Build Your Buy Box
Turn your budget and down payment strategy into a defined buy box.
A sharp buy box is the difference between guessing and buying with confidence. Enter your available cash, your down payment, and the state you want to buy in, then see the exact price you can afford and the rent it needs to qualify for financing. Know your numbers first, then act fast on the right deal.
Find Your Buy Box
Enter your available cash, choose your down payment, and pick the state you want to buy in. We work out the maximum property price you can afford and the rent it needs to qualify for a DSCR loan. All figures are estimates for illustration only.
Your Strategy
Enter the cash you have to invest and choose your down payment. We handle the rest.
We assume a 30-year rental property loan at 7%, 3% closing costs, and a cash reserve of 6 months at 25% down or 3 months at 30% down. Property tax and insurance are applied at the average rate for your selected state.
A Real Deal That Fits Your Budget
An example from our inventory, or one a client has purchased, that roughly matches the cash you have to invest.
Renovated Single-Family Rental
Kansas City, Missouri
A real property matched to your budget, either available now in our inventory or one our investor clients have already purchased through us.
Based on Missouri's average property tax and insurance rates. Individual county rates vary a little.
Estimates only, for illustration. Not a loan approval or commitment to lend. Reserves and rates vary by lender. Cashflow Rentals is a consultancy, not a lender or investment advisor.
How the Buy Box Works
You Set the Criteria
You choose the liquid cash you have available, the type of down payment you want to use, and the state you want to buy in. Those three inputs set the criteria for your search.
Your Buy Box Is Created
Our system works out your maximum budget and the rent a property needs to earn to qualify for specialist DSCR rental property financing. That is your buy box, the criteria that narrow your search to properties that actually work.
Then We Match You
Once you know your buy box, we can point you to off-market, cash-flowing properties that fit it, in the markets where the numbers work. Every one is already pre-approved for DSCR financing by our specialist lender.
Found a property already? Run it through our rental property cash flow calculator or DSCR loan calculator.
Buy Box FAQs
What is a buy box?
A buy box is the clear set of criteria a property must meet before it is worth buying. Here that means the maximum price your cash and down payment can support, the rent the property needs to qualify for DSCR financing, and the states where the numbers work. A defined buy box lets you ignore deals that do not fit and move quickly on the ones that do.
How much rental property can I afford?
Your budget is set by your available cash. After your down payment, about 3% in closing costs, and your cash reserves, whatever remains is the largest loan and price your cash can support.
Why does the required rent change from state to state?
Property taxes and insurance are both part of the monthly payment a DSCR lender measures (PITIA). A higher-tax state or a higher insurance premium means a higher payment, and vice versa, so the property has to rent for more to reach the same debt service coverage ratio.
How do you calculate property taxes?
We estimate property taxes using the effective property tax rate for each U.S. state, based primarily on data published by the U.S. Census Bureau and analyzed by the Tax Foundation. Effective tax rates reflect the average percentage of a property's market value paid in property taxes, providing a more realistic estimate than statutory tax rates.
| State | Effective tax rate | State | Effective tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 0.38% | Montana | 0.74% |
| Alaska | 0.93% | Nebraska | 1.33% |
| Arizona | 0.45% | Nevada | 0.49% |
| Arkansas | 0.53% | New Hampshire | 1.77% |
| California | 0.68% | New Jersey | 2.23% |
| Colorado | 0.49% | New Mexico | 0.67% |
| Connecticut | 1.92% | New York | 1.60% |
| Delaware | 0.61% | North Carolina | 0.70% |
| Florida | 0.71% | North Dakota | 0.98% |
| Georgia | 0.78% | Ohio | 1.41% |
| Hawaii | 0.27% | Oklahoma | 0.76% |
| Idaho | 0.63% | Oregon | 0.86% |
| Illinois | 2.07% | Pennsylvania | 1.35% |
| Indiana | 0.76% | Rhode Island | 1.23% |
| Iowa | 1.42% | South Carolina | 0.51% |
| Kansas | 1.41% | South Dakota | 1.01% |
| Kentucky | 0.78% | Tennessee | 0.48% |
| Louisiana | 0.56% | Texas | 1.47% |
| Maine | 1.09% | Utah | 0.54% |
| Maryland | 1.00% | Vermont | 1.83% |
| Massachusetts | 1.23% | Virginia | 0.76% |
| Michigan | 1.26% | Washington | 0.84% |
| Minnesota | 1.04% | West Virginia | 0.58% |
| Mississippi | 0.67% | Wisconsin | 1.42% |
| Missouri | 0.88% | Wyoming | 0.55% |
How do you calculate insurance costs?
We estimate annual landlord insurance using the Cashflow Rentals Rental Property Insurance Index, which combines AI-assisted research with publicly available landlord insurance data from leading insurance providers and industry publications. Our estimates are presented as a percentage of the property's value and are intended to provide a realistic budgeting guide for typical long-term rental properties, not an insurance quote.
| State | Insurance % of value | State | Insurance % of value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 0.75% | Montana | 0.60% |
| Alaska | 0.65% | Nebraska | 1.80% |
| Arizona | 0.70% | Nevada | 0.60% |
| Arkansas | 1.25% | New Hampshire | 0.65% |
| California | 1.00% | New Jersey | 0.80% |
| Colorado | 0.80% | New Mexico | 0.75% |
| Connecticut | 0.85% | New York | 1.00% |
| Delaware | 0.75% | North Carolina | 0.75% |
| Florida | 1.65% | North Dakota | 0.60% |
| Georgia | 0.70% | Ohio | 0.65% |
| Hawaii | 1.00% | Oklahoma | 2.00% |
| Idaho | 0.60% | Oregon | 0.70% |
| Illinois | 0.75% | Pennsylvania | 0.70% |
| Indiana | 0.65% | Rhode Island | 0.80% |
| Iowa | 0.70% | South Carolina | 1.00% |
| Kansas | 1.15% | South Dakota | 0.75% |
| Kentucky | 0.65% | Tennessee | 0.90% |
| Louisiana | 1.35% | Texas | 1.70% |
| Maine | 0.60% | Utah | 0.60% |
| Maryland | 0.75% | Vermont | 0.60% |
| Massachusetts | 0.90% | Virginia | 0.65% |
| Michigan | 0.70% | Washington | 0.65% |
| Minnesota | 1.00% | West Virginia | 0.75% |
| Mississippi | 1.75% | Wisconsin | 0.60% |
| Missouri | 0.65% | Wyoming | 0.70% |
What are cash reserves?
Reserves are funds a lender wants you to hold after closing. On a DSCR loan this is typically three to six months of the full monthly payment, known as PITIA. Cash reserves are not part of your down payment, but they are required to be held in your U.S. bank account.
Can a foreign national use this?
Yes. DSCR loans qualify on the property's rent rather than your personal income, so foreign nationals can typically borrow up to 70% with remote signing, or up to 75% if they are prepared to travel to the States to sign documents. No U.S. credit score, visa, income, or Social Security number is required.
Is the result a financing approval?
No. It is an estimate to help you plan. Actual terms depend on the lender, the property, and full underwriting. If you would like to speak to our team about DSCR loan eligibility, you can book a call here.
Where are you in your journey?
Get matched with your first property
- Fully renovated, cash flowing rentals
- Matched to your buy box and budget
- Guided end to end, fully remote
The Foreign Investor Starter Kit
- Plain-English guides and checklists
- Free calculators to run the numbers
- Learn the ropes, no pressure