For Investors
Build a portfolio that pays you.
Cash flow first. We run the numbers — cap rate, cash-on-cash, expenses — and surface the middle-housing and ADU opportunities WA's zoning reforms have opened up.
Book a strategy session Search homes
Real estate is how many Eastside families build lasting wealth — but only when the numbers work. We treat every potential acquisition as an investment underwriting exercise, not an emotional purchase.
Recent Washington legislation (HB 1110 middle-housing and HB 1337 ADU reform) has reshaped what's buildable on many lots, creating new strategies for house-hacking, duplex conversions, and rental income. We help you identify, analyze, and acquire assets that cash flow and appreciate.
Underwriting metrics
Step by step
The investor's playbook, in six steps.
Underwrite before you buy — here's the disciplined path from thesis to next acquisition.
Set your thesis
Define target returns, hold period, and strategy — buy-and-hold, BRRRR, or house-hack.
Find & screen deals
We source on-market and off-market properties and screen them against your criteria fast.
Underwrite the numbers
Cap rate, cash-on-cash, expenses, and rent comps analyzed before you ever make an offer.
Acquire well
We negotiate terms that protect your returns and manage inspection, financing, and closing.
Stabilize & manage
Rehab, lease up, and connect you with property management to hit pro-forma.
Scale the portfolio
Leverage equity and 1031 exchanges to acquire the next asset and compound your returns.
Best practices
How disciplined investors win here.
Focus on cash flow
Positive cash flow is the foundation of a sustainable portfolio; appreciation is the bonus.
Know your numbers
Analyze cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and true operating expenses before you offer.
Explore middle housing
HB 1110 and HB 1337 opened duplex, ADU, and DADU strategies on many single-family lots.
Build a team
Successful investors rely on a network of trusted agents, lenders, and contractors.
Run the numbers
Investment deal calculator.
Three ways to analyze a deal: long-term buy & hold (cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash), a fix & flip (profit, ROI, the 70% rule), or a side-by-side hold vs. flip comparison. Switch modes below.
Monthly cash flow
Market focus
Investing in the Seattle market.
Seattle plays differently than the Eastside suburbs. Here's how we'd approach it for buy-and-hold and for flips.
Cheaper entry than the Eastside
Seattle's median (~$833K) sits below most Eastside suburbs, so your buy-in — and your down payment — goes further. That widens the pool of properties that can pencil for cash flow or a flip.
"One Seattle" upzoning is the story
The city's middle-housing plan and HB 1110 are legalizing multiplexes and ADUs across formerly single-family blocks. The value-add play is buying a well-located lot and adding density or income units.
Buy near light rail
The 1 Line keeps expanding. Proximity to a current or planned station materially affects rent demand and resale — we screen deals against the transit map, not just the listing.
Neighborhood selection is everything
Seattle is 90+ micro-markets. Ballard, Columbia City, Beacon Hill, and the U-District each behave differently on rent, appreciation, and flip resale. We underwrite at the neighborhood level.
Flip margins are tighter — know the rules
Seattle permitting and labor run higher and slower than the suburbs, and the city has rental and tenant-protection regulations (e.g. relocation assistance, just-cause) that affect buy-and-hold. Budget conservatively and confirm current rules before you commit.
Cash flow vs. appreciation
Like the Eastside, Seattle cap rates are compressed — many holds lean on appreciation and principal paydown rather than day-one cash flow. We model total return and stress-test rents before recommending a deal.
Bottom line: Seattle rewards investors who pick the right neighborhood and lean into the upzoning/ADU upside, while budgeting realistically for permitting and the city's tenant rules. Want the deep dive? Book a strategy session and we'll walk you through the Seattle submarkets we like right now.
Good questions
Investor FAQs.
Eastside cap rates tend to be compressed because demand and appreciation are strong — many buy-and-hold deals here trade at lower caps than the national average. We focus on total return (cash flow plus appreciation plus principal paydown) rather than cap rate alone, and we model each deal against your target returns.
Cash-on-cash measures your annual pre-tax cash flow divided by the actual cash you invested (down payment, closing costs, rehab). It tells you how hard your money is working in year one, independent of appreciation. We calculate it on every deal so you can compare opportunities apples-to-apples.
Washington's middle-housing law (HB 1110) requires many cities to allow duplexes, triplexes, and more on lots that were single-family only, and HB 1337 expanded the right to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs/DADUs). For investors, that can mean adding rental units or income-generating ADUs to properties that previously couldn't support them — a meaningful value-add strategy.
Often, yes. Buying a duplex (or a single-family with an ADU) and living in one unit while renting the others lets you use owner-occupant financing — lower down payment and better rates — while tenants help cover your mortgage. It's one of the most accessible ways to start building a portfolio on the Eastside.
A 1031 exchange lets you defer capital gains tax by reinvesting proceeds from a sold investment property into a 'like-kind' replacement property within strict IRS timelines. It's a powerful tool for scaling a portfolio without losing equity to taxes. The rules are unforgiving on timing, so we coordinate with a qualified intermediary early. (We're not tax advisors — we'll loop in your CPA.)
It depends on your time, distance from the property, and number of units. Self-managing saves the management fee (typically 8–10% of rent) but costs time and requires landlord-tenant compliance. We can connect you with vetted local managers and help you weigh the tradeoff for your situation.
Free guide
The Middle-Housing & ADU Investor Guide
Washington’s zoning reform quietly rewrote what a lot of ordinary lots are worth. Here’s how to tell which ones.
- What HB 1110 and HB 1337 actually require, and how each city is implementing them
- Where middle housing pencils on the Eastside versus inside Seattle
- A deal-screening checklist to kill bad deals fast
Next step
Ready to run the numbers?
Bring us a property or a goal, and we'll build the underwriting and a path to your first or next acquisition.
Book my free consultation