I never get why this method is so low on the priority list.They provide actual data of REAL owners who OWN rentals in the target market.

@James Peoples First off, congrats on passing the test and getting your license.

List services, and property data providers, calculate (estimate) equity using two computer models - value and debt.First you need an estimate of the property value, commonly known as an automated valuation model, or AVM.

The rain in Spain falls mainly on... me. 

My perspective on leverage, since I am in the business of leverage (broker/mortgage originator) is if I can reasonably control the down side and maximize the upside with the terms/rate/cost at which I am borrowing at, such as using a fixed 30 year, limited or no prepays, lower margins, non recourse, caps on adjustment periods, risk/equity share, etc I am okay with leveraging near maximum.For me it comes down to terms and cash flow as long as the risks can be minimized and the cash flow profit spread is high enough and stable enough even with stress tests (market drops rents go down XX%, business income goes down XX% or my personal income goes down XX% can I still debt service?)

we grow our data bases - with these thirsty people!!  

Joe - begin where you are.If you are unprepared or unwilling to pay for data in a format that's more user-friendly, dissect each field, one at a time, to break down its meaning or relevance to what you're looking for.

They farm data for you free of charge.For example.

@Evan ScottThis is a calculator to estimate your taxhttp://www.moneychimp.com/features/capgain.htmThis is what the IRS saysIn general, to qualify for the exclusion, you must meet both the ownership test and the use test.

@Ben Ley@Ben Leybovich undefinedYour course is great value, and I would wager every licensed agent with a minimum of 5 years seasoning and reasonable production (say 100 transactions) would fail a simple test of its principles.Ben I think you should raise your price to $495.I tell any multi investor they need Ben's course to enjoy faster success.I HAVE NO COMPENSATION DUE TO THIS COMMENT.