Honest comparison
TrueCap vs Roofstock: marketplace vs independent underwrite
Roofstock is a marketplace — they list, broker, and pre-curate turnkey single-family rentals. TrueCap is a calculator — we don't sell you a property, we help you decide if the one you're looking at actually pencils. The two tools complement each other, but if you're asking "is this Roofstock deal real?", you want TrueCap as the second opinion.
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TL;DR
Use TrueCap when
- You want an independent underwrite of a Roofstock listing.
- You want to compare a Roofstock deal to a non-Roofstock deal head-to-head.
- The listing pro-forma assumes optimistic vacancy / mgmt / capex and you want to sensitize.
- You want a 10-year projection with exit scenarios, not a year-one snapshot.
- You want a deal score with a transparent breakdown.
Use Roofstock when
- You want a curated inventory of turnkey SFRs in markets you don't live in.
- You need a brokerage + escrow + PM partner in one place.
- You're scaling beyond your home market and don't want to source individually.
- You value the "Roofstock-certified" inspection + lease validation.
The honest take: most serious Roofstock buyers use TrueCap (or something like it) to pressure-test the listing pro-forma before committing. The marketplace pro-forma is marketing collateral — optimistic on rent, conservative on capex, missing a real sensitivity. That's the gap we fill.
Feature-by-feature
Roofstock is built for the buy-the-deal stage. TrueCap is built for the decide-if-it's-a-deal stage.
| Feature | TrueCap | Roofstock |
|---|---|---|
Primary purpose | Per-deal underwriting calculator | Marketplace + brokerage for turnkey SFR |
Cost to use | Free to underwrite; Pro $19/mo for projections + share + PDF | Free to browse; 0.5% buyer fee at close (typically $1k–$3k) |
Independent underwriting | Yes — our engine, your assumptions | Listing pro-formas authored by the seller / Roofstock |
Cap rate / CoC / DSCR | All standard, plus benchmarks per metric | Cap rate + cash flow on listing card |
Editable assumptions | Every input — vacancy, mgmt %, capex, taxes, etc. | Limited override of listing pro-forma |
10-year projection | Pro — rent growth, expense growth, appreciation, equity compounding | Static pro-forma year-one only |
Tax strategy modeling | Pro — depreciation, interest deduction, after-tax CF, bracket-aware | Not modeled |
Exit scenarios | Pro — sell-at-year-N with equity + IRR | Not modeled |
Sensitivity grid (stress test) | Pro — rent ±10%, vacancy ±5pp, rate ±1pp | Not modeled |
Deal score with breakdown | Pro — 0-100 with subscore drill-down | Curated 'Neighborhood Rating' (qualitative) |
Open data sources cited | HUD FMR + FRED rate + state tax — auditable | Internal estimates |
Actually buys you a property | No — you bring your own deal | Yes — full marketplace + escrow + brokerage |
Listing inventory | None — analyze anything by address | Curated SFR inventory, primarily turnkey |
Property management connection | Not included | Pre-vetted PM partners for most markets |
Works on any property | Yes — any US address, any condition, any strategy | Only Roofstock-listed properties |
Shareable read-only deal link | Pro — public URL + optional branding | Listing URL (their pro-forma, not yours) |
PDF report export | Pro — lender-ready multi-page report | PDF of listing pro-forma |
Mobile-first UX | PWA — install to home screen | Mobile-friendly web app |
Roofstock details based on publicly available product info as of 2026. See roofstock.com for their current state.
How to pressure-test a Roofstock listing in TrueCap
- Copy the listing address into the TrueCap analyzer. HUD FMR pre-fills the rent, FRED pre-fills the current 30-year rate, state property tax pre-fills the tax line. That's your honest baseline before the listing's own assumptions touch it.
- Replace the rent with the listing's pro-forma rent. Compare to HUD FMR for that county + bedroom count. If listing rent is more than ~10% above FMR, that's your first warning sign.
- Set vacancy to 8% (not 5%) and management to 10%. Turnkey listings often understate both. Real-world long-term vacancy for out-of-state SFR runs closer to 8% once you factor in turnover.
- Run the sensitivity grid (Pro).If the deal breaks at rent −5% or rate +0.5pp, that's not a cash-flowing rental, that's a speculation on rate cuts.
- Check the deal score (Pro).Below 60 is a decline. 60-75 is "maybe if you love the location." Above 75 is a real deal.
Want to do this in a single calculator? Try the cap rate calculator or cash-on-cash calculator. For the full workflow, our guide on 60-second underwriting walks through exactly the steps above.
Common questions about TrueCap vs Roofstock
Quick answers to the questions investors comparison-shopping these tools actually ask.
Is TrueCap a Roofstock alternative?
Not directly — they solve different problems. Roofstock is a marketplace that lists and brokers turnkey single-family rentals. TrueCap is a calculator that underwrites any property you point it at. Most experienced Roofstock buyers use TrueCap as the independent second opinion on listing pro-formas before committing.
Are Roofstock listings actually good deals?
Sometimes — but the pro-formas on listing cards are marketing material. They tend to assume optimistic rent, conservative vacancy (often 5% on out-of-state turnkey), light capex reserves, and don't sensitize for rate changes. Run any listing through TrueCap with realistic assumptions (8% vacancy, 10% management, 8% capex reserves) and you'll filter the real deals from the marketing.
What is Roofstock's fee compared to using TrueCap?
Roofstock charges a 0.5% buyer marketplace fee at close — on a $200k property that's ~$1,000. TrueCap is free to underwrite and $19/month for Pro features. They're not substitutes — Roofstock's fee buys you a brokered transaction, TrueCap's subscription gives you the analytical tooling to decide which transactions are worth doing.
Can TrueCap analyze any Roofstock listing?
Yes — just take the property address from the Roofstock listing and paste it into the TrueCap analyzer. The HUD baseline rent, FRED rate, and state property tax pre-fill automatically. You can then override any input with the listing's assumptions to compare side-by-side.
Should I trust the Roofstock pro-forma cap rate?
Trust but verify. Roofstock's cap rate is mathematically correct given their assumptions, but those assumptions are optimized for the listing's appeal. Specifically check: their vacancy assumption (often 5% — should be 8%+ for out-of-state SFR), management (often 8% — most realistic PMs charge 10% plus a leasing fee), and capex reserves (often understated). TrueCap lets you override all three and see how the cap rate moves.
When should I skip Roofstock and find deals elsewhere?
Skip Roofstock if you live in a market with enough deal flow that you can source locally — you'll usually find better margins without the 0.5% buyer fee. Skip it if the Roofstock inventory in your target market is thin (it's strong in some Midwest + Southeast markets, weaker elsewhere). Use Roofstock if you're scaling beyond markets where you have boots on the ground — the brokered + PM-included workflow is their real value-add.
Pressure-test your next Roofstock deal — free.
Free covers the underwrite. Pro unlocks 10-year projections, sensitivity, tax strategy, exit scenarios, deal score, PDF exports, and shareable read-only deal links. No card to start.