Investing guides

Real estate investing guides

Plain-English guides for evaluating and buying investment property. Each one explains the math and the trade-offs so you can make your own decisions.

Start with the guide that fits your next step

Getting started

Buying your first investment property

What to decide, what to budget for and what to check before you buy your first rental.

The numbers

How to analyze a rental property

Net operating income, cap rate, cash flow and cash-on-cash return, with a worked example you can adapt.

Property type

Small multifamily investing (2–4 units)

How duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes differ from a single rental, and what to check before you buy one.

Strategy

BRRRR investing

Buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat: how the strategy works and where it can go wrong.

Tax-deferred exchange

1031 exchange replacement property

How the buying side of a 1031 exchange works, from the 45-day identification window to closing.

About these guides: They are general and educational. They are not financial, tax or legal advice, and examples use made-up numbers. Talk with a qualified professional about your own situation.

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