Deal Analysis

Cap rates, ARV, cash flow projections, and how to analyze any deal with confidence.

• Three Dissents and a Hold: Stop Waiting on a Rate Cut — The Fed held in July on a 9-3 vote, and three officials wanted a hike. Here is how to re-underwrite every open deal for a rate path that points up.
• One in Five Sellers Cut: How to Write the Offer Now — One in five listings took a price cut and pending sales hit a five-month low. Here is how to construct an offer that captures the concession.
• Your Rent Growth Assumption Is the Costliest Line — National single-family asking rent fell 1.6 percent year over year. Here is what a stale 3 percent escalator does to a five-year hold projection.
• Hard Money vs DSCR Loans: They Are Not Competing, They Are Sequential — Comparing a hard money rate to a DSCR rate is a category error. One is priced by the month, the other by the decade, and a BRRRR deal uses both in order.
• How Appraisers Actually Value a Rental: The Three Lenses — Only one valuation lens decides your appraisal, and your unit count picks it. That single fact determines whether forced appreciation works on your property at all.
• Cash-Out Refi Math in 2026: You Reborrow the Whole Balance at Today’s Rate — You did not borrow $100,000 at today’s rate. You reborrowed $400,000 at today’s rate. Here is the true marginal cost of a 2026 cash-out refinance, and when a HELOC beats it.
• DSCR vs Conventional Loans in 2026: When the 1-2% Premium Pays for Itself — DSCR loans cost more than conventional, but the rate premium is sometimes worth it. Here is the decision framework with current rates and four common borrower scenarios.
• How to Analyze a Real Estate Deal: The Complete Investor's Guide — Learn the exact framework professional investors use to evaluate any property: cap rate, cash-on-cash return, ARV, and more.
• Cap Rate vs Cash-on-Cash Return: What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know — Both metrics measure profitability, but they tell you different things. Here is when to use each one and why both matter.
• What Is ARV in Real Estate? How to Calculate After Repair Value — ARV is the single most important number in fix and flip investing. Here is how to calculate it accurately and avoid costly mistakes.
• Cash Flow vs Cash-on-Cash Return: Which Metric Matters and When — A 174-point r/realestateinvesting thread and BiggerPockets "1% rule dead?" forum both landed this week. Here is the real framework for using both metrics.
• The 1 Percent Rule Is Dead: 3 Variables to Replace It — Three investor communities just declared the 1 percent rule dead in the same week. Here are the three variables that actually pencil a rental in 2026.
• Date the Rate Is Dead: How to Underwrite a Deal That Works at 6.5% (Not the Rate You’re Praying For) — The June 17 Fed hold signaled higher-for-longer through 2026. “Marry the house, date the rate” assumed a refinance bailout that is no longer coming. Here is how to underwrite a deal that works at the rate you actually get.
• The DTI Trap: 3 Ways to Finance Rental #3 When the Bank Says No — Two cash-flowing rentals, ready to scale, and your conventional lender suddenly says no. The debt-to-income ceiling is where most investors stall. Here are three financing paths that get you past it.