The investor's view of Chicago: official FY2025 rents for the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area, and what a standard 3-bedroom rental actually pencils at across price points — every figure computed by the same deterministic engine behind the analyzer.
| Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,458/mo | $1,560/mo | $1,761/mo | $2,262/mo | $2,657/mo |
Source: U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, FY2025. FMRs sit at the 40th percentile — treat them as floor benchmarks; renovated or well-located units often rent above.
Underwritten at the metro's $2,262/mo 3BR benchmark with 20% down, 7% interest, and a full operating-expense load (taxes, insurance, vacancy, maintenance, management):
| Purchase price | Monthly cash flow | DSCR | Cash-on-cash | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $295,000 | -$484/mo | 0.69 | -8.6% | NEGOTIATE |
| $340,000 | -$771/mo | 0.57 | -11.8% | PASS |
| $385,000 | -$1,057/mo | 0.48 | -14.3% | PASS |
Read: at FY2025 benchmark rents, standard-financing buy-and-hold is challenging at these price points in Chicago — deals here need discounts, higher-rent units, or a different strategy (rent-by-room often changes the math entirely). Illustrative scenarios, not offers of advice — every real deal needs its own underwriting.
These are benchmark scenarios. The analyzer underwrites an actual property — records, live listing status, market rent estimate, all six strategies — in 30 seconds.
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