Educational analysis tool. Verify financing, taxes, insurance, and property-specific assumptions before making an investment decision.
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See It in Action
Start with a realistic deal — then change the numbers.
Load an example into the live calculator to see how price, rent, financing, and expenses change the verdict. Every example is illustrative and fully editable.
Deal Seeker Tools is a screening and decision-support tool. Use this guide to understand what every section means, how the major metrics are calculated, and what to look for before deciding whether a property deserves deeper due diligence.
1. Top Dashboard & Screening Rules
The dashboard is the fastest read of the active scenario. When a valid assumable-loan path is switched on, the active financing metrics reflect that structure; otherwise the conventional path is used.
Cap Rate
Annual NOI divided by purchase price. It measures the property before financing, so changing the down payment or interest rate does not change cap rate.
Cash-on-Cash
Annual investor cash flow divided by actual cash invested. Financing strongly affects this result.
Monthly Cashflow
Money left after operating expenses, CapEx reserve, principal and interest, and applicable mortgage insurance.
1% Rule
A quick rent-to-price screen. Deal Seeker Tools uses base rent only, not laundry or other ancillary income. Passing does not prove a deal is good.
DSCR
Debt Service Coverage Ratio: NOI compared with annual principal-and-interest debt service. No debt means DSCR is N/A, not a failure.
Deal Verdict
A plain-language interpretation of the active deal compared with your Investor Targets for monthly cash flow, cash-on-cash return, and DSCR.
Cap Rate = Annual NOI ÷ Purchase Price Cash-on-Cash = Annual Investor Cash Flow ÷ Cash Invested DSCR = Annual NOI ÷ Annual P&I Debt Service
2. Property Purchase
This section establishes the acquisition price and conventional financing baseline.
Purchase Price
The asking or agreed acquisition price.
Down Payment
Enter the down payment as either a percentage or a dollar amount. Deal Seeker Tools automatically converts between the two. When the effective down payment is below 20%, the PMI/MIP field is highlighted and must be addressed.
Calculated Down Payment ($)
The effective cash down payment used by the calculator after converting the selected entry method.
Loan Amount
Purchase price minus down payment.
Closing Costs % / $
Estimated acquisition closing costs. Replace estimates with a real quote when available.
Estimated Repairs
Up-front repair or renovation money expected shortly after purchase.
Total Capital Needed
Down payment + closing costs + estimated repairs. This is the conventional cash-invested amount used for CoC.
Loan Term
Amortization period used to calculate the conventional P&I payment.
Interest Rate
Annual note rate for the conventional loan being modeled.
Monthly Payment (P&I)
Calculated principal-and-interest payment. It excludes operating costs and mortgage insurance.
PMI / MIP
Monthly mortgage insurance. It reduces investor cash flow but is kept separate from standard P&I debt service in the current DSCR calculation. Future Returns lets you choose a projection duration instead of assuming it lasts for the full loan term.
Down Payment = Purchase Price × Down Payment % Loan Amount = Purchase Price - Down Payment Total Capital Needed = Down Payment + Closing Costs + Repairs
3. Income
Enter scheduled rent for every unit plus recurring ancillary property income.
Unit Rent
Monthly scheduled rent for each rentable unit. Add or remove units as needed.
Laundry Revenue
Recurring monthly laundry income.
Other Revenue
Other recurring income such as parking, storage, pet fees, or similar property revenue.
Gross Monthly Income
Total unit rents + laundry + other recurring revenue.
Gross Yearly Income
Gross monthly income multiplied by 12.
1% Rule detail: only base rent is used to determine whether the 1% badge passes. Ancillary income still improves NOI and cash flow.
4. Monthly Expenses
Enter realistic operating costs, not best-case guesses. Taxes, insurance, utilities, HOA dues, vacancy, maintenance, and management assumptions can change NOI quickly.
Taxes / Year
Annual property-tax cost. Deal Seeker Tools divides this amount by 12 for the monthly operating-expense calculations.
Insurance / Year
Annual property insurance premium. Deal Seeker Tools divides this amount by 12 for the monthly operating-expense calculations.
Trash / Utilities / Internet
Recurring owner-paid services and utilities.
HOA
Monthly homeowners or condominium association dues.
Water / Sewer / Heat
Owner-paid utility costs when applicable.
Lawn / Snow
Landscaping, lawn care, or snow removal.
Phone / Extra
Other recurring property operating costs.
Maintenance %
Routine repair and maintenance reserve as a percentage of base rent.
Vacancy %
Allowance for lost rent from vacancy or turnover as a percentage of scheduled unit rent only. Laundry and other ancillary income are modeled separately.
Management %
Property-management allowance as a percentage of base rent. Including it can help evaluate the property independently of your own labor.
Expense Ratio
Modeled operating expenses divided by gross income. CapEx and debt service are excluded.
50% Rule Estimate
Half of gross monthly income. It is a rough benchmark, not underwriting and not a pass/fail test.
50% Rule: a large difference in either direction deserves investigation. Very low modeled expenses can mean something was omitted; very high expenses may mean the property is genuinely expensive to operate.
5. Capital Expenditure Reserve (CapEx)
CapEx is intentionally separated from standard NOI. It represents money reserved for larger replacements such as roofs, HVAC systems, water heaters, appliances, and major building components.
CapEx Reserve %
Reserve percentage applied to base rent.
CapEx Reserve ($/mo)
Monthly reserve dollars. It does not reduce standard NOI or cap rate in Deal Seeker Tools, but it does reduce actual investor cash flow and cash-on-cash return.
CapEx Reserve = Base Rent × CapEx %
6. Summary
This section separates property performance from investor performance.
Monthly / Yearly NOI
Gross income minus operating expenses. CapEx, mortgage payments, and mortgage insurance are excluded.
Cap Rate
Annual NOI divided by purchase price.
All-In Cap Rate
Annual NOI divided by purchase price + repairs + closing costs.
Cash-on-Cash Return
Annual investor cash flow divided by cash invested in the active financing path.
DSCR
Annual NOI divided by annual P&I debt service.
Monthly / Yearly Cashflow
NOI minus CapEx reserve minus active financing payment minus applicable mortgage insurance.
NOI = Gross Income - Operating Expenses Investor Cash Flow = NOI - CapEx Reserve - P&I - Mortgage Insurance All-In Cap Rate = Annual NOI ÷ (Purchase Price + Repairs + Closing Costs)
Do not confuse NOI and cash flow. A property can have healthy NOI and cap rate but weak investor cash flow because the financing is expensive.
7. Assumable Loan Analysis
Use this module when you want to model taking over an existing eligible loan rather than using the conventional financing entered above.
Assumable Toggle
Turns the assumable-financing scenario on or off.
Loan Type (reference)
Reference label for VA, FHA, or USDA. The selection itself does not automatically change the math.
Remaining Balance / Rate / Term
Existing principal, note rate, and remaining amortization period being assumed.
Assumed P&I
Calculated payment on the remaining balance, rate, and term.
Assumption / Processing Fee
Cash fee associated with processing the assumption. Confirm the actual amount with the servicer.
Assumed-Loan MI
Monthly mortgage insurance on the assumed loan, when applicable.
Total Equity Gap
Purchase price minus assumed loan balance.
Cash Applied to Gap
Cash used toward the seller-equity gap. The tool prevents it from exceeding the actual gap.
Gap Financed
Remaining equity gap financed by a second loan or other modeled debt.
Gap Rate / Term / P&I
Financing assumptions and calculated payment for the remaining gap.
Total Assumable P&I
Assumed-loan P&I + gap-loan P&I.
Weighted Average Note Rate
Balance-weighted average of the two note rates. It is not a true effective rate when amortization schedules differ.
Total Cash Needed
Cash applied to gap + closing costs + repairs + assumption fee.
Payment Savings
Difference between conventional monthly financing cost and the assumable path, including the respective mortgage-insurance entries.
Important: a low assumed rate is not automatically the better deal. A large equity gap can require substantial cash or expensive second-lien financing. Compare cash required, CoC, and DSCR - not just the interest rate.
8. Deal Verdict
The verdict compares the active scenario with the Investor Targets you set for monthly cash flow, cash-on-cash return, and DSCR.
Investor Targets
Your minimum monthly cash flow, cash-on-cash return, and DSCR. These are editable screening goals, not universal market rules.
Excellent Deal
The active scenario meets all three of your investor targets.
Good Deal
Cash flow remains positive, debt is covered when applicable, and the deal meets at least two of your three targets.
Fair Deal
The deal remains viable but misses multiple investor targets. Price, financing, rent, or expenses may need improvement.
Poor Deal
The scenario fails lower-level viability checks, such as negative cash flow or debt coverage below 1.0x.
Debt Yield
Annual NOI divided by the active loan balance. It is shown as an additional lender-style risk metric but is not assigned a universal pass/fail threshold.
Stress Test
Recalculates cash flow, cash-on-cash return, and DSCR under editable conservative and stress assumptions for rent, vacancy, and maintenance.
Not Enough Data
The tool does not yet have enough valid purchase, income, expense, or financing information to evaluate the deal.
Use the verdict as triage, then read the target misses and stress-test results. Fair Deal can still mean the property is viable; the asking price or financing may be the weak link.
9. Compare Properties
Compare Properties runs Property A and Property B as two independent Deal Seeker Tools calculators. Nothing is synchronized automatically unless you intentionally use the Copy Assumptions controls.
Property A / Property B
Each side keeps its own property inputs and calculations so two unrelated deals can be modeled independently.
Property Name or Address
Optional reference text to help you keep the two deals organized. It does not affect any calculation.
Copy Financing
Copies the selected financing assumptions from one side to the other, then leaves the copied values fully editable.
Copy Expense % Assumptions
Copies percentage-based maintenance, vacancy, management, and CapEx assumptions.
Copy Fixed Expenses
Copies the fixed operating-expense inputs when you intentionally want the same expense assumptions on both properties.
Copy Future Return Assumptions
Copies the Future Returns hold, appreciation, rent-growth, expense-growth, selling-cost, and mortgage-insurance-duration assumptions.
Everything
Copies all supported assumption groups from the source property to the other property. Use this only when you intentionally want a near-duplicate starting point.
Comparison rule: copied values are a convenience only. After copying, each property remains independent and can be edited without changing the other side.
10. Fix & Flip Analyzer
Models a full residential flip from acquisition through resale. The 70% Rule is shown only as a quick screening heuristic; the main verdict compares the exact modeled project against your own targets.
ARV
After Repair Value supported by comparable renovated sales. Projected Sale Price starts at ARV but can be overridden without changing the original ARV assumption.
Rehab Contingency
A separate percentage buffer added once to the active rehab budget for unplanned renovation costs.
As-Disbursed Interest
Interest is modeled on the purchase advance plus the rehab funds actually outstanding. Simple mode uses an editable average rehab-utilization assumption; Advanced mode uses the monthly draw schedule.
Dutch / Full Commitment Interest
Interest is charged on the full committed purchase + rehab loan for the modeled holding period.
Cash Required
Modeled investor cash deployed: unfinanced purchase and rehab, acquisition costs, financing costs, holding costs, and any modeled principal paid during an amortizing hold.
ROI — Total Cost
Net Profit divided by Total Project Cost. Useful for comparing projects independent of financing leverage.
Return on Cash Invested
Net Profit divided by the modeled cash actually deployed by the investor.
Profit Margin
Net Profit divided by Projected Sale Price, not ARV when the sale-price assumption has been overridden.
Break-Even Sale Price
The sale price at which modeled Net Profit becomes zero after percentage and fixed selling costs.
70% Rule
ARV × 70% − modeled rehab costs. It is a heuristic badge only and never drives the primary Deal Seeker Tools verdict.
Maximum Offer — Your Targets
A numerical solve using the same full flip engine to find the highest purchase price that still satisfies your investor targets.
Cost of One Extra Month
Monthly property carrying costs plus the modeled monthly financing carry late in the project.
Stress Test
Re-runs the same flip engine under Base, Conservative, and Stress assumptions for rehab overruns, sale-price misses, delays, and interest-rate pressure.
Verify before offering: ARV comps, contractor bids, lender draw and interest terms, taxes, insurance, title/closing charges, holding costs, commissions, and expected days on market.
11. Mortgage Calculator
Estimates the monthly housing payment and loan amortization from the assumptions you enter. Deal Seeker Tools does not insert a market interest rate automatically.
Home Price
The purchase price used to calculate the down payment and mortgage principal.
Down Payment
Enter as either a percentage or dollar amount. Deal Seeker Tools converts the entry into the effective down-payment percentage and loan amount.
Loan Program
Choose 30-, 20-, 15-, or 10-year fixed, or select Custom term. Preset programs control the amortization term automatically; the custom-years field is used only for Custom term.
Interest Rate
The annual note rate you were quoted or want to model. The monthly P&I payment changes with the loan amount, interest rate, and selected term.
Taxes / Insurance
Entered annually and divided by 12 for the monthly payment breakdown.
PMI / MIP
Entered as a monthly amount. When the effective down payment is below 20%, Deal Seeker Tools highlights the field so the estimate does not silently assume zero mortgage insurance.
Payment Wheel
Shows the required monthly payment composition for principal and interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance, PMI/MIP, and HOA.
Total Interest
Interest paid over the modeled amortization schedule. Extra principal, when entered, reduces the schedule and total interest.
Total Loan Cost
Original mortgage principal plus modeled interest. It does not include taxes, insurance, HOA, PMI/MIP, or other property costs.
Estimated Payoff
The modeled time until the loan balance reaches zero. Extra principal can shorten the payoff period.
Schedule
Annual summary of payments, principal reduction, interest, and remaining mortgage balance. Extra principal is included when entered.
Monthly P&I = standard fixed-rate amortization payment using Loan Amount, Monthly Rate, and Number of Payments Total Monthly Payment = P&I + Taxes ÷ 12 + Insurance ÷ 12 + PMI/MIP + HOA
Estimate only: this is not a loan quote or approval. Verify APR, escrow requirements, fees, taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance, HOA, and actual lender terms.
12. DSCR Loan Calculator
This standalone calculator models the lender-style residential rental convention: qualifying monthly rent divided by the modeled monthly housing obligation. It is intentionally separate from the NOI-based DSCR shown in Deal Analysis.
Qualifying Monthly Rent
Use the rent your lender is likely to recognize, such as documented lease rent or appraised market rent. Lender rules can differ.
Modeled Monthly Obligation
Principal and interest plus monthly property taxes, insurance, HOA, and any optional recurring expense you intentionally include because the lender counts it.
Target DSCR
The coverage ratio you want to screen against. Deal Seeker Tools defaults to 1.25x as a common target, not a universal lender requirement.
Required Rent for Target
The monthly qualifying rent needed for the current modeled obligation to reach your selected target DSCR.
Maximum Monthly Obligation
The largest modeled monthly housing obligation supported by the entered qualifying rent at your selected target DSCR.
Maximum Loan for Target
The loan principal supported by the target's allowable principal-and-interest payment at the entered rate and amortization term.
Required Down Payment for Target
Purchase price minus the maximum supported loan, floored at zero. This is a screening estimate and does not replace lender LTV or reserve rules.
Standalone DSCR = Qualifying Monthly Rent ÷ Modeled Monthly Obligation Required Rent = Modeled Monthly Obligation × Target DSCR Maximum Monthly Obligation = Qualifying Monthly Rent ÷ Target DSCR
Important: lender-specific rent sourcing, DSCR definitions, minimum ratios, LTV limits, reserves, and appraisal rules vary. Confirm the exact underwriting method with the lender.
13. Home Affordability Calculator
Estimates a conservative maximum home price by solving backward from your gross income, existing monthly debts, financing assumptions, and editable housing-ratio / total-DTI targets.
Gross Annual Income
Gross income before taxes and payroll deductions. Deal Seeker Tools divides it by 12 to establish gross monthly income.
Existing Monthly Debts
Required recurring debt payments such as auto loans, student loans, credit cards, and similar obligations. Rent is not entered here.
Housing Ratio Target
The share of gross monthly income allowed for the modeled housing payment. The default is 28%, but it is editable and is a screening assumption rather than a universal lender limit.
Total DTI Target
The share of gross monthly income allowed for the housing payment plus existing monthly debts. The default is 36%, but it is editable.
Binding Constraint
Deal Seeker Tools uses whichever limit is lower: the housing-ratio budget or the total-DTI budget after subtracting existing monthly debts.
Estimated Tax / Insurance Rates
Annual percentage assumptions applied to the solved home price so those housing costs scale with the affordability estimate.
Estimated PMI Rate
Annual percentage assumption applied to the modeled loan when the down payment is below 20%. Actual PMI pricing varies by borrower and loan.
Max Monthly Housing
The lower of the housing-ratio budget and the total-DTI housing budget after existing monthly debts.
Max Home Price
The price solved from that monthly housing budget after accounting for down payment, P&I, estimated taxes, estimated insurance, HOA, and estimated PMI when applicable.
Max Loan Amount
Solved maximum home price minus the modeled down payment.
Housing Budget = Gross Monthly Income × Housing Ratio Target Total-DTI Housing Budget = Gross Monthly Income × Total DTI Target - Existing Monthly Debts Max Monthly Housing = lower of those two budgets
Conservative screen, not approval: actual allowable DTI and qualification vary by loan program, credit, reserves, documentation, and underwriting. Replace percentage estimates with real taxes, insurance, PMI, and lender terms when evaluating a specific property.
14. Future Returns
This separate property tab reuses the purchase, rent, expense, CapEx, and active financing inputs from Deal Analysis and projects a pre-tax hold-and-sale scenario.
Holding Period
The number of years the property is projected to be held before sale.
Appreciation
Annual compounded change assumed for property value. It is an assumption, not a prediction.
Rent Growth
Annual compounded growth applied to scheduled rent and recurring ancillary income.
Expense Growth
Annual compounded growth applied to fixed operating costs. Percentage-based maintenance, vacancy, management, and CapEx continue to track projected rent.
Selling Costs
Percentage deducted from the projected sale value before remaining acquisition debt is repaid.
Mortgage Insurance Duration
Controls how long conventional PMI/MIP is included in the projection: for the full modeled loan term, for a custom number of years, or until the scheduled balance reaches 78% of the original property value. This is a projection control only; actual cancellation rules vary by loan and servicer.
Projected IRR
The discount rate that makes the net present value of the projected investment cash-flow stream equal to zero. The model uses initial cash invested, annual property cash flows, and terminal net sale proceeds.
Equity Multiple
Total projected cash returned, including sale proceeds, divided by initial cash invested.
Principal Paydown
The reduction in modeled acquisition debt from amortization over the holding period.
Projected Equity
Projected property value at the end of the holding period minus the remaining acquisition debt. This is before selling costs and taxes.
Future Value = Purchase Price × (1 + Appreciation Rate)^Years Projected Equity = Projected Sale Value - Remaining Debt Net Sale Proceeds = Projected Sale Value - Selling Costs - Remaining Debt Total Projected Profit = Cumulative Operating Cash Flow + Net Sale Proceeds - Initial Cash Invested
Pre-tax projection: tax effects can be material and transaction-specific. Deal Seeker Tools intentionally does not estimate depreciation, capital-gains tax, depreciation recapture, or other income-tax consequences in this tab.
15. BRRRR Calculator
Models the full Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance cycle as a short-term acquisition/rehab project followed by a long-term rental after refinance.
Total Project Cost
Purchase price, acquisition costs, rehab, financing costs and holding costs through the refinance closing.
Cash Left in Deal
Investor cash still tied up after the refinance. Formula: Total Project Cost + Refinance Costs − Refinance Loan.
Expected Rent
Your operating projection. It drives NOI, investor DSCR, cash flow and returns.
Lender Qualifying Rent
The monthly rent the lender underwrites. In Advanced mode it can differ from Expected Rent and can limit the refinance loan.
Lender Underwritten NOI
Optional annual NOI supplied by a commercial / 5+ unit lender for NOI-based DSCR sizing.
Net Refinance Proceeds
Refinance loan minus the acquisition-loan payoff and refinance costs. A negative result means cash is required at closing.
Cash-on-Cash after Refi
Annual post-refinance cash flow divided by cash left in the deal. If all investor cash has been returned, Deal Seeker labels this not meaningful instead of showing an infinite return.
Paper Equity
ARV minus total project cost. It is unrealized equity before selling costs, not realized profit.
Lender assumptions vary: LTV, DSCR, seasoning, qualifying rent, cost-basis limits, points and reserves are editable lender inputs, not universal rules.
16. Land Development Calculator
Models for-sale development as either finished lots or build-and-sell homes. Build-to-hold is intentionally not mixed into this calculator because it requires stabilized-income valuation.
Total Development Cost
Land, acquisition, due diligence, soft costs, fees, site work, vertical construction when applicable, carrying costs and financing.
Net Sales Revenue
Gross sellout value minus commissions, seller closing costs and fixed project marketing.
Return on Cost
Development profit divided by total development cost.
Residual Land Value
The maximum supportable land price after accounting for development costs, financing and the investor's required profit target.
Break-even Price / Units
The sale price or number of units needed to cover total development cost plus fixed marketing after variable selling costs.
Absorption
Average units closed per month. It drives sellout duration and therefore financing cost and IRR.
Interest Reserve
A lender-approved amount inside the development-loan budget that can fund capitalized interest.
Financing Shortfall
Additional investor equity required when project costs or interest exceed the remaining committed loan amount. The commitment is treated as a hard maximum unless lender-approved over-advance is explicitly enabled.
IRR / Equity Multiple
Advanced-mode time-adjusted investor return and total distributions per dollar of contributed equity.
Development assumptions are project-specific: verify entitlement timing, engineering, bids, impact and utility fees, absorption, selling costs and lender terms independently.
17. How to Read a Deal Correctly
1 - Verify Income
Use realistic rent, not an optimistic future rent unless you are intentionally modeling a stabilized scenario.
2 - Verify Costs
Replace rough taxes, insurance, HOA, utilities, vacancy, maintenance, and management assumptions with evidence.
3 - Read NOI & Cap Rate
Evaluate the property before financing.
4 - Read DSCR
Check whether NOI comfortably covers the modeled debt service.
5 - Read Cash Flow & CoC
Evaluate what the specific financing structure leaves for the investor.
6 - Check Verdict Reasons
Identify exactly which metric is weak.
7 - Change One Thing
Test price, rent, down payment, rate, or gap structure one at a time so you know what is driving the result.
8 - Verify Before Offer
Use tax records, insurance quotes, rent evidence, inspections, loan terms, servicer information, and real closing-cost estimates.
Common mistakes: passing the 1% rule does not prove a good deal; high cap rate does not guarantee cash flow; low interest does not guarantee better economics; positive cash flow can still be a poor return on a large cash investment.
Annual NOI ÷ (purchase price + repairs + closing costs)
Investor Cash Flow
NOI - CapEx reserve - P&I - mortgage insurance
Cash-on-Cash
Annual investor cash flow ÷ cash invested
DSCR — Deal Analysis
Annual NOI ÷ annual P&I debt service
DSCR — Loan Calculator
Qualifying monthly rent ÷ modeled monthly housing obligation
1% Rule
Base monthly rent ≥ 1% of purchase price
Debt Yield
Annual NOI ÷ active loan balance
Mortgage P&I
Standard fixed-rate amortization payment based on loan principal, monthly interest rate, and number of monthly payments
Affordability Housing Budget
Lower of the housing-ratio budget and total-DTI housing budget after existing monthly debts
Equity Gap
Purchase price - assumed loan balance
Gap Financed
Equity gap - cash applied to gap
Total Assumable P&I
Assumed-loan P&I + gap-loan P&I
SCREEN FIRST. VERIFY SECOND. DECIDE THIRD.
Business Analyzer is a screening and decision-support tool. Use it to normalize earnings, test acquisition financing, compare the asking price with SDE or EBITDA, and estimate what may remain for the buyer after debt service.
1. Business Dashboard
SDE
Seller's Discretionary Earnings. A small-business cash-earnings measure commonly used for owner-operated businesses. Deal Seeker Tools can use seller-reported SDE or calculate a screening SDE from the expense inputs.
SDE Multiple
Purchase price divided by active SDE. Multiples vary heavily by industry, size, concentration, growth, systems, and risk, so this is context rather than an automatic pass/fail rule.
Cash-on-Cash
Annual buyer cash flow after acquisition debt and any required manager/owner salary, divided by modeled cash invested.
Business DSCR
Cash earnings available for acquisition debt service divided by annual acquisition debt payments. This is a screening calculation; actual lender underwriting can use different add-backs and adjustments.
2. Purchase & Financing
Model the acquisition price, buyer cash, bank/SBA-style financing, seller financing, closing costs, and working capital. Seller financing reduces the bank loan dollar-for-dollar in this model.
Bank Loan = Purchase Price - Down Payment - Seller Note Cash Invested = Down Payment + Closing Costs + Working Capital + Outside-Price Inventory + Other Upfront Costs Effective Acquisition Cost = Purchase Price + Outside-Price Inventory + Other Upfront Costs + Assumed Liabilities - Acquired A/R
3. Business Performance
Enter annual revenue and recurring operating costs. Employee payroll should exclude the current owner's compensation when using the calculated-SDE path.
Choose whether the analyzer uses the operating-input calculation, the seller's claimed SDE, or an independently rebuilt SDE from net income and visible add-backs.
Rebuilt SDE
Starts with net income, adds supportable owner compensation, interest, depreciation/amortization and documented discretionary or one-time expenses, then subtracts non-recurring income.
Reported EBITDA
Optional. If provided, Deal Seeker Tools shows a price-to-EBITDA multiple. EBITDA is more common for larger or manager-run businesses than SDE.
Required Owner/Manager Salary
A buyer-side adjustment for replacement labor. This is critical when the seller works substantially in the business and the buyer will not personally replace that work.
Rebuilt SDE = Net Income + Supportable Add-Backs - Non-Recurring Income
5. Financial History & Trend
Enter up to three fiscal years plus trailing 12 months. Deal Seeker Tools shows revenue trend, SDE trend, and average historical SDE so one unusually strong period does not dominate the analysis.
6. Business Quality & Due-Diligence Risk
Customer concentration, owner dependence, lease control, key-person dependence, documentation quality, license/credential transfer risk, and negative historical trends can materially change the quality of a deal even when the headline multiple looks attractive.
Risk flags are screening prompts, not legal or valuation conclusions. A flagged item should trigger deeper diligence rather than automatic rejection.
7. Buyer Targets & Valuation Range
Set your own minimum cash-on-cash return, DSCR, and annual buyer cash flow. Enter low/high comparable SDE multiples only when you have defensible comparable transaction evidence.
Indicated Value Range = Active SDE × User-Entered Comparable Multiple Range
The verdict now compares the deal with your own return and debt-coverage targets and also checks the due-diligence risk flags. Industry valuation multiples are still not treated as a universal pass/fail rule because reasonable multiples vary substantially by business type, size, growth, transferability, documentation quality, and risk.
Verify before buying: tax returns, P&Ls, bank statements, payroll, leases, licenses, customer concentration, inventory, equipment condition, owner add-backs, working-capital needs, legal liabilities, and lender terms.
New here? Start in three steps.1. Enter the purchase price. 2. Add rent and real expenses. 3. Read the verdict and change assumptions.
Deal Seeker Memberships
Save. Compare. Project.
Save your deals, compare properties side by side, and project long-term returns with advanced analysis when you need it.
Enter the deal details to evaluate the investment.
Smart Property Search
Start with an address. One Deal Seeker search pulls the property record plus RentCast rent/value estimates and their comparable properties, while reusing cached results whenever possible.
Sign in to use Smart Property Search. Manual analysis remains available to everyone.
Property Facts
Public record data
Rent Estimate
RentCast AVM
—
Current Value Estimate
RentCast AVM
—
Rental Comps
Property
Rent
Beds/Baths
Sq Ft
Distance
DOM
Match
Sale Comps
Property
Price
Beds/Baths
Sq Ft
$/Sq Ft
Distance
DOM
Match
Deal Seeker AnalysisTaxes and HOA are filled automatically when available. Rent stays under your control unless you press “Use Estimate as Unit 1 Rent.” Purchase price remains your actual deal price, not the AVM value.
Smart Report usage: one new live property pull counts as one Smart Property Report and includes property facts, rent/value estimates, rental comps, and sale comps when available. Cached properties and saved RentCast snapshots can be reopened without using another report. Estimates are not appraisals and should be independently verified.
Property Purchase
Price, financing terms, and capital required to close.
Enter as % of purchase price.
Enter the actual rate you are quoted or want to model. No market rate is inserted automatically.
Separate from P&I — reduces cash flow but isn't part of standard debt service for DSCR.Required below 20% down. Enter the quoted monthly PMI/MIP, or 0 only if your loan has no mortgage insurance.
Income
Rent from every unit, plus any laundry or other revenue.
Unit 1
Monthly Expenses
Taxes and insurance are entered yearly; other fixed costs are monthly. Maintenance, vacancy, and management are a % of rent.
Taxes and insurance start blank intentionally. Enter the property-specific annual amounts. Deal Seeker Tools divides each by 12 for monthly calculations; typing 0 is treated as an intentional value.
Percentage-based (of gross rent)
Applied to scheduled unit rent only, not laundry or other ancillary income.
This is what standard NOI, Cap Rate, and DSCR are built on.
50% Rule Estimate
$0
Your Entered Expenses
$0
Difference
$0
The 50% rule is a rough screening shortcut, not a pass/fail test — it estimates that operating expenses (excl. debt service, excl. CapEx) run near half of gross income. A big gap in either direction is worth a second look: far below often means an expense line is missing; far above may signal a genuinely expensive property to operate.
Capital Expenditure Reserve — kept separate from NOI
CapEx reserve funds big-ticket items (roof, HVAC, water heater) — separate from routine maintenance. Standard Cap Rate and DSCR exclude it (matching conventional definitions); it still reduces your actual investor cash flow and cash-on-cash return below, because it's real money you should be setting aside. Set to 0 if you'd rather budget for these separately.
Investor Targets
Set the minimum performance you personally require. Deal Seeker Tools uses these targets for the Deal Verdict instead of treating one return threshold as right for every investor.
Used when the active financing path has debt. A debt-free deal is not penalized.
These are your screening targets, not universal market rules. Change them to match your strategy, risk tolerance, and financing.
Summary
Net operating income, returns, and cashflow.
NOI ÷ (price + repairs + closing costs)
NOI ÷ annual debt service — investor estimate; lender underwriting may calculate qualifying NOI/expenses differently
Annual NOI ÷ active loan balance. Independent of interest rate and amortization.
Stress Test
See how the active deal performs if rent weakens and operating pressure rises. Adjust the conservative and stress assumptions below.
Conservative
Stress
Rent change
%
%
Vacancy increase
pts
pts
Maintenance increase
pts
pts
Metric
Base
Conservative
Stress
Monthly Cash Flow
—
—
—
Cash-on-Cash
—
—
—
DSCR
—
—
—
Targets Met
—
—
—
Enter a valid deal to run the stress test.
Assumable Loan Analysis
Model taking over the seller's FHA or VA loan instead of financing conventionally.
Is this loan assumable?
Flip on to route the deal's cashflow through the assumed + gap financing numbers below
VA loans are assumable by non-veterans too; ask the servicer whether a funding fee applies unless the assuming buyer is exempt.
Servicer fee for processing the assumption — varies by lender and loan type, confirm the actual number.
FHA-assumed loans often still carry monthly mortgage insurance even at a great rate — don't let a low rate hide this cost.
Monthly Payment Savings vs. Conventional (at Interest Rate % above)
$0
This is a simple weighted average of the two note rates, not a true blended cost of financing — the assumed and gap loans can have different remaining amortization schedules. Use the payment and cash-on-cash comparison below as the real decision point, not this rate alone.
Conventional vs. Assumable — side by side
Metric
Conventional
Assumable
Cash Required
Debt (Primary + Gap)
Monthly P&I
Monthly Cashflow
Cash-on-Cash Return
DSCR
The highlighted column is whichever path the toggle above is set to. Payment savings alone doesn't tell you which deal is better — these two structures use very different amounts of cash, so compare cash-on-cash and DSCR, not just the payment.
PRO
Assumable Loan Analysis
This analysis is included with Deal Seeker Pro. Start a 7-day free trial to unlock the assumable-loan inputs, payment comparison, cash required, Cash-on-Cash, and DSCR analysis.
Disclaimer: Deal Seeker Tools is a screening and educational tool designed to help you estimate where a potential investment may stand based on the information you enter. It is not financial, legal, tax, lending, or investment advice. You are solely responsible for independently verifying all property, financing, income, expense, tax, insurance, loan, and market information; performing your own research and calculations; and reaching your own investment conclusions and decisions.
PRO
Fix & Flip Analysis
Unlock the full flip model including rehab, financing, holding costs, stress tests, target-based maximum offer, ROI, margin, and break-even analysis.
Underwrite the full project — acquisition, rehab, financing, holding, sale, target returns, and downside risk.
Net Profit
—
after all modeled costs
ROI — Total Cost
—
net profit ÷ project cost
Cash Required
—
modeled investor cash deployed
Quick Screens
70% Rule —Targets —
Flip Verdict
Not Enough Data
Enter the required project assumptions to evaluate the flip.
Property / Acquisition
Start with what you pay, what the renovated property should be worth, and what you realistically expect to sell it for.
Starts with ARV but can be overridden independently.
Risk context only; it does not silently change the math.
Bundled estimate. Advanced mode replaces this with itemized acquisition costs.
Itemized Acquisition Costs
Rehab
Estimate the renovation scope and keep a separate contingency for surprises.
Editable assumption; applied once to the active rehab budget.
Detailed Rehab Budget
Financing
Model cash, hard money, private, conventional, or seller financing. Loan interest stays separate from property holding costs.
Choose the structure from the actual lender term sheet.
Simple-mode approximation for progressively drawn rehab funds.
Lender Constraints & Fees
Off by default. Turn on only when your lender has these constraints.
Monthly Rehab Draw Schedule
Used only in Advanced mode with As-Disbursed interest. Percentages must total 100% across rehab months.
Draw total: 100%
Hold period exceeds the entered loan term. Verify extension availability and include any extension fee.
Holding Costs
Taxes and insurance are entered annually for easier quoting; Deal Seeker Tools converts them to monthly carrying costs internally.
Selling Costs
Percentage costs use the Projected Sale Price, not ARV when you override the sale assumption.
Investor Targets
Define what a good flip means to you. These are editable goals, not universal industry rules.
Solved using the same full flip engine, not a shortcut formula.
Strong Deal requires all targets plus a 25% cushion on your minimum Profit, ROI, and Margin targets. Duration and Loan-to-ARV must remain within your stated limits.
Results & Cost Breakdown
Primary return metrics first; supporting costs and lender ratios below.
Net Profit
—
Net sale proceeds − total project cost
ROI — Total Cost
—
Net profit ÷ total project cost
Return on Cash Invested
—
Net profit ÷ modeled investor cash deployed
Profit Margin
—
Net profit ÷ projected sale price
Break-Even Sale Price
—
Sale price that produces $0 modeled profit
Cash Required
—
Investor-funded project cash
Simple Annualized ROI
—
Simple annualization, not compounded IRR
Profit per Month
—
Net profit ÷ hold months
Screening heuristic only.
Break-even sale price is above the entered ARV.
Flip Stress Test
The same calculation engine is rerun under fixed downside scenarios so you can see whether the deal survives common misses.
Base
As entered
Net Profit—
ROI—
Profit Margin—
Cash Required—
Break-Even—
Targets —
Conservative
Rehab +10% · Sale −5% · Hold +2 mo
Net Profit—
ROI—
Profit Margin—
Cash Required—
Break-Even—
Targets —
Stress
Rehab +20% · Sale −10% · Hold +4 mo · Rate +2 pts
Net Profit—
ROI—
Profit Margin—
Cash Required—
Break-Even—
Targets —
Disclaimer: Fix & Flip results are screening estimates based entirely on the assumptions entered. Verify ARV with appropriate comparable sales, rehab with qualified bids, lender terms with the actual lender, and all taxes, insurance, holding, closing, and selling costs before making an offer or investment decision.
MORTGAGE
Your mortgage estimate
Estimate principal and interest plus taxes, insurance, PMI/MIP, and HOA using the assumptions you enter.
Monthly Payment
—
P&I
—
Loan Amount
—
Loan Details
Enter the actual loan assumptions you want to model. Deal Seeker Tools does not insert a market rate automatically.
Enter as % of home price.
Used only when Loan Program is set to Custom term.
Use the rate you were quoted or want to model.That rate is unusually high for a home mortgage. Confirm that you entered the percentage correctly before relying on the estimate.
—
Required below 20% down. Enter the quoted amount, or 0 only if intentionally modeling none.
Used for payoff and interest-savings estimates. It is not included in the required monthly-payment wheel.
Estimated payment—/ month
Principal & Interest$0.00
Property Taxes$0.00
Home Insurance$0.00
PMI / MIP$0.00
HOA$0.00
Total Monthly Payment—
P&I Payment—
Total Interest—
Total Loan Cost—
Estimated Payoff—
Enter loan assumptions to calculate the payment.
Annual summary of the amortization schedule. Extra principal, if entered, is included.
← Scroll sideways to see every column →← Deslice hacia los lados para ver todas las columnas →
Year
Payments
Principal
Interest
Ending Balance
Enter a valid loan to see the amortization schedule.
Disclaimer: Mortgage Calculator results are estimates based only on the assumptions you enter. They are not a loan quote or approval. Verify lender rate, APR, taxes, insurance, PMI/MIP, HOA, escrow requirements, fees, and actual payment terms before making a financing or purchase decision.
DSCR LOAN
DSCR Loan Calculator
Estimate lender-style rental-property DSCR using qualifying monthly rent divided by the modeled monthly housing obligation. This standalone tool is separate from the NOI-based DSCR used in Deal Analysis.
Standalone convention: Qualifying Monthly Rent ÷ (P&I + Property Taxes + Insurance + HOA + any optional lender-included monthly expense). Lender methods vary, so verify the exact rent and expense convention used for your loan.
Property & Loan Assumptions
Use the rent and loan terms your lender is likely to recognize. Deal Seeker Tools does not insert a market rate or lender-specific underwriting rule automatically.
Use the rent your lender is likely to recognize, such as documented lease rent or appraised market rent.
Enter as % of purchase price.
—
—
Used only when Loan Program is set to Custom term.
Enter the actual note rate you were quoted or want to model.
Optional. Use only for a recurring monthly item your lender includes in the DSCR denominator.
1.25x is a common screening target, not a universal lender requirement.
Debt Service Coverage Ratio—Qualifying Rent ÷ Modeled Monthly Obligation
Enter assumptionsComplete the required fields to calculate DSCR.
Principal & Interest—
Property Taxes / Month—
Insurance / Month—
HOA / Month—
Other Included Expense—
Modeled Monthly Obligation—
Required Rent for Target—
Maximum Monthly Obligation—
Maximum Loan for Target—
Required Down Payment for Target—
Monthly room vs. target—
Disclaimer: This DSCR Loan Calculator is an educational screening estimate. DSCR lenders can use different rent sources, expense definitions, minimum ratios, LTV limits, reserve requirements, appraisal rules, and program overlays. Confirm the exact underwriting method and qualifying rent with the lender before relying on this result.
AFFORDABILITY
Home Affordability Calculator
Uses the traditional 28% housing / 36% total-debt guideline as a conservative affordability screen. Actual lender qualification can differ by loan program, credit profile, reserves, and automated underwriting.
Max Home Price
$0
—
Max Monthly Housing
$0
P&I + tax + insurance + HOA + PMI
Max Loan Amount
$0
Front — · Back —
Income & Debts
Car loans, student loans, credit cards, and other required monthly debt payments — not rent.
Loan Assumptions
Used only below 20% down. Actual PMI varies by lender, credit, LTV, and loan type.
Estimated Housing Costs
Because the home price is the unknown, taxes and insurance are modeled as editable annual percentages of the estimated home price.
Affordability Targets
28/36 are conservative defaults, not universal approval limits. Adjust them only when you intentionally want to model a different underwriting assumption.
Disclaimer: The 28/36 guideline is a conservative affordability screen, not a lender approval limit. Actual allowable debt-to-income ratios and qualification depend on loan program, borrower profile, credit, reserves, documentation, and underwriting. Verify actual taxes, insurance, PMI, HOA, rate, fees, and lender requirements before making a purchase decision.
PRO
Future Returns / IRR
Long-term projections, projected IRR, equity multiple, sale proceeds, principal paydown, and year-by-year performance are included with Deal Seeker Pro.
Project the long-term, pre-tax performance of the same property using the numbers already entered in Deal Analysis.
Using your Deal Analysis inputsEnter a purchase price, rent, expenses, and financing in Deal Analysis first.
How long you expect to own the property before selling.
Compounded annually. This is an assumption, not a forecast.
Applied to base rent and recurring ancillary income.
Applied to fixed operating expenses such as taxes and insurance.
Applied to the projected sale price before paying off remaining debt.
Projection control only. Actual PMI/MIP cancellation rules vary by loan, occupancy, insurer, and servicer.
Used only when Custom duration is selected.
Projected Sale Value
—
At the end of the holding period
Net Sale Proceeds
—
After selling costs and remaining debt; before income/capital-gains taxes
Projected IRR
—
Money-weighted annualized return from projected cash flows
Equity Multiple
—
Total projected cash returned ÷ initial cash invested
Total Operating Cash Flow
—
Cumulative projected cash flow during ownership
Principal Paydown
—
Reduction in acquisition debt over the holding period
Projected Equity
—
Projected property value minus remaining debt; before selling costs and taxes
Appreciation
—
Projected increase in property value
Total Projected Profit
—
Operating cash flow + net sale proceeds − initial cash invested
Year-by-Year Projection
Income and fixed expenses compound annually. Percentage-based reserves continue to track projected rent. Fixed-rate debt amortizes using the financing already entered in Deal Analysis.
Year
Gross Income
Operating Expenses
NOI
CapEx
Debt + MI
Cash Flow
Est. Value
Loan Balance
Equity
Enter a complete deal to generate the projection.
Projection, not prediction. Future Returns is a deterministic, pre-tax scenario based on the assumptions entered. It does not model depreciation, income taxes, capital-gains tax, depreciation recapture, tax-law changes, refinancing, major one-time capital projects, irregular rent changes, insurance shocks, reassessment rules, or transaction-specific sale taxes. Verify those separately.
IRR uses the initial cash investment as the first negative cash flow, projected annual property cash flows during ownership, and the final year's net sale proceeds. Selling costs reduce the terminal proceeds. Remaining mortgage balances are calculated from the amortization schedules entered in Deal Analysis.
PRO
Compare Properties
Compare two investment properties side by side with independent assumptions, copied scenarios, financing differences, returns, and deal metrics.
Compare two live opportunities side by side. Each property stays fully independent, so you can see which deal deserves your time and capital without rebuilding the same analysis twice.
Optional — Copy Assumptions
Select only what you want copied. All copied values remain fully editable. Leave everything unchecked when the two deals have unrelated conditions.
Property A
Property B
Side-by-Side Comparison
The calculations remain independent. This table simply brings the headline outputs together so you can compare the two deals without mentally switching between calculators.
Metric
Property A
Property B
Purchase Price
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—
Gross Monthly Income
—
—
Initial Cash Needed
—
—
Cap Rate
—
—
Cash-on-Cash
—
—
Monthly Cash Flow
—
—
DSCR
—
—
Deal Verdict
—
—
Projected IRR
—
—
Projected Equity
—
—
PRO
Business Analyzer
Unlock business acquisition analysis with SDE and EBITDA normalization, acquisition financing, buyer cash flow, DSCR, valuation multiples, risk flags, and investor targets.
Enter the business details to evaluate the acquisition.
Business Purchase & Financing
Acquisition price, buyer cash, bank financing, seller financing, and working capital.
Bank / SBA-Style Financing
Enter the actual bank/SBA-style rate you are quoted or want to model. No market rate is inserted automatically.
Seller Note
Seller financing is modeled as amortizing debt. Real seller notes may include interest-only periods, standby requirements, balloons, or lender-specific subordination terms; verify the actual structure.
Business Performance
Annual revenue and recurring operating expenses. Use verified trailing results when available.
Calculated SDE
—
Revenue less recurring operating costs entered above.
Calculated SDE Margin
—
Calculated SDE as a percentage of revenue.
Operating Expense Ratio
—
Entered recurring expenses as a percentage of revenue.
Earnings Normalization & Add-Back Check
Choose the earnings source you want Deal Seeker Tools to analyze. Rebuilding SDE from financial statements makes claimed add-backs visible instead of hiding them inside one seller number.
Use replacement-market compensation if the buyer will not personally perform the seller's work.
Only use add-backs that are supportable and non-recurring or genuinely discretionary. Reconcile them to tax returns, P&Ls, payroll, invoices, and bank records. Seller-reported SDE is not treated as verified simply because it appears in a listing or broker package.
Financial History & Trend
Compare multiple periods instead of valuing a business from one unusually strong year. Use oldest-to-newest annual figures plus trailing 12 months when available.
Revenue Trend
—
Oldest entered period to TTM/latest entered period.
SDE Trend
—
Direction of normalized owner earnings over the entered history.
Average Historical SDE
—
Average of the non-zero SDE history figures entered.
Business Quality & Due-Diligence Risk
These factors do not replace diligence, but they help stop a financially attractive multiple from hiding concentration, owner-dependence, lease, or documentation risk.
Buyer Targets & Valuation Range
Set your own minimum return and debt-coverage requirements. Comparable multiples are user inputs because a reasonable multiple varies by industry, size, growth, transferability, and risk.
Comparable multiples should come from genuinely comparable completed transactions or qualified valuation work. Deal Seeker Tools does not supply a universal industry multiple or formal appraisal.
Business Summary & Valuation
What you are paying for the earnings, and what the modeled financing leaves for the buyer.
Industry multiples differ dramatically. Deal Seeker Tools shows SDE, EBITDA, and revenue multiples for context but does not declare a universal “good” multiple.
Disclaimer: Deal Seeker Tools is a screening and educational tool designed to help estimate where a potential business acquisition may stand based on the information you enter. It is not financial, legal, tax, accounting, lending, valuation, or investment advice. You are solely responsible for verifying financial statements, tax returns, add-backs, debt, leases, licenses, contracts, inventory, assets, liabilities, working-capital requirements, lender terms, and all other information; performing your own research and calculations; and reaching your own acquisition conclusions and decisions.
Deal Seeker Tools