Apollo AdvisingBuying a rental property
Before you buy a rental, get an independent look at the market, the numbers, and whether the property fits your goals and risk tolerance.
Short answer. Buy a rental only when the numbers still work with realistic rent, vacancy, repairs, capital expenses, and reserves, and when the property fits a strategy you have time to run. The cheapest moment to catch a bad deal is before the offer, which is why a one-hour review pays for itself so often.
Why a second opinion before you buy
Most rental mistakes are made before closing. The rent estimate was optimistic, the repairs were bigger than the inspection suggested, or the property simply did not fit the plan. An hour spent on the numbers before an offer is cheaper than a year of fixing a property that never worked.
Apollo Advising is paid by the hour, not when you buy. That means the analysis has no reason to push you toward closing. Sometimes the most useful outcome of a session is a clear reason to walk away.
What a deal review looks at
We start with the market and submarket: who rents there, at what price, and how quickly units fill. Then the property itself: realistic rent from comparable listings, vacancy, repairs, capital expenses such as roofs and HVAC, insurance, taxes, and reserves. Finally the fit: does this property match the strategy you want to run, and the time you have to run it?
The goal is a set of numbers you believe, not the best-case version a listing presents.
Set purchase criteria so you can say no faster
Clear criteria make every future deal faster to judge. We help you write down what a property must do for you, such as minimum cash flow after reserves, maximum renovation budget, target neighborhoods, and the strategy you will run, so you can screen listings in minutes instead of hours.
Questions we work through
- Is this market and submarket a fit for the strategy I want?
- What rent can this property realistically earn? What do comparable sales and rents show?
- Do the numbers work with realistic vacancy, repairs, capital expenses, and reserves?
- What should my purchase criteria be so I can say no faster?
- House hack, long-term, medium-term, or short-term: which fits this property?
What you leave with
- A plain-language read on whether the deal fits your goals
- Realistic income and expense assumptions you can reuse
- Written purchase criteria for the next property
- Questions to take to your lender, inspector, and CPA
Bring this decision to a session
$199 per hour, billed in 15-minute increments, or $499 for a three-hour block. The first 30 minutes are free.
Related questions
What should I bring to my first session?
The property address, purchase price and date, current loan balance and rate, current or expected rent, 12 months of income and expenses if you own it, and what you want the property to do for you over the next few years.
How much does it cost?
$199 per hour, or $499 for a three-hour block that you can use within 12 months. The first 30-minute introductory call is free.
Do you work with property owners outside Texas?
Yes. Sessions are by phone or Zoom and we work with clients across the United States. Denver's own rental properties are in Texas, and the analysis methods apply to any U.S. market.
Go deeper
Airbnb, medium-term, or long-term: comparing what you keepA side-by-side of costs, time, and rules, with a worked example on the same house.Return on equity: the rental number most owners never checkHow to calculate it, why it drifts down as a property appreciates, and what it does and does not tell you about selling.This page is general education, not legal, tax, investment, insurance, or lending advice. See our disclosures.