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Field notes for rental property operators
Short posts on the numbers and routines that decide whether a rental portfolio compounds or bleeds. New entries every other week alongside the newsletter.
The 1% Rule Is a Sanity Check, Not a Strategy
Learn how the 1% rule works for rental properties, where it can mislead investors, and what to calculate before deciding whether a deal works.
Read the post- Financial SystemsAugust 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Why Your Cash Flow Disappears in Year Two
Turnover, deferred maintenance, and underfunded reserves are the three lines that turn a year-one winner into a year-two loss.
- Deal AnalysisAugust 14, 2026 · 8 min read
Reading a Rent Roll Before You Buy a Small Multifamily
Contract rent versus market rent, lease expiration clustering, and deposit reconciliation tell you what the seller is not saying.
- Financial SystemsAugust 14, 2026 · 5 min read
Schedule E Categories That Save You at Tax Time
Matching your chart of accounts to IRS Schedule E lines turns tax prep from a reclassification project into a copy exercise.
- Rental Property AccountingAugust 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Rental Bookkeeping 101: How to Track Income and Expenses
A simple, repeatable bookkeeping routine for landlords: separate accounts, a Schedule E chart of accounts, and a 30-minute monthly close.
- Financial TrackingAugust 14, 2026 · 8 min read
Understanding Cash Flow: The Foundation of Rental Property Success
What cash flow really means for a rental, the four expense lines beginners skip, and why steady-state modeling blinds you to year-two losses.
- Tenant ManagementAugust 14, 2026 · 9 min read
Tenant Screening Best Practices: Protecting Your Investment
Written criteria, document-based income verification, and the previous-landlord reference that actually tells you the truth.
- Rental Property MaintenanceAugust 14, 2026 · 8 min read
Property Inspection Essentials: What Every Landlord Should Know
Move-in, quarterly, and annual inspection routines that catch slow leaks and tenant damage while the fix is still cheap.
- Financial TrackingAugust 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Building Your First Rental Budget: A Step-by-Step Guide
A first-year operating budget built from gross rent, fixed expenses, variable expenses, and a reserve contribution you actually fund.
- Financial TrackingAugust 14, 2026 · 6 min read
Emergency Reserve Funds: How Much You Really Need
Two separate reserves, two separate math problems: an operating emergency fund for vacancy and repairs, and a capital reserve for component replacement.
- Financial TrackingAugust 14, 2026 · 8 min read
Net Operating Income (NOI): Calculate and Improve Your Profitability
How to calculate NOI correctly, why it excludes debt service and reserves, and the three levers that actually move it.
- Real Estate InvestingAugust 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Cap Rate Explained: Evaluating Rental Property Investments
What cap rate measures, when it is useful, and why comparing it across markets without adjusting for expense ratios misleads you.
- Financial TrackingAugust 14, 2026 · 6 min read
Vacancy Loss: Planning for Rental Income Gaps
How to estimate vacancy loss honestly, the turnover costs that compound it, and the retention habits that shrink it.
- Rental Property MaintenanceAugust 14, 2026 · 8 min read
Preventive Maintenance: Save Money Long-Term
A seasonal calendar, component lifespans, and a funded reserve that convert emergency calls into scheduled, priced work.
- Landlord TipsAugust 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Rental Property Insurance: Coverage You Cannot Afford to Skip
Dwelling, liability, loss of rent, and umbrella coverage explained, plus the gaps that catch landlords after a claim.
- Rental Property AccountingAugust 14, 2026 · 9 min read
Taxes and Recordkeeping for Landlords (Educational Overview)
An educational overview of Schedule E reporting, deductible expenses, depreciation basics, and the recordkeeping habits that survive scrutiny.
- Real Estate InvestingAugust 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Cash-on-Cash Return: Measuring Your Real Investment Performance
Why cash-on-cash return measures your specific deal, how it differs from cap rate, and the equity it deliberately ignores.
- Rental UpgradesAugust 14, 2026 · 8 min read
Renovation ROI: When to Upgrade and When to Hold
A framework for ranking renovations by rent uplift and durability, and the upgrades that rarely pay back in a rental.
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