# Independent property underwriting for financial planners · The Rent Hacker

> Independent screening and per-property underwriting for fee-only planners advising Bay Area clients on 2–4 unit homes.

Canonical: https://therenthacker.com/advisors/
Source: The Rent Hacker (https://therenthacker.com/). License: RSL, attribution required — https://therenthacker.com/license.xml

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For fee-only financial planners

# Real-estate advice needs someone who is paid to say no.

Your client is considering a Bay Area 2–4 unit property. We screen the building, underwrite the cash flows and compare the decision with keeping the same capital in the S&P 500. You get a clear record of what passed, what failed and what could not be verified.

[Underwrite a client address](/lookup/) [Read the methodology →](/methodology/)

Aligned by design

## The transaction is not the product. The advice is.

A commission-paid participant needs the deal to close. The Rent Hacker does not. We take no AUM fee, commission or transaction cut. Like a fee-only planner, our value is in the quality of the answer, including when the answer is no.

In the current screen, roughly **98–99% of listings fail**. That is not a conversion problem hidden behind a sales funnel. It is the screening result. The public [track record](/track-record/) keeps published picks and exits visible, and the [methodology](/methodology/) states the assumptions used.

What the client decision gets

## One property. One written decision record.

01

### Cost and cash

Monthly out-of-pocket cost, rent offset, cash required and reserves.

02

### Opportunity cost

The same capital modeled against the S&P 500 over the same holding period.

03

### Downside and hazards

Sensitivity to rents and expenses, plus property-specific hazard and record checks.

04

### Verdict and absences

A letter grade and an Absence Register naming every material fact we could not verify.

How the model works

## Code does the arithmetic. Judgment does the screening.

The calculations are deterministic and reproducible. Research and screening use assisted judgment to find the facts that generic calculators miss, then expose the gaps rather than filling them with confidence. The written methodology is public.

[Inspect the full methodology →](/methodology/)

1.  **Screen**Confirm the property fits the 2–4 unit, non-commercial scope.
2.  **Verify**Collect public records, listing facts, rents, taxes, financing inputs and hazards.
3.  **Model**Run cautious cash-flow, downside and opportunity-cost cases with fixed math.
4.  **Report**State the verdict, evidence, sensitivities and unresolved facts in one record.

A citable public record

## The claims are inspectable.

[**98–99%** of screened listings currently fail the model _See the public track record →_](/track-record/) [**2–4 units** the defined non-commercial multifamily scope _Read the assumptions →_](/methodology/) [**Public board** verdicts and modeled margins remain available for review _Open the board →_](/board/)

Screening rate describes the current listing universe and changes as the market and coverage change. It is a selection statistic, not a prediction of investment returns.

A planner partnership

## Bring the client question. We bring the property record.

A practical first engagement is a live client case. You send the address and the decision context. We return an independent underwrite that you can use alongside the household's cash-flow, tax, portfolio and life-planning work.

-   Per-property work, not another software seat
-   No referral fee or closing incentive
-   Assumptions and unknowns shown, not buried
-   Your planning relationship stays yours

Start with one address

## Have a client weighing a Bay Area 2–4 unit?

Send the address, timing and the decision the client is trying to make.

[Send a client address](/lookup/)

or write to [danny@therenthacker.com](mailto:danny@therenthacker.com)