checking.
Partial rent for a partial month, with the two daily-rate methods worked out and the turnover mistakes that throw off your records.
The Section 199A deduction lets eligible landlords cut up to 20 percent of qualified rental profit, when the activity is a trade or business.
A tenant's right to use the rental without unreasonable landlord interference, read into nearly every lease, with a worked example.
A quitclaim deed moves whatever interest the grantor has, with no title guarantee. Where it fits for landlords, and where it bites.
What a reasonable accommodation is, the assistance-animal fee waiver, and how to grant a request without inviting a fair housing complaint.
Rent comps are recently leased similar units used to set your market rent, the rental version of sales comps. How to read and adjust them.
Local laws that cap rent increases and limit terminations on covered units, with a worked example of what a cap costs you per door.
A rent ledger is the dated, per-tenant record of charges, payments, and balances. Here is how to read one and why it wins disputes.
A rent roll is a one-page snapshot of every unit, tenant, lease term, rent, and balance across your portfolio, read at a glance.
Cash set aside for vacancy, repairs, and capital replacements, with a per-door worked example and the months-of-payment rule lenders use.
When the seller acts as the bank, the buyer pays over time on negotiated terms. What seller financing means and where the balloon bites.
Buying a property while leaving the seller's mortgage in place, and the due-on-sale risk that rides underneath it.
A sublease keeps your original tenant liable while a third person occupies the unit. Here is how it works and where it bites.
When a tenant leaves and stops paying without notice, plus the documentation that lets you legally retake the unit.
What tenant screening means, a worked applicant example, and why a written, uniform standard protects a small landlord.
A one-time policy that covers title defects from before you bought, like unknown liens or a forged deed found after closing.
Turnover is the full move-out to move-in cycle. Here is what one turn really costs and the two levers that shrink it.
Extra liability coverage stacked above your landlord and auto policies, with a worked example of how the layers pay out.
The court action a landlord files to regain possession after a notice expires, with a worked cost example for a small landlord.
What a vacancy rate is, the physical vs economic split, and why empty days quietly eat a small landlord's margin.
A deed where the seller guarantees clear title against all prior claims, with a worked example of what that promise is worth.
All guides · written by a landlord, not a marketing team.