Community
Share what you are seeing in the market, ask a question, post a property you found, or publish the underwriting you completed in Deal Lab.
PropertyU Team
One of the easiest mistakes in underwriting is being too optimistic about rent growth. Small differences compound quickly over a five-year hold. What assumption do you usually stress-test first — rent growth, exit cap, vacancy, or expense inflation?
PropertyU Team
For people interested in acquisitions: what skill are you working on most right now — underwriting, Excel, market research, or networking? Most analysts we talk to say the modeling gets learned on the job, but the market knowledge is what makes you useful in an interview.
PropertyU Team
Demo analysis: student housing underwritten by the bed. The returns look strong, but the leasing season risk is real — how would you stress-test it?
Purchase price
$5,200,000
Cap rate
0.07%
IRR
0.17%
Cash-on-cash
0.09%
Investment thesis
A 40-bed purpose-built student property four blocks from campus, leased by the bed with parental guarantees. Pre-leasing has run above 95% for three consecutive years and the university has grown enrollment every year since 2019. At a 7.0% going-in cap and 1.4…
View full analysisPropertyU Team
Insurance and property taxes have been the two line items moving fastest in a lot of Sun Belt markets over the last few years. A property underwritten with last year's expense numbers can look very different once those reset. What is the expense line you have seen surprise people most in your market?
PropertyU Team
Demo analysis: a tidy duplex that is a pass on the numbers. A 1.04x DSCR is the line we would not cross — where is yours?
Purchase price
$385,000
Cap rate
0.06%
IRR
0.06%
Cash-on-cash
0.01%
Investment thesis
Clean, fully occupied duplex in a good rental pocket near campus — but the price reflects owner-occupant demand rather than investor math. At $385,000 the going-in cap is 5.5% and the property clears debt by only $1,150 a year. There is no realistic path to fi…
View full analysisPropertyU Team
A deal can look great until the debt assumptions change. Rate, amortization, interest-only period, and reserve requirements can move a return more than rent growth does. What financing assumption do you think beginners underestimate most?
PropertyU Team
Demo analysis: a 24-unit value-add in Columbus that pencils on in-place income before any renovation upside. Would you underwrite the rent bump more conservatively?
Purchase price
$2,640,000
Cap rate
0.07%
IRR
0.15%
Cash-on-cash
0.08%
Investment thesis
A 1980s-vintage 24-unit in a stable Columbus submarket trading at $110,000 per unit, roughly 15% below recent comparable sales. In-place rents average $1,000 against a market of $1,125, so the upside comes from turning units at renewal rather than from aggress…
View full analysisPropertyU Team
What matters more to you when looking at a rental property: strong current cash flow, or more upside over the next five years? There is no universally right answer — it usually depends on how much cash you have in reserve and how long you plan to hold. Curious how the community thinks about that trade-off.