General % to factor for property maintenance?

[Joe Edwards-Hoff]

Hey all,

I am currently just researching and practicing right now. One thing I have been doing is assessing the cash-on-cash value of certain properties in my town. I factor in vacancy rates and some other stuff, but is there a general rule of thumb that I could put in that would factor maintenance, taxes etc. Like a percentage. I think I heard 15%, but I'm not sure if that is right or not. The 15% would cover all expenses excluding the loan price. Taxes, insurance, ,maintenance, etc.

Any suggestions? I've been plugging properties into the Rich Dad Evaluating program and I figure for someone with no experience, a % would be easier than individually inputting accounting, business, taxes, utilities, etc, since I don't know exact figures for those yet.