Resource center

Practical guides for landlords who use data.

Methodology, market reads, and how to use the tools. No filler content — every article ties to a calculator or a public dataset.

Guide

CPI rent vs OER: what landlords should track

Why CPI shelter can lag market rents, and how to use Rent and OER for underwriting.

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Guide

CPI OER explained: owners’ equivalent rent

What owners’ equivalent rent (OER) is, why it dominates CPI shelter, and how landlords should use it in underwriting.

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Guide

CPI shelter vs market rent: how to use both

How to anchor rent levels with HUD FMRs, then use BLS CPI shelter as a lag-aware growth assumption.

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Guide

Rental vacancy rate: what it is and why it matters

How to read the vacancy rate, where to pull it for free, and how to stress test it in underwriting.

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Guide

Operating expense ratio for rentals

How to calculate OER, what to include, and how to sanity-check it with public data before underwriting a deal.

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Guide

DSCR explained for rental investors

The single number that decides whether a rental loan gets approved and how big it can be. How lenders actually read it.

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Guide

How to estimate rent the right way

Why HUD FMR is a stronger anchor than Zillow's automated estimate — and where Zillow still wins.

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Guide

Cap rate vs. cash-on-cash

The two return metrics every landlord conflates. When each one matters and how to use them together.

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Methodology

Reading HUD Fair Market Rents

The most underused public dataset in real estate. How to download it, read it, and use it like an institutional investor.

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Guide

Break-even occupancy explained

The single number that tells you how thin your underwriting actually is.

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Market read

Q4 2024 rental market update

Where vacancy is loosening, where rent growth has flipped negative, and what to do about it.

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