Module 4: ROI Calculator Crash Course
Hey, it’s Seth, when I started, I found 200 duplex’s (2-4 units), ran the numbers on 120, toured 54, offered on 3, and got an accepted offer on 1! All within 2 months once I had my pre-approval, calculator, & my buy box defined.
A buy box is a way to filter deals quickly. If they don’t fit inside my buy box, then they are an automatic NO! Don’t even go look at the property!
Why define your buy box? My buy box murdered the other 80 properties in under 10 seconds before I even ran the numbers. Today you’re getting mine, and building your own. So you never waste time running numbers or another Saturday Looking at garbage again.
BONUS: YOUR 60-SECOND BUY BOX (6 NON-NEGOTIABLE RULES)
Price → $160k–$240k
(5% down = $8–12k cash in pocket)
Gross Rent → $2,200+/mo minimum
Rent Upside → Use ‘Market Rents’ method from Lesson 2. If the market shows higher than current rent = instant equity
Rehab Needed → Max $5k
(I’m not a full-time flipper)
Cash-on-Cash Year 1 → 15% minimum
(Beats the S&P 500 by a mile)Location → C or better neighborhoods only
(Safe, easy tenants, fast appreciation)
If it fails any one of these → automatic NO.
That’s how I screened 50 deals a week and stayed sane.
HOW TO USE YOUR BUY BOX EVERY SINGLE DAY
Plug the price & bedroom filters into Zillow/Realtor.com alerts
Email it to your 3 realtors: “Only send me deals that hit ALL 6 of these” (tell them your found ‘Market Rents’ for each unit type.)
New alert comes in → 10-second scan → 60% die instantly
The 40% that survive? Run through the Rental Calculator
ACTION #3 - DO THIS RIGHT NOW (5 MINUTES)
Define your Buy Box
Copy my 6 criteria → change the numbers to match your market & income
Save it
No buy box = no discipline = no duplex.
Next lesson: The demonstration of how I run the numbers!
See you in Lesson 4!