How much does a rental property really net per door?

By Danté M. Shackelford, Founder and Managing Principal of EMx Lending
Updated November 5, 2026

Short answer

Less than most people expect. After every real cost, a typical financed single-family rental nets about $100 to $200 a door each month. Owned free and clear, the same kind of house in Detroit nets roughly $300 to $650. Cash flow is only one of the ways a rental pays you, so judge it alongside the others.

Why the number is smaller than the listing says

Most rental pitches show rent minus the mortgage. The real number subtracts everything a property costs to own, including the bills that don't come every month:

The loan payment, if there is one
Property taxes, on what they'll be after you buy, not what the seller paid
Insurance, including wind or flood coverage where it's required
Vacancy, the weeks between tenants
Repairs and maintenance, the steady small stuff
Big-ticket replacements, like a roof, furnace or water heater, set aside a little each month
Property management, even if you self-manage today, so the deal still works when you stop

Leave any of those out and a rental that looks like $400 a month can really be $100, or less.

Typical net per door

Situation	Typical monthly net per door
Financed single-family rental, typical deal	$100 to $200
Hampton Roads 3-bedroom bought at $150,000 to $200,000, financed	around $400
Detroit BRRR after a full post-sale tax bill, financed	around $150
Detroit rental owned free and clear	$300 to $650

These are planning ranges from current rents, taxes and insurance in the markets we lend in, not promises. Your number depends on your purchase price, rate, taxes and how well the property is run. See the Detroit, Hampton Roads and Grand Rapids pages for the local numbers behind them.

What that means for your goal

Say you want $5,000 a month from rentals. At $350 a door, that's about 15 doors. At $150 a door, it's more than 33. That math is why the cash flow target belongs in your plan before you start shopping, and why buying right matters more than buying fast. Our guide to building a real estate investment plan walks through it.

Cash flow is one of four paychecks

A rental that nets $150 a month can still be a good investment, because cash flow isn't the only way it pays you:

Appreciation: the property's value growing over time
Tax advantages: depreciation that can shelter rental income (ask your CPA how it applies to you)
Loan paydown: the tenant's rent paying down your balance and building equity every month

The right mix depends on what you need. If you want income now, chase net per door and keep leverage moderate. If you're building long-term wealth, a thinner cash flow on a property with strong appreciation can be the better hold.

How to raise your net per door

Buy below the price where the rent stops covering the payment
Look for Core-Plus deals with rent below market
Put more down to shrink the payment
Shop insurance and appeal an inflated tax assessment
Pay off a property over time: free-and-clear doors net the most

This is general education, not investment, legal or tax advice. Loan terms are general guidelines, depend on credit, experience and the property, are subject to change and are not a commitment to lend. EMx Lending makes business-purpose loans on non-owner-occupied investment property in all states except Vermont, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, California, Arizona and Nevada.