Define the buy box
Choose geography, bedroom count, price ceiling, expenses, cash-flow minimum, yield target, tax cap, and Investment Score threshold.
Market Locator
Find markets that clear your buy box.
Set a geographic scope and underwriting thresholds, then review qualifying ZIP, city, and county markets one at a time. Shortlist a fit or move it out of the queue.
A passed market can resurface when its fit score improves or it starts clearing your cash-flow target.
Free accounts include ads. Try Plus free for 1 month, then $5/mo.
Midwest Buy Box
Example queue for a 3-bedroom search
12 states3BR$165k max$300+/mo7%+ yield
44105, Cleveland, OH
87% fitZillowCash flow
+$342/mo
Net yield
7.6%
Avg value
$128k
Buy box fit
Monthly cash flow
+$342/mo/Min +$300/moNet yield
7.6%/Min 7.0%Avg property value
$128k/Max $165kInvestment score
108/Min 95Not now
Add to shortlist
Queue
Review progress8 / 31
Ready23
Skipped7
Refresh
Review skipped
Review workflow
Rules in. Qualified markets out.
Review one match at a time
See the fit score, cash-flow estimate, criteria checks, market history, rent limits, and Zillow search access.
Shortlist or pass
Save strong markets to your Shortlist and pass on weaker fits without losing your place.
Revisit passed markets
When new data or updated criteria makes a passed market qualify, it can return with a clear explanation.
Buy-box checks
Underwriting signals that stay explicit.
HUD FMR and SAFMR
Screen markets against bedroom-level Fair Market Rent and Small Area Fair Market Rent where ZIP-level voucher rent limits are available.
Property value and tax drag
Compare rent potential with estimated home value and property tax rate so low-price markets do not hide weak net yield.
Cash-flow and net-yield targets
Filter for markets that can clear monthly cash-flow and annualized yield targets after operating assumptions are applied.
Investment Score filter
Screen for markets with stronger rent-to-price fundamentals, data confidence, and rental demand signals before drilling into local pages.
Market Locator FAQ
Answers for investors comparing Section 8 markets, voucher rent limits, and buy box fit.
What is the Section 8 Market Locator?
Market Locator is a buy box screener for Section 8 rental markets. It reviews ZIP, city, and county candidates against rent, price, tax, cash-flow, yield, demand, and score criteria so investors can shortlist qualified fits.
How is Market Locator different from a Fair Market Rent lookup?
A Fair Market Rent lookup answers what HUD publishes for a location. Market Locator uses that rent data with property values, tax rates, market rent, and underwriting targets to decide whether a market fits a specific investment buy box.
How does geographic scope work?
State, city, and county selections define the geographic scope. The review queue then returns qualifying ZIP, city, and county market candidates inside that scope.
What happens when I pass on a market?
Passing removes the market from the current review queue. A passed market can return when updated data or changed criteria makes it qualify again, with context for why it came back.