The deal scoring engine

Every analyzed deal in REIzer gets a 0–100 score. The score is not a magic number — it is a weighted rubric over the same underwriting metrics an experienced investor would check by hand, graded on a rubric built for that deal's strategy. This page documents the exact metrics, weights, normalization bands, and verdict thresholds.

How a score is computed

Three steps:

Normalize. Each metric is clamped onto a 0–1 scale over a fixed band chosen to span "worthless" to "exceptional" for that metric. For example, cash-on-cash return is normalized over 0%–20%: a 10% CoC scores 0.5, anything at or above 20% scores 1.0. For metrics where lower is better (break-even occupancy), the scale is inverted.
Weight. Each normalized metric is multiplied by its rubric weight and summed.
Renormalize on missing data. If a metric can't be computed (for example, the 10-year projection hasn't been run), it is skipped and the remaining weights are re-scaled — so scores stay comparable instead of being silently dragged down by missing inputs.

Verdict bands

Score	Verdict
75–100	Strong
55–74	Solid
35–54	Thin
0–34	Weak

Strategy-aware rubrics

A flip and a buy-and-hold rental should not be graded on the same metrics — a flip has no monthly cash flow, and a rental has no sale margin. Each strategy is scored on a rubric built from the metrics that actually apply to it, so a 78/100 Short-Term Rental and a 78/100 Flip both mean "strong for its type." Weights are relative and auto-normalized.

Strategy	Rubric (relative weights)
Long-Term Rental	Cash-on-cash 25 · Cap rate 20 · DSCR 20 · 10-yr equity multiple 20 · Monthly cash flow 15
Short-Term Rental	Cash-on-cash 25 · 10-yr equity multiple 25 · Break-even occupancy 20 · Cap rate 15 · DSCR 15
Multifamily	Cap rate 25 · Cash-on-cash 20 · DSCR 20 · 10-yr equity multiple 20 · Monthly cash flow per unit 15
BRRRR	Capital recovery at refi 30 · Cash-on-cash 20 · 10-yr equity multiple 20 · DSCR 15 · Cap rate 15
Fix-n-Flip	After-tax annualized ROI 40 · After-tax margin 30 · Cushion vs ARV 15 · 70% rule check 15
New Construction	BTS after-tax annualized ROI 40 · BTS after-tax margin 30 · BTR development spread 15 · BTR capital recovery 15

New Construction grades both exits: if the build-to-rent metrics aren't populated (a pure build-to-sell project), they're skipped and the score re-weights onto the BTS metrics without penalty.

Normalization bands and thresholds

The key metrics, the band each is normalized over, and the qualitative thresholds REIzer reports:

Metric	Formula	Normalized over	Thresholds
Cash-on-cash return	Annual cash flow ÷ cash invested	0% – 20%	≥10% excellent · ≥5% OK · <5% thin
Cap rate	NOI ÷ purchase price	0% – 12%	≥8% excellent · ≥5% OK · <5% thin
DSCR	NOI ÷ annual debt service	1.0 – 1.8	≥1.25 lender-friendly · ≥1.0 borderline · <1.0 negative
Break-even occupancy	(Fixed costs + debt service) ÷ gross potential revenue	40% – 90% (lower is better)	≤50% comfortable · ≤60% tight · >60% fragile
10-yr equity multiple	Projected 10-yr equity ÷ cash invested	0× – 5×	≥3× excellent · ≥1.5× OK · <1.5× weak
Monthly cash flow	Annual cash flow ÷ 12 (÷ units for multifamily)	$0 – $500/mo per unit	≥$300 strong · ≥$0 thin · <$0 bleeding
Capital recovery at refi (BRRRR)	Cash returned at refi ÷ total cash invested	0% – 100%	≥100% full recycle · ≥70% partial · <70% stuck
After-tax annualized ROI (flip)	(After-tax profit ÷ cash invested) × (12 ÷ hold months)	0% – 50%	≥30% excellent · ≥15% OK · <15% thin
After-tax margin (flip)	After-tax profit ÷ ARV	0% – 25%	≥10% excellent · ≥5% OK · <5% thin
Cushion vs ARV (flip)	(ARV − all-in cost) ÷ ARV	0% – 30%	≥20% comfortable · ≥10% OK · <10% tight
70% rule check (flip)	(Purchase + rehab) ≤ 0.70 × ARV	pass / fail	see DSCR & the 70% rule
BTS annualized ROI (new construction)	(After-tax profit ÷ cash invested) × (12 ÷ total months)	0% – 40%	≥20% excellent · ≥10% OK · <10% thin
BTS after-tax margin	After-tax profit ÷ sale price	0% – 25%	≥15% excellent · ≥10% OK · <10% thin
BTR development spread	Yield-on-cost − market cap rate	0 – 300 bps	≥150 bps excellent · ≥50 bps OK · <50 bps negative
BTR capital recovery	Cash returned at completion ÷ total cash invested	0% – 100%	≥100% full recycle · ≥70% partial · <70% stuck

Edge cases worth knowing

Zero cash left in the deal. A perfected BRRRR that returns all invested cash makes the equity multiple infinite — the best possible outcome. It scores full marks on that metric, not "unknown."
Comparing mixed strategies. When you compare deals of different strategies side by side, REIzer falls back to a universal rubric (CoC 30 · cap rate 20 · break-even occupancy 20 · equity multiple 20 · DSCR 10) and tells you the comparison is cross-strategy — scores across strategies are not directly comparable.
Custom weight presets. Scoring also ships preset weight profiles — Balanced (the default), Cash-Flow Focused, Long-Term Equity, and Conservative/DSCR (lender-style) — and accepts fully custom weights.