Its a yardstick measurement that goes off comps.

Cash flow is important, but your actual net worth is measures by assets - liabilities.   

Kevin,If you plan on self-managing or are handy (as in repairs), something across the street has un-measurable benefits.

If you don’t have existing drawings we would need to come to the site, measure, and create the as-builds — plan check usually requires we make a site plan showing the overall existing building and detailed framing / layout in the area impacted by the scope of work.

After the dot-com crash in the early 2000s, some apartment complexes in Silicon Valley were offering "first month's rent free" to attract tenants in a very slow and competitive market (desperate measures for desperate times).In other words, keep the regular rent unchanged, but offer one-time discount perks to motivate people to act now.

"I've got a guy I can recommend that will come out and measure moisture levels in the walls.

Operating yield is a measure of NOI and NOI has a direct relationship with value.I wasn't really commenting on the mechanics of using the cap rate formula which has been beaten to death on here.

I also look at the Starbucks map to measure the amenities factor and so much more.

In summary, less activity overall compared to last year (and, by some measures 2016 as well). 

My agent was very helpful to allow access to the contractor, and helped in scheduling measurements and installation of materials etc.