Calculators

Four calculators, and their assumptions.

Generic math. No MLS or listing data is used in any of these, and every assumption is shown rather than buried.

Real estate calculators

Run the numbers.

A plain tool for vetting the financial feasibility of an investment property. Enter the numbers and see whether the rent covers the costs, the monthly cash flow, your return on cash, and whether the income services the loan. It won't tell you a property is "the best deal," and it doesn't forecast prices. It answers a simpler, more useful question: does this one work? Hover any ? for a plain-language explanation.

The property

Purchase price ?Purchase price. The total you pay for the property. It sets your loan size and down payment and drives your property-tax estimate.

Down payment ?Down payment. The share you pay in cash up front. A larger down payment means a smaller loan and lower monthly payment, but more cash tied up, which lowers your cash-on-cash return.

Closing costs ?Closing costs. One-time fees at purchase (title, escrow, lender fees), as a % of price. Added to the cash you invest, so they affect cash-on-cash return and break-even time.

Financing (institutional loan)

Interest rate ?Interest rate. The annual rate from a traditional lender. It drives your monthly principal & interest payment. The default is the current U.S. average from Freddie Mac; your actual rate depends on your credit, the property, and the loan. Investment-property loans often price higher than owner-occupied.

U.S. avg 30-yr fixed: 6.67%, Freddie Mac (week of Aug 13, 2026). Not a quote; your rate will vary. Editable.

Term (yrs) ?Loan term. Years to repay the loan (usually 30). A longer term lowers the monthly payment but means more interest paid over the life of the loan.

Income

Rent / month ?Gross monthly rent. The top of the income stack. Everything flows from here: minus vacancy and operating expenses gives NOI, which drives your cash flow and return. Use a realistic market rent. We're glad to help you gauge it.

Vacancy ?Vacancy allowance. The share of the year you assume the unit sits empty between tenants. It reduces your effective rental income before expenses.

Annual operating expenses

Property tax ?Property tax. Annual tax as a % of purchase price (~1.1 to 1.25% in much of California under Prop 13). An operating expense that lowers NOI.

Insurance / yr ?Insurance. Annual hazard/landlord insurance in dollars. An operating expense subtracted from income to reach NOI.

Maintenance ?Maintenance & repairs. A budget for upkeep, set here as a % of rent. Real properties need it, so including it keeps the numbers honest. Lowers NOI.

Management ?Property management. A manager's fee as a % of rent (typically 6 to 10%). Set to 0 if you'll self-manage. An operating expense that lowers NOI.

HOA / month ?HOA dues. Monthly homeowners-association fees, if any (common for condos/townhomes). An operating expense that lowers NOI.

Your assumptions (projections, not facts)

These three fields are your own forecasts. They only affect the long-range projection at the bottom, not the cash-flow feasibility above.

Appreciation / yr ?Appreciation. Your assumed annual growth in the property's value. It compounds the future value and, with loan paydown, builds equity over time. A projection, not a promise, no one can know it.

Rent growth / yr ?Rent growth. Your assumed annual increase in rent. It lifts income each year in the projection. A forecast, not a guarantee.

Holding period (yrs) ?Holding period. How long you plan to own before selling. It sets the horizon for the projection charts below.

Alternative return ?Your alternative. The annual return you could reasonably earn elsewhere with the same cash, say, a stock-index fund. Historically the S&P 500 has averaged roughly 10%/yr before inflation (nearer 7% after), but it's volatile and not guaranteed. We measure the property's projected return against this.

How to read this: the top section is a feasibility check on today's numbers, Rent − vacancy − operating expenses = NOI, and NOI − mortgage = cash flow. The long-range projection below (equity, wealth, and the market comparison) is a scenario built on the appreciation and rent-growth figures you enter, a what-if, not a forecast or a ranking of deals.

Monthly cash flow

Rent minus all costs & the mortgage · monthly average, real months vary

Monthly payment (P&I)

Principal & interest · fixed each month

Down payment

Long-range projection · based on your assumptions

This property vs. a market fund

The headline question: does this beat the market? Your total position in the property, the equity you could cash out, plus the rent you've collected, against the same starting cash compounding in your alternative. Where the property line climbs above the fund line is when it "beats the market," under your assumptions.

How this property builds wealth

A rental builds wealth three ways at once, value growth (appreciation), the mortgage being paid down for you, and cash flow. Cash flow is often negative in the early years, but the green line is your net wealth built, positive from the start. Based on your assumptions; before taxes and selling costs.

Equity over time

How equity could build from loan paydown and your assumed appreciation, even while the bank holds the mortgage.

The bottom line, at year

Your market

Market ?Your market. Pick the area you're weighing. We prefill the appreciation assumption from our recent MLS trend for that market. It's a starting point, not a forecast, edit it for your own horizon.

The home

Home price ?Home price. The purchase price of the home you'd buy.

Down payment ?Down payment. Cash down as a % of price; the rest is your loan. Also part of the cash a renter would invest instead.

Closing costs ?Closing costs. One-time buying costs (title, escrow, lender), as a % of price. Part of your upfront cash, and a cost renting avoids.

Financing

Interest rate ?Interest rate. Your 30-yr fixed rate. Default is the current national average from Freddie Mac; your rate will vary.

Term (yrs) ?Loan term. Years to repay (usually 30).

Ownership costs

Property tax ?Property tax rate. Effective rate on assessed value (~1.1 to 1.25% in much of CA). Under Prop 13 your assessed value rises only ~2%/yr, so we grow it at that cap, not with the market, a real long-term owner advantage this tool models.

Insurance / yr ?Homeowner's insurance. Annual premium in dollars.

Maintenance ?Maintenance & upkeep. Yearly budget as a % of the home's value (~1%). Owners pay this; renters don't.

HOA / month ?HOA dues. Monthly HOA fees, if any.

Renting (the alternative)

Current rent / mo ?Your rent today. What you pay now (or would pay) to rent a comparable home.

Rent growth / yr ?Rent growth. How fast your rent rises each year. A projection.

Assumptions

Appreciation / yr ?Home appreciation. Assumed yearly growth in the home's value. Prefilled from your market's recent MLS trend; edit for your own view. A projection, not a promise.

Years you'll stay ?Holding period. How long before you'd sell or move. Buying usually wins only if you stay long enough to outrun the buying and selling costs.

Selling costs ?Selling costs. Commissions, escrow, and fees when you eventually sell, as a % of sale price (~6 to 8%).

Investment return ?Your alternative return. Rent instead of buying and you invest the down payment plus any monthly savings. This is the annual return you'd earn on that money (e.g., a stock-index fund). Volatile and not guaranteed.

Your taxes (for the CA & federal benefit)

Deductions only help if your itemized deductions beat the standard deduction. We check that for federal and California separately, an estimate, not tax advice.

Filing status ?Filing status. Sets the standard deduction we compare against and the capital-gains exclusion ($250k single / $500k married).

Federal marginal rate ?Federal marginal tax rate. Your top federal bracket (e.g., 22%, 24%, 32%). Deductions save this rate, but only on the amount above your federal standard deduction, which is high, so many buyers see little federal benefit.

California marginal rate ?California marginal tax rate. Your top CA bracket (often ~9.3%). California's standard deduction is small and it has no SALT cap, so the CA benefit is frequently real even when the federal one isn't.

How to read this: we compare buying (its costs, minus tax benefits, plus the equity and appreciation you keep) against renting and investing the difference (your down payment plus any monthly savings, compounding at your assumed return). The chart plots each path's net worth year by year; where the lines cross is your breakeven. Includes California's Prop 13, deductions, and the $250k/$500k primary-home gains exclusion. Educational estimate, not tax advice.

Buy vs. rent, at yr

Breakeven

When buying pulls ahead

Tax benefit, yr 1

Buy vs. keep renting, net worth over time

Your net worth: buy vs. rent & invest

Buying's line is your home equity if you sold that year (after selling costs and loan payoff), plus any side investments. Renting's line is your down payment and monthly savings invested at your assumed return. Where buying climbs above renting is your breakeven, under your assumptions.

The bottom line, at year

Important. This calculator is an educational estimate for gauging feasibility, not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, and not an offer of credit. It relies on figures you enter and on simplified assumptions, so it cannot capture your full situation, actual results will differ. The mortgage rate shown is a national average from Freddie Mac and is not a quote; your rate will vary. Any appreciation, rent-growth, or resale figures are hypothetical projections, not predictions. Homes by Paarth is not a lender, financial advisor, or tax advisor. Before acting, consult the appropriate licensed professionals, and talk with us, so we can pressure-test the numbers against the real market.

Have us review a real property

Four calculators, and their assumptions.

Run the numbers.

The property

This property vs. a market fund

How this property builds wealth

Equity over time

The bottom line, at year

Your market

The home

Your net worth: buy vs. rent & invest

The bottom line, at year

Your situation

The read

Your current loan

The read