Calculating Rental Income

[Rick Sutton]

When using the BP Rental Property Calaulator to do some quick and initial deal analysis, I have been using BP Property Insights to determine a potential property's rental income. Should I use the "Median" rent suggestion, the 25th percentile suggestion, or the 75th percentile suggestion?

Obviously, the cash flow numbers look better when using the 75th percentile, however, I would think using the Median amount is a safer bet. I understand I will want to do more research (i.e., Craig's List or contact local property management companies) to get the truly accurate rental income amounts, and I'm using this method to do quick overviews to see how properties cash flow.