The most you can pay is the price that still meets the assumptions you choose. This calculator compares a rent based financing budget with your cash flow goal and down payment plan. It reports the tighter result rather than treating a loan ratio as proof that a price makes sense.
What you enter
Enter the monthly rent you want to test, a target coverage ratio, proposed rate, amortization term and down payment percentage. Add monthly taxes, insurance and HOA dues. For the operating budget, enter expected collected revenue, costs outside those housing charges and the minimum monthly cash flow you want to keep.
Use different fields for qualifying rent and operating revenue. A projection you use for your business plan is not automatically the income accepted for financing. There is no sourced typical DSCR threshold, leverage limit or required cash flow target on this page.
This version holds entered taxes, insurance and HOA costs constant while solving for price. If a different price changes those costs, rerun the tool with updated estimates. Do not let a low existing tax bill create an unrealistically high purchase budget.
Example
Assume $3,600 in monthly qualifying rent, a target ratio of 1.20 and $700 in monthly taxes, insurance and HOA costs. That leaves $2,300 for principal and interest under the ratio screen.
At a hypothetical example rate of 6.00% as of October 16, 2026 over a fully amortizing 30 year term, that payment supports about $383,620 of principal. With an assumed 25% down payment, the ratio based purchase estimate is about $511,494 before transaction costs.
Now assume collected monthly operating revenue is also $3,600, other operating costs are $600 and your desired monthly cash flow is $300. After those amounts and the $700 housing charges, only $2,000 remains for principal and interest. That supports about $333,583 of principal, or about $444,778 at the same down payment percentage. The cash flow goal is the tighter limit in this example.
What is the most I can pay for this rental?
It is the lower of the price supported by your coverage assumptions and the price supported by your chosen cash flow goal. The result remains an estimate, subject to accepted value, financing rules and available cash.
It does not account for a required repair or launch budget unless you include that in the separate cash plan.
How do rent, rate and down payment change it?
More usable rent can support a larger payment budget. A higher rate supports less principal from the same payment, while a larger down payment reduces the loan needed for a given price.
Cash availability can still limit the choice. A price supported by rent is not a funded purchase plan if the down payment leaves no money for closing.
What price meets the DSCR requirement?
The ratio based result meets the target you entered under this calculator's rent and cost definitions. It does not confirm an actual program requirement or lender acceptance.
See DSCR Maximum Loan Amount Calculator for the loan balance calculation without the purchase price comparison.
What price leaves me positive cash flow?
The operating result uses the collected revenue, expenses and cash flow goal you enter. If you want money left for future replacements, include that savings allocation among the operating costs.
This calculator gives an estimate only. It is not a loan offer or approval.
Sources
- CFPB Mortgage payment components. What goes into my total monthly mortgage payment; reviewed August 28, 2023. Checked October 16, 2026.
- Fannie Mae Mortgage Calculator. Disclaimer; How to use this calculator. Checked October 16, 2026.