What I have seen in the research is to find a property you are interested in and compare to other comps in the same neighborhood.

I find that depending on the market $300-500/mo are fairly normal and if compared to what you would pay with a single family home on some utilities, maintenance, and management, it's a good deal.

Kyle there are a ton of options here that you can compare.

For my screening criteria - income from all financially responsible applicants is combined and compared to rent.

I looked at the comparable home sales and felt like the prices he wanted left me with enough room to make some money.

Compare that to the performance of a new property (with that equity unlocked but also with a different interest rate as @Katie Ripp said).

@Ryan Cousins it's really going to depend on YOUR analysis/projections of what you think the property will be worth in the future.You'll want to compare that to any capital gains tax-savings if you sell now.

We’re working in a smaller market like Cornelia, GA, where comparable sales data can be limited, and want to make sure we present a strong case to lenders.

There is usually not much that compares with what we offer, so we only compete apples to oranges, so incentives are not a good tool for us.The types of tenants we want (multi year) also respond better to an adjustment in rent than an incentive.

This helps keep me out of hot water with fairhousing.