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How to Use the Map

Navigating the Map

The map starts zoomed out to a national view. Pan and zoom to any US city or neighborhood. At zoom level 15 or higher (roughly street level), individual property parcels appear as colored polygons. Each parcel is shaded based on how favorable renting versus buying is at current market prices:

• Orange / red — Renting is likely the better financial outcome at the current price-to-rent ratio.
• Blue — Buying is likely the better financial outcome (the property is relatively affordable to own versus rent).
• White outline — Data is loading or not yet available. Click the parcel to trigger a fresh lookup.

At lower zoom levels, clicking on a city or neighborhood displays aggregated median value and rent data for that area, along with a city-level Gross Rental Yield.

Clicking a Property

Click any parcel to load a RentCast-sourced estimate of its market value and monthly rental rate. The sidebar will display:

• Estimated value — The automated valuation (AVM) for the property.
• Estimated rent — The estimated fair market monthly rent.
• Gross Rental Yield — Annual rent divided by property value, expressed as a percentage. Higher yields generally favor renting (the rent premium over carrying costs is lower). Lower yields favor buying.
• 30-Year Wealth Projection — A chart comparing cumulative net worth for a buyer versus a renter over 30 years, based on the current slider settings.

Searching for an Address

Use the search bar at the top to jump directly to a street address, city, or neighborhood. Entering a specific address will automatically select the nearest matching parcel and load its data. Entering a city name will display the city boundary and aggregated median statistics.

Adjusting Assumptions with Sliders

Every real estate decision depends on personal circumstances. The sidebar provides sliders to customize the key variables in the model:

Overriding Estimated Values

The “Estimated value” and “Estimated rent” figures from RentCast may not match what you actually know about a property. You can override them directly in the sidebar: hover over the figure and click the pencil icon (or tap on mobile), type your own number, and press Enter or click away. The chart and all calculations will update in real time. Your overrides are saved locally and will persist across browser sessions. To revert to the API estimate, click the reset (↺) icon.

The Math Behind the Break-Even

The 30-year wealth projection compares two hypothetical households — one that buys the selected property and one that rents a comparable home — and tracks their cumulative net worth year by year. Both households start with the same cash on hand (the buyer’s down payment).

The Buyer’s Net Worth

Each year, the buyer’s net worth grows from two sources:

• Home equity — The property appreciates at the configured rate, and the mortgage balance decreases as principal is paid down. Equity = current home value − remaining mortgage balance.

Offset by unrecoverable costs paid each year:

• Mortgage interest — The interest portion of each monthly payment builds no equity.
• Property taxes — Paid to the government; not returned at sale.
• Maintenance & repairs — Estimated as a percentage of home value annually.
• Home insurance — Annual premium.
• Closing costs — Rolled into Year 1 and assumed to be a one-time cost.

The Renter’s Net Worth

The renter pays monthly rent (escalating each year) and invests the difference between their total monthly outlay and the buyer’s total monthly outlay:

• Down payment invested — The cash the renter did not spend on a down payment is invested in a diversified index fund from day one.
• Monthly savings invested — Whenever renting is cheaper than buying in a given month, the renter invests a configurable fraction of that difference (the “Renter invests savings” slider). When buying becomes cheaper (in later years as the mortgage is paid down), no additional savings are assumed.
• Portfolio growth — The invested portfolio compounds at the configured stock market return rate.

The Break-Even Year

The break-even point is the first year in which the buyer’s net worth exceeds the renter’s. Before that year, renting builds more wealth; after it, buying does. Some combinations of assumptions produce no break-even within 30 years — meaning renting wins under those parameters for the full horizon modeled.

Gross Rental Yield

In addition to the full 30-year model, the sidebar shows a quick Gross Rental Yield figure, calculated as:

This is a simplified metric used by real estate investors as a quick first screen. As a rough guide for US residential real estate:

• Above 7–8% — Strongly rent-favored (or attractive for landlords)
• 5–7% — Borderline; the full model with local assumptions matters
• Below 4–5% — Buying may be favorable under typical assumptions

Note: Gross Rental Yield ignores financing costs, taxes, and maintenance. It is a directional signal, not a complete analysis. Always use the 30-year projection for a more complete picture.

Model Limitations

This model is intentionally simplified for accessibility. It does not account for:

• HOA fees or special assessments
• Flood, earthquake, or specialty insurance
• Mortgage interest or property tax deductions (tax benefit of homeownership)
• Capital gains tax exclusion on home sale ($250k/$500k)
• Refinancing or early payoff scenarios
• Variable rent increases (assumes a constant annual growth rate)
• Regional variation in appreciation or rent growth within a metro area

Data Sources

The Application draws on several data sources, each with its own update cadence and methodology. Because automated estimates can differ significantly from actual market conditions, user-entered overrides are always encouraged when you have better local knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions