How to Find Cash-Flowing Rentals on Zillow (Step-by-Step)

A repeatable workflow to find cash-flowing rental properties on Zillow — filters, metrics, assumption settings, and how Realy.app ranks listings by cash-on-cash in minutes.

💡 New to [Realy.app](https://realy.app/)? Realy.*app is a lightweight Chrome extension built for real estate investors. It runs silently in the background while you browse Zillow, automatically pulling listing data and calculating key investment metrics instantly so you never have to copy-paste into spreadsheets again.*

Curious about how we calculate our data? Check out our deep dive on Understanding Realy’s Real Estate Investment Metrics to see exactly how our math works behind the scenes.

Finding cash-flowing rentals on Zillow is not about luck — it is a filter → rank → verify process. Here is the step-by-step workflow Realy.app users run daily.

Step 1: Define Your Buy Box

Before opening Zillow, write down:

Your buy box drives Zillow filters and Realy.app assumption defaults.

Step 2: Set Zillow Filters (Buyer Filters First)

On Zillow search:

• For sale (not sold)
• Price min/max
• Beds/baths minimum
• Home type (house, townhouse, condo — know HOA risk on condos)
• Sort by Newest or Price reduction (not “Zillow recommends”)

Zillow filters remove noise. They do not find cash flow — that comes next.

Step 3: Set Realy Assumptions (Before You Browse)

Open the calculator in Realy.app and configure your reality:

Realy defaults (6.5% rate, 2% tax, $0 insurance) are starting points — not underwriting finals.

Step 4: Open Realy Analyzer on Search Results

Click the floating Open Realy Analyzer button on the Zillow search page.

You get:

• Table view — all listings with cap rate, CoC, monthly cash flow
• Map view — geographic clusters of strong deals

Sort by cash-on-cash or monthly cash flow. This is your ranked shortlist — see Top 10 Dallas example.

Step 5: Screen With Quick Metrics

Pass listings through three gates:

Gate 1: Rent-to-price

Monthly Rent ÷ Price ≥ 0.8–1.0%  (market-dependent)

See rent-to-price ratio guide.

Gate 2: Positive cash flow

Monthly cash flow > $0 after your assumptions — not defaults.

Gate 3: Cap rate floor

Meets your minimum (what is a good cap rate?)

Listings failing any gate get skipped. No emotional attachment to photos.

Step 6: Deep-Dive Winners (5–10 Max)

Click finalists in the table or map → property side panel:

• Adjust rent to comp average
• Add real insurance quote
• Model rehab if photos show deferred maintenance
• Check red flags

Click Detailed analysis for full Realy.app underwriting.

Step 7: Off-Zillow Verification

Zillow finds candidates. You confirm:

• Rent comps (Rentometer, PM quotes, Craigslist/Facebook)
• Tax bill (county assessor — not just 2% guess)
• Insurance quote
• HOA docs (rental allowed? reserves healthy?)
• Drive-by or inspection
• Crime, flood, school research for your tenant profile

Step 8: Make Offers on Surviving Deals

Only offers on properties that pass conservative Realy.app numbers + field verification.

Track price reductions and days on market for negotiation leverage.

Daily Workflow Summary

Zillow filters → Realy analyzer → Sort by CoC → Side panel top 5 → Verify → Offer

Time: 15–30 minutes to screen a full search vs. hours in spreadsheets.

**Install Realy →

Related: First rental checklist · Extension guide