Editorial Policy

This page explains how CapRateCity creates the content you see — articles, rankings, calculators, market data, guides — and the standards we hold ourselves to.

Data-First Methodology

Wherever possible, CapRateCity articles and rankings are anchored in publicly available datasets rather than in opinion. Cap rates, rent-to-price ratios, vacancy, and growth figures come from established third-party sources (described in our data methodology). When we make qualitative judgments, we try to be explicit about the assumptions behind them.

Sources We Rely On

• Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) for metro home values.
• Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI) for metro rents.
• U.S. Census Bureau for population, income, and demographic data.
• County and state assessor data for effective property tax rates.
• HUD and Census Housing Vacancy Survey for vacancy figures.
• IRS publications, where tax topics are mentioned.

We do not have access to non-public broker, MLS, or proprietary feeds. All datasets we use can be verified against their original sources.

Editorial Independence From Advertisers and Affiliates

Advertising and affiliate revenue does not control what we cover, how rankings are ordered, or how calculators compute results. See our advertising policy and affiliate disclosure for specifics on what partners can and cannot buy.

Author and Review

Articles and guides are written, reviewed, and updated by the CapRateCity editorial team. Where we use research assistance, including AI tools, content is reviewed for factual accuracy before publication and updated when we discover errors or new data. AI assistance does not replace editorial judgment, and we do not publish content we cannot stand behind.

Limitations We're Honest About

• Market-level data is not a substitute for property-level analysis.
• Historical results do not predict future returns.
• Tax, legal, and lending rules change; readers should verify current rules.
• We are not licensed real estate, legal, tax, or financial professionals.

Updates and Corrections

We update data when new releases are published (typically monthly for Zillow indexes, annually for Census). Articles are revisited when material changes occur. If you find a factual error, we want to know — see our corrections policy.

Conflicts of Interest

Where the operator of CapRateCity owns a related site (such as our sister sites in mortgages, taxes, or insurance), we may link between them. These are not paid placements, and inclusion in editorial does not change how we evaluate other products.

Contact

Editorial feedback, story ideas, or corrections: jake@capratecity.com.