Short-Term vs. Long-Term Rental: What I Learned Running Both in the Same Duplex
Short-term vs. long-term rental, compared from a duplex running both: a long-term tenant upstairs and an Airbnb basement. Income, time cost, vacancy risk, and rules.
The 50% Rule for Rental Properties, Explained With a Worked Example
The 50% rule says half your rental’s gross rent goes to operating costs before the mortgage. The formula, where the number comes from, and where it breaks for a house hack.
House Hacking Index 2026: LoopNet’s Best Cities, Re-Scored
LoopNet’s new House Hacking Index ranks cities by investor gross yield on its own listings, and the Foothold Score ranks
New Homes Keep Getting Smaller. Here Is How Buyers Come Out Ahead
New American homes are getting smaller: the median new single-family house was about 2,176 square feet in late 2025 Census
Multigenerational Living Is Rising, and the 2-4 Unit Home Was Built for It
Multigenerational living is defined as two or more adult generations sharing one home. In the United States it has grown
What I Wish Someone Told Me Before My First Rental
First rental property tips that survive contact with reality: buy for the tenant pool you want, price the boring systems
How to Analyze a 2-4 Unit Property, Step by Step
A 2-4 unit property is analyzed in four passes, in order: the metro (do local rents support local prices), the
The 1% Rule in Real Estate: What It Screens For, and Where It Breaks
The 1% rule says monthly rent should equal 1% of purchase price. See what the screen catches, what it misses, and why my duplex failed it and still won.
Cap Rate, Explained With a Worked Example
Cap rate is net operating income divided by purchase price. See the formula, a line-by-line duplex example, and why house hackers need a different metric.
Is Rent-to-Own a Good Idea? How It Works and the Risks
The pitch sounds like a bridge, and sometimes it is. How the money flows in rent-to-own, the traps, and the alternatives to price first.