Realistic Return for Rental Properties?

[Jake Thompson]

So my wife and I have decided to purchase a quadplex here in San diego. We would like to live in one unit and rent out the other 3. Does anyone have a good rule of thumb for a realistic Return we can expect in terms of cash flow? We're wondering if it's realistic to expect the other 3 units to cover all expenses and the debt service. Or is there a dollar amount anyone has found for multifamily/apartment complexes? I.e. expect a profit of $200/unit/month? I understand the concept of cash on cash, and how cap rate and your mortgage payments will effect everything. I'm just wondering if anyone has found a good rule of thumb for the profit we can expect to see so that we can know a good deal when we see it.