Monthly Mortgage Payment
What you pay the bank each month on the loan — principal and interest only. The bigger your down payment or the lower the rate, the smaller this number.
Investment Property Tools
Thinking About an Investment Property? Run the Numbers First.
A second home or long-term rental can be a wonderful addition to your plans — when the math works. This free calculator estimates your mortgage payment, monthly cash flow, cap rate, and cash-on-cash return before you make an offer.
Rental Property Calculator
Enter your best estimates below — every figure updates instantly. These are planning estimates only, not a loan offer or a guarantee of returns. Your lender and insurance agent will confirm the real numbers.
Your Numbers
Monthly Mortgage Payment
$1,896
Principal & interest only
Total Monthly Expenses
$2,745
Mortgage + taxes, insurance, HOA & vacancy reserve
Monthly Cash Flow
$55
Rent left over after expenses
Cap Rate
5.85%
Yearly operating income ÷ purchase price
Cash-on-Cash Return
0.67%
Yearly cash flow ÷ cash you invest upfront
Down payment in this scenario: $100,000 · Loan amount: $300,000
Cash-on-cash return counts your down payment only — closing costs and any upfront repairs would lower it.
Plain English
What These Numbers Mean
Total Monthly Expenses
Everything it costs to own the property each month: the mortgage payment plus your share of taxes, insurance, HOA dues, and a reserve set aside for months the home sits empty.
Monthly Cash Flow
Rent minus total expenses. Positive means the property pays you each month; negative means you are paying out of pocket to keep it. Neither is automatically wrong — appreciation and loan paydown can justify a thin or negative month — but you should always know which one you are signing up for.
Cap Rate
The property's yearly operating income (rent minus expenses, before the mortgage) as a percentage of the purchase price. It answers: 'If I bought this with cash, what return does the building itself earn?' It lets you compare properties to each other regardless of how they're financed.
Cash-on-Cash Return
Your yearly cash flow as a percentage of the cash you actually put in (here, your down payment). It answers the more personal question: 'What am I earning on my own money?' Leverage cuts both ways — a good loan can lift it well above the cap rate, a costly one can sink it below.
Vacancy Reserve
A cushion for the weeks or months a rental sits between tenants. Setting it aside up front keeps one empty month from wrecking your year.
This calculator is an educational planning tool for traditional second-home and long-term rental purchases. It does not model short-term rentals, flipping, or off-market acquisitions, and it is not tax, lending, or investment advice. Consult your lender, CPA, and insurance professional before you buy.
Found a Property?
Want Help Evaluating a Property? Let's Talk.
Bring me the listing and your numbers and we'll walk through it together — realistic rent, the true cost of ownership in that neighborhood, and whether it fits the life you're building. No pressure, just clarity.
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