I am new to investing and am basically guessing when I fill out rental calculators.  What is the cap ex for our area?  Vacancy rate?  Average PM fees?  I appreciate any help on this as I want a realistic. view of the property income.

@Susan Foreman   happy to help.  cap rate depends on the class of the properties you're looking at. in baton rouge, 7% is fairly good average.  PM fees depend on the number of units.  4-8% on average.  vacancy rate - should not be less than 8% for stabilized properties 

A good conservative amount to set aside for maintenance/CapEx is 10% (or 5% ea for maint and CapEx - I choose to lump mine together). I've found PM fees to be between 6 and 10%. As @Molly Mayeux said, that amount depends on the number of units and your negotiation skills.  I've seen PM companies drop their standard rate a percent or two for bringing 5+ units to the table.  I generally figure 5% vacancy rate, but again, this depends on the type of property, the class of property, and should be adjusted based on experience.

Thank you both. I'm on the right track then. Was putting 8 for vacancy, 5 each for maintenance and Capex. Im not really shopping for a manager yet but will when we acquire 10 or more properties.

@Susan Foreman , you should check out the Baton Rouge Trends Publications. there is a ton of good info in those. http://www.batonrougetrends.net/market-data/publications/

@JeremyStroud 

Thank you, Jeremy.  I didn't know about this.

Originally posted by @Susan Foreman :

Thank you both. I'm on the right track then. Was putting 8 for vacancy, 5 each for maintenance and Capex. Im not really shopping for a manager yet but will when we acquire 10 or more properties.

Susan,

Have you invested in Baton Rouge?I am looking to invest on some rental properties in Albany.Would like to connect with you to get information about the area.

I am looking for a hard money lender to Assist in a upcoming closing.