Boston Real Estate Investors Association

Sample Buy-and-hold case study

Boston Triple-Decker Rental Analysis

A fully occupied three-family property produces strong rent but does not comfortably cover the proposed debt.

Educational sample—not an actual transaction.All property details, people, figures, and outcomes are hypothetical.

Sample assumptions

Property and Financing

Purchase price$1,050,000
Loan$787,500 at 7.00%, 30 years
Cash invested$287,500
Monthly scheduled rent$9,000

Modeled results

Financial Analysis

Annual rent$108,000
Vacancy$5,400
Operating expenses$44,400
NOI$58,200
Debt service$62,868
Annual cash flow–$4,668
DSCR0.93x
Cap rate5.54%

Risk review

What to Examine

  1. Verify legal unit and bedroom count.

  2. Include taxes, insurance, utilities, management, maintenance, and reserves.

  3. The modeled NOI does not fully cover debt service.

  4. Test a lower price, more equity, or documented lawful value creation.

Primary lesson

High rent does not guarantee positive cash flow. The asking price should be renegotiated or rejected.

Replace every sample assumption with property-specific evidence. Test conservative income, expenses, construction, financing, timing, and exit scenarios before committing funds.

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