March 3, 2025 | 2.5 Minute Read
So, you’ve bought a property, renovated it, and now it’s ready to rent—congratulations! You’ve successfully completed the “third R” of the BRRRR strategy. Now, the big question is: How much should you rent it for?
You’ve heard from other local investors and real estate agents that a 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home like yours in the area can rent for $1,500/month. While their advice is helpful, it doesn’t replace hard data—which is what you need to set the best rental price.
Where to Find Free Rental Data
Paying for a rental market subscription isn’t necessary when free tools can give you the insights you need. Here are three resources to help you determine the best rental rate for your property:
1. Zillow Rentals
📌 Website: Zillow.com
Click “Rent” in the top navigation bar.
Enter your property location and set filters to show only houses (not apartments, condos, or townhomes).
Zoom in on your area to view active rental listings.
Why use it? Zillow provides real-time rental prices for available properties. It’s a great starting point to compare your property against similar homes in the area.
2. Rentometer
📌 Website: Rentometer.com
Enter your property address to get an estimated rental range.
The free version gives you an average rent of $1452 up to a 75th percentile estimate of $1579 (showing what the top 25% of similar rentals charge).
Why use it? Rentometer pulls data from existing tenant-occupied properties, offering real time stats of currently rented properties. A paid membership unlocks deeper insights, but for most landlords, the free version provides enough data.
3. Affordable Housing (Best for Section 8 Rentals)
📌 Website: AffordableHousing.com
Sign up for a free account and go to the “Rent Estimates” tool.
Enter your property address and number of bathrooms to view Section 8 rental rates in your area.
A map will display tenant-occupied rentals near your property.
💡 Pro Tip: You can also list your rental for free. After posting it, scroll to the bottom of the membership page and select “No, thanks. Continue with my Free membership.” Your property listing will instantly go live. Tenants will contact you directly.
👉 If you want to actively find Section 8 tenants, a one-month subscription ($79) lets you not only browse prospects by rental budget, property needs, and search activity history, but gives you the ability to contact them directly. This is the cost of the subscription.
Why use it?
90% of our tenants come from AffordableHousing.com, often paying higher rents than private-pay tenants due to government-backed rental subsidies.
Analyzing the Rental Data
To demonstrate how to use these tools effectively, let’s analyze one of our properties we just listed for rent:
🏡 1237 Birchwood St., Birmingham, AL 35215 – 4-Bedroom, 2-Bath House
Platform | Estimated Rent |
|---|---|
Zillow | $1,200 – $1,600 |
Rentometer | $1,452 (average), $1,579 (top 25%) |
AffordableHousing | $1,486 (average within 1.58 miles) |
Final Rental Pricing Decision
After reviewing these estimates, we decided to list the property at $1,595/month because:
✅ It is larger than most comparable rentals.
✅ It is fully renovated with added features like a front covered patio, dining area and full basement.
✅ Data supports the upper-end pricing in this rental market.
Once we secure a tenant, I’ll share a follow-up post with the actual rent and strategies on how we maximize rental income. Stay tuned.