ROE EngineROE Engine
Free Lazy Equity Calculator

Is Your Equity Working, or Just Sitting There?

Enter one property's numbers and see its real cash return on equity, and whether you're leaving money on the table. No signup required.

Your Property
Nothing you enter here is saved or sent anywhere — the math runs entirely in your browser.
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$
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Taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc. — not the mortgage payment

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Your Results
Estimate — based on the numbers you entered. Assumes cash return on equity, not appreciation.

Your current ROE

6.6%

Your target

8.0%

Lazy Equity Detected

~$1,400/year

You may be leaving this on the table — the gap between what your $100,000 in equity earns today and what it would earn at your 8.0% target.

Estimate only. Based solely on cash flow (rent minus expenses minus your mortgage payment) divided by equity. Does not include appreciation, principal paydown, or tax effects, and is not financial advice.

This is one property. ROE Engine finds the move — refinance, sell, or hold — for every property you own.

What This Means

Return on Equity, in Plain English

Return on equity (ROE) measures how hard the cash tied up in a property is working for you: the cash flow it produces each year, divided by the equity you have in it. As a property appreciates and the loan pays down, equity grows automatically — but if rent and cash flow don't grow with it, ROE quietly declines.

“Lazy equity” is the gap between what your equity is earning today and what it could earn at your target rate. It's not money you've lost — it's money your equity isn't making because it's sitting in a property that no longer needs that much cash tied up in it to operate.

This calculator uses the cash-on-equity formula only: annual (rent − expenses − mortgage payment) divided by equity. It intentionally excludes appreciation, principal paydown, and tax effects, so it will not match a total-return calculation. Treat it as a starting signal, not a full analysis or financial advice.

See This Across Your Whole Portfolio

This calculator checks one property by hand. ROE Engine tracks every property automatically and tells you exactly when to refinance, sell, or hold.

No credit card required.