Building Wealth Through Real Estate
Calculators, strategies, and real numbers for real estate investing. Rent vs buy, rental ROI, and more.
🏠 Rent vs Buy Calculator
🏠 Buy
✅ BUYING WINS
🏢 Rent
📊 Rental Property ROI Calculator
Monthly Cash Flow
$-114
Annual Cash Flow
$-1,370
Cap Rate
5.5%
Cash-on-Cash Return
-2.7%
💰 Down Payment Strategies
FHA Loan — 3.5% Down
On $350K: $12,250
✅ Low barrier to entry, lower credit score OK
⚠️ Mortgage insurance (MIP) required, adds to monthly cost
Conventional — 20% Down
On $350K: $70,000
✅ No PMI, lower monthly payment, better rates
⚠️ Large upfront capital needed
VA Loan — 0% Down
On $350K: $0
✅ Zero down for veterans, no PMI, competitive rates
⚠️ Must be a veteran or active military
🎯 Real Estate Strategies
🏠 House Hacking
Buy a 2-4 unit property, live in one unit, rent the others. Your tenants pay your mortgage. FHA allows 3.5% down on up to 4 units if you live there. This is how many investors get started with almost no money.
🔄 BRRRR Method
Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat. Buy a distressed property below market, fix it up, rent it out, then refinance to pull your cash out and do it again. This lets you recycle the same capital across multiple properties.
📈 Buy & Hold
Buy property in growing markets and hold long-term. Average national appreciation is 3-5%/year, but hot markets (Austin, St. George, Boise) have seen 8-12%. Combined with rental income, this is the most reliable RE strategy.
🛏️ Short-Term Rentals (Airbnb)
List properties on Airbnb/VRBO. Can earn 2-3x long-term rent in tourist areas. Requires more management but higher returns. Check local regulations first.
⚖️ Real Estate vs Stock Market (30 Years)
📈 S&P 500 Index Fund
- • Average return: ~10%/yr
- • $500/mo for 30 years = $1.13M
- • Completely passive
- • Highly liquid (sell anytime)
- • No maintenance, tenants, or repairs
- • Can start with $1
🏠 Real Estate
- • Average appreciation: 3-5%/yr + rental income
- • Leverage: control $300K with $60K
- • Tax advantages (depreciation, 1031 exchange)
- • Monthly cash flow from tenants
- • Requires active management
- • Higher barrier to entry
Both are excellent wealth builders. The best strategy? Both. Diversify across stocks AND real estate.
These calculators use simplified estimates. Actual costs include closing costs, HOA, vacancy rates, and more. This is for educational purposes only — consult a real estate professional.