ChicWealthBuilder — Free Starter Kit
Real Estate Investor
Starter Kit
Everything you need to evaluate your first (or next) investment property — Dr. Tatia's checklist, ROI formulas, and the 3 tools she uses every day.
What's inside
1
5-Step Property Checklist2
ROI Calculator Guide3
Top 3 Investor Tools4
Portfolio SnapshotSection 01
Dr. Tatia's 5-Step Investment Property Checklist
Before submitting an offer on any property, run through all five steps. This is the exact framework I've used to build a 12-property portfolio worth $4.2M.
Step 01
Run the Numbers First
Before you fall in love with a property, calculate cap rate and cash-on-cash return (see Section 2). If the numbers don't hit at least 6% cap rate in your market, keep looking. Emotion kills returns.
Step 02
Verify Rental Market Demand
Check vacancy rates on Zillow, Rentometer, and local Facebook groups. Target sub-5% vacancy markets. Confirm your expected rent against 3–5 active comparable listings — not Zestimates.
Step 03
Inspect Condition & True Repair Costs
Get a professional inspection ($400–$600) plus separate quotes for roof, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. Rookie investors underestimate rehab by 30–40%. Budget 1% of purchase price per year for ongoing maintenance.
Step 04
Lock in Financing Early
Get pre-approved before making offers. Compare conventional (20–25% down), DSCR loans (based on rental income), and hard money for value-adds. Use LendingTree to compare 5+ lenders in minutes — I've saved $12k+ this way.
Step 05
Set Up Management Before Day 1
Decide: self-manage or property manager (8–12% of rent). If self-managing, have your software, lease template, and screening criteria ready before the first applicant calls. Don't wing it — tenants will sense it.
Section 02
Quick ROI Calculator Guide
Two numbers every investor needs to know cold: cap rate (property profitability) and cash-on-cash return (your actual return on cash invested).
Cap Rate
Cap Rate =
Net Operating Income (NOI)
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Property Value
Net Operating Income (NOI)
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Property Value
Example:
Annual rent: $24,000
Operating expenses: $8,400
NOI: $15,600
Purchase price: $220,000
Cap Rate = 7.1%
Annual rent: $24,000
Operating expenses: $8,400
NOI: $15,600
Purchase price: $220,000
Cap Rate = 7.1%
Cash-on-Cash Return
CoC Return =
Annual Pre-Tax Cash Flow
────────────────────────
Total Cash Invested
Annual Pre-Tax Cash Flow
────────────────────────
Total Cash Invested
Example:
Annual cash flow: $4,800
Down payment: $55,000
Closing costs: $4,200
Total invested: $59,200
CoC Return = 8.1%
Annual cash flow: $4,800
Down payment: $55,000
Closing costs: $4,200
Total invested: $59,200
CoC Return = 8.1%
Dr. Tatia's Minimums: I don't buy below 6% cap rate or 7% cash-on-cash. These aren't arbitrary — they're the floor where the deal starts to make sense after vacancy, repairs, and inflation eat into returns. Markets with strong appreciation (Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta) can justify slightly lower caps if you're banking on equity.
Section 03
Top 3 Tools I Use Every Day
These aren't random recommendations. I've personally used all three for years. They've saved me hundreds of hours and helped me scale from 1 to 12 properties.
Property Management
Buildium
My go-to platform for managing all 12 properties from one dashboard. Online rent collection, maintenance tracking, lease management, and accounting — all in one place. Cut my admin time by 70% when I switched from spreadsheets.
Try Buildium Free
Free Tool
Stessa
Free rental property tracker that automatically imports transactions, tracks expenses by property, and generates Schedule E reports for tax season. I use it alongside Buildium to keep my bookkeeping clean. Zero cost — no excuse not to use it.
Get Stessa Free
Deal Finder
Roofstock
Where I found 3 of my 12 properties. Roofstock lists single-family rentals that are already tenant-occupied — you buy with cash flow from day one. Great for out-of-state investing with vetted properties and property management already in place.
Browse Roofstock Deals
Section 04
Dr. Tatia's Portfolio Snapshot
Real numbers from a real portfolio. Not theory — this is what a decade of strategic investing looks like.
$4.2M
Total Portfolio Value
12
Properties Owned
8.4%
Avg. CoC Return
Year 1
First duplex. Used an FHA loan (3.5% down), house-hacked the first year. Tenant paid the mortgage. Net cost to own: $0/month.
Years 2–4
Reinvested every dollar. Cash-flowed the duplex, stacked the profits, and used a HELOC to fund down payments on properties 2 and 3.
Years 5–7
BRRRR strategy unlocked scale. Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat. Pulled equity out of 4 properties to fund 6 more. Portfolio hit $1.8M.
Today
12 properties, $4.2M portfolio, and still growing. Monthly passive income covers all living expenses. The goal was always financial freedom — not just wealth.
"The first deal is the hardest. Not because it's complicated — it isn't. It's hard because you don't believe it's real yet. After the second, the only thing stopping you is time."— Dr. Tatia P. Jackson, ChicWealthBuilder.com