Real Estate Investing Fundamentals
Cash flow, cap rates, financing and analysing your first deal.
Taught by Dipesh Koirala · CFA, Financial Analyst
What you'll learn
- Explain the four ways rental property produces returns and the risks attached to each
- Calculate net operating income, cap rate, cash-on-cash return and DSCR for any listing
- Compare mortgage structures and judge how much leverage a deal can safely carry
- Underwrite a rental deal from listing to offer using a repeatable analysis checklist
- Run pre-purchase due diligence on inspection, title, insurance and local rules
- Choose between direct ownership, REITs and syndications based on your capital and time
About this course
Real estate investing is one of the most popular paths to building wealth, and one of the easiest to get wrong without the numbers. This beginner course teaches you how rental property actually makes money and how to analyse a deal before you commit. You will learn to calculate net operating income, cap rate, cash-on-cash return and debt service coverage, compare financing options, run due diligence, and manage tenants without losing sleep. You will also see how REITs and syndications let you invest without owning a building. By the end you will have a repeatable deal-analysis checklist and a simple rental-property calculator you can reuse on any listing. No finance background needed: basic arithmetic and a spreadsheet are enough, and the short Python version of the calculator is optional. Suitable for first-time buyers, professionals planning a rental portfolio, and anyone who wants to understand property investment before spending real money.
Course content
7 lessons- 1How Real Estate Makes MoneyThe four return sources of rental property, the main ways to invest, and the risks people forget.Preview
- 2Rental Maths: NOI, Cap Rate and Cash-on-CashThe three numbers that tell you whether a rental deal works, with a reusable calculator.
- 3Financing: Mortgages, Leverage and DSCRHow investment mortgages work, why leverage cuts both ways, and the coverage ratio lenders check.
- 4Finding and Analysing Your First DealChoosing a market, sourcing listings, estimating rent and running the numbers before you make an offer.
- 5Due Diligence and ClosingInspection, title, insurance, legal checks and the contingencies that let you walk away safely.
- 6Managing Tenants and PropertyScreening, leases, maintenance systems and the decision to self-manage or hire a manager.
- 7REITs, Syndications and Your Investment PlanIndirect ways to own property, how to compare them, and turning the course into a written plan.