Tool 01 · Cash-Flow Deal Check

See what a property really costs you — in 60 seconds.

A free AI skill — my own, not a borrowed plugin — that turns a purchase price and a weekly rent into the number that matters: what the property does to your bank account each month. Gross and net yield, the real monthly shortfall, cash flow at higher rates, and the rent you'd need to break even. Install it once, run it on any listing before you inspect.

In this guide
i · Why this mattersii · What you're building01 · Install02 · Run it03 · Read the numbers★ A worked example04 · Refine· What it can't see
Why this matters

The yield on the ad is not the yield in your account.

A listing quotes you a rent and lets you do the flattering maths in your head. Rent over price, call it 5%, feels fine. That number ignores management, rates, strata, insurance, vacancy and — the big one — what the loan actually costs at today's rates. The real position is often a monthly shortfall the agent never mentions.

With the serviceability buffer now 3% above the lending rate, a property that looks neutral on paper can bleed hundreds a week once the rate moves. The deals worth chasing are the ones that still make sense after you've done the unflattering maths.

What you're building

A one-minute cash-flow x-ray.

You give it a price and a weekly rent — plus any holding costs you know. The skill returns gross and net yield, the monthly holding cost, your estimated surplus or shortfall at both interest-only and P&I, the same position at +1% / +2% / +3% rates, and the break-even rent. Anything you can't fill in becomes a flagged question for a professional, not a guess.

What you need
The Claude desktop app (claude.ai/download), Skills enabled, and one real listing: price and estimated weekly rent are enough to start. Setup takes about five minutes, once.
Step 01 · Install the skill

Five minutes. You only do this once.

i
Download the Claude desktop app from claude.ai/download and sign in.
ii
Open Settings → Capabilities and turn on Skills.
iii
Add the propertyaiOS skills — upload the skills file I'll DM you, or clone the free repo at github.com/ginnypie/PropertyAIOS.
iv
Done. The property tools now appear in every new chat — cash-flow, appraisal, borrowing power, and the rest.
Heads up: if you don't see Skills in Settings, your Claude plan doesn't include them yet — turn on the Code / Skills capability first.
Step 02 · Run it

Type the command. Paste the numbers.

Open a new chat, type the command below, and give it the price and weekly rent. The skill loads automatically and asks for the finance assumptions and holding costs — fill in what you know, and it will tell you exactly which assumptions it had to make for the rest.

/property-cash-flow

Then paste: purchase price, estimated weekly rent, property type, suburb & state, and any holding costs you have (rates, strata, insurance).

Step 03 · Read the numbers

Seven sections, one honest picture.

What comes back
Gross yield and net yield
Monthly holding cost
Estimated monthly surplus or shortfall
Cash flow at +1%, +2%, +3% rates
Weekly rent needed to break even
Cash-flow and assumption risk flags
Questions for your broker, accountant and solicitor
How to read it
1
Go to the monthly shortfall first. That's the real number — what the property costs you to hold, after everything.
2
Then read the +2% row. If the shortfall there would break you, the deal is fragile no matter how good it looks today.
3
Compare break-even rent to the quoted rent. The gap between them is your monthly funding commitment, in one line.
★ A worked example

$830k, rented at $760 a week.

Run those two numbers through it and the flattering version disappears fast. Gross yield lands near 4.8%, but net yield drops toward 3.3% once management, rates, strata, insurance and vacancy come out — and on an 80% interest-only loan the real position is a monthly shortfall, not a surplus. Break-even rent comes back well above the $760 quoted, so you're funding the gap every month.

Then push the rate +2% and the shortfall widens sharply. That's the point of the tool: a property that reads fine on the listing shows you, in one minute, exactly how much of your own cash it needs each month — and how quickly that gets worse if rates move.

What it won't do
It never pretends to know your borrowing capacity, and it won't dress up a shortfall as a surplus. Give it thin numbers and it states the assumptions it made and flags them — because the honest shortfall is the whole point.
Step 04 · Refine

Tighten the picture.

1
Replace the default holding-cost estimates with the real rates, strata and insurance figures once you have the contract — they move the net yield.
2
Run it again at the rate your broker actually quotes, not the headline rate — that's the number you'll live with.
3
Ask for the P&I position as well as interest-only — interest-only flatters the monthly figure and eventually ends.
Before you rely on it

Where it needs your judgement.

Your borrowing capacity
This pressure-tests the property's numbers. It cannot see your income, HECS, credit cards or existing loans — whether you can fund the shortfall is a question only your broker answers.
The real rent
It uses the rent you give it. A property manager appraises the actual achievable rent — get that before you trust the yield.
Strata that jumps
A quoted body-corporate figure can rise sharply after the first AGM. Confirm the real levies and any special ones from the contract.
Depreciation and tax
The cash-flow number is pre-tax. Depreciation and your marginal rate change the after-tax position — that's a conversation for your accountant.
Where this gets you

You'll know the monthly cost before you fall in love with the place.

Run this before every inspection and you stop touring properties whose holding costs don't stack up for you on paper. You walk in already understanding the indicative shortfall, the break-even rent, and how much rate headroom the numbers suggest — so the conversation is about the numbers, not the paint colour. The deals that survive this are the ones worth taking to your broker. General information to prepare you, not financial advice.

Next tool
Buying off-the-plan? Build the bear case first.
— Broker handoff

Numbers organised? The lending structure still needs a human.

AI can prepare the property summary, the assumptions and the risk questions. A credit specialist structures the actual deal — borrowing capacity, lender policy, income treatment, loan structure and the application strategy. Bring your prepared file when it's time.

Book a lending structure call →
Education only

These tools are for preparation and education only. They do not replace credit assessment, financial advice, tax advice, legal review or lender policy checks. Verify everything with qualified professionals. Finance on the Coast is a subdivision of Model Mortgages Pty Ltd (ABN 82 108 681 063), Australian Credit Licence 387460.