- At 80% leverage and an example 7.5% rate, the typical Jackson County home ($247,543 in Zillow's September 2026 index) at the county's typical $1,446 rent lands at a DSCR of about 0.80. No county's typical house reaches 1.00.
- Price is the lever. With county rents, taxes and Kansas City-area insurance rates, a DSCR of 1.00 at 80% leverage caps the price near $192,000 in Jackson County, $165,000 in Wyandotte and $239,000 in Johnson.
- By ZIP code, sample ZIPs with typical values from about $100,000 to $205,000 mostly run from about 1.05 to 1.59. ZIPs near $300,000 and up, such as 64114, Overland Park's 66212 and Lee's Summit's 64081, fall to about 0.6–0.7.
- Missouri tax bills can trail market value. At full assessment, a house in the Kansas City Public Schools district pays about 1.59% of its value a year (19% × an 8.3882% levy), against a 1.12% Census average for Jackson County.
- In this market, minimum loan sizes ($70,000 to $100,000) and minimum values ($115,000 at one lender) can stop a cheap house before the ratio does.
One division, five inputs
A DSCR loan in Kansas City is underwritten the same way it is anywhere else. The lender takes the monthly rent, divides it by the property's full monthly payment, and checks the result against its minimum. A result of 1.00 means the rent exactly covers the payment; 1.20 means it covers it with 20% to spare.
Five inputs set that ratio: the rent, the price, how much of the price you borrow, the rate, and the tax and insurance bills. In the Kansas City metro the two that swing the most from one ZIP code to the next are price relative to rent and the tax bill. The rate depends on your credit, leverage and loan structure, not the neighborhood.
The typical house in each county, run through one loan
To compare the six core counties on equal terms, the table uses each county's typical home value and typical rent from Zillow's September 2026 indexes and a 30-year fixed loan at 7.5%. The rate is an example, not a quote: it sits inside the 6.0% to 7.99% range Ridge Street Capital published for Kansas City DSCR loans on November 4, 2026, and inside the 6.875% to 7.5% rates Easy Street Capital lists on its recently funded Kansas City and Liberty DSCR loans. Taxes use each county's median real estate tax bill divided by its median home value in the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey, a rough effective rate.
Insurance comes from NerdWallet's March 2026 sample homeowners rates. Its Missouri rates run $2,100 a year for $200,000 of dwelling coverage, $2,900 for $300,000 and $3,805 for $400,000. Its Kansas City, Mo. average sat about 12% above the state figure, so the table scales those rates up 12%: about $196 a month for $200,000 of coverage. The Kansas side gets the same schedule. Kansas's statewide average runs far above Missouri's, but NerdWallet's averages for Kansas City, Kan. ($4,300) and Overland Park ($4,390) were within 3% of Kansas City, Mo. ($4,260). These are owner-occupant sample rates, and a landlord policy prices differently, so replace them with a real quote.
| County | Typical value | Typical rent | Rent ÷ value | Tax rate | Insurance | PITIA at 80% | DSCR at 80% | DSCR at 75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson, Mo. | $247,543 | $1,446 | 0.58% | 1.12% | $196 | $1,811 | 0.80 | 0.84 |
| Clay, Mo. | $318,510 | $1,546 | 0.49% | 1.07% | $271 | $2,335 | 0.66 | 0.70 |
| Platte, Mo. | $389,181 | $1,603 | 0.41% | 1.05% | $355 | $2,872 | 0.56 | 0.59 |
| Cass, Mo. | $341,122 | $1,675 | 0.49% | 0.86% | $271 | $2,422 | 0.69 | 0.73 |
| Johnson, Kan. | $458,265 | $1,760 | 0.38% | 1.14% | $439 | $3,436 | 0.51 | 0.54 |
| Wyandotte, Kan. | $206,653 | $1,322 | 0.64% | 1.46% | $196 | $1,603 | 0.82 | 0.86 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
No county's typical house reaches 1.00 at either leverage. That says less about Kansas City than about financing a median-priced home at 80% when rates are where they are: Freddie Mac's weekly survey had the conventional 30-year average at 7.24% on October 29, 2026. To hit 1.00 on the typical house you'd borrow only about 59% of its value in Jackson County, 61% in Wyandotte and 28% in Johnson. Investors who make the ratio work here mostly do one of three things: buy below the county median, buy where rent is high relative to price, or bring more cash.
Check the rent before you trust any index
Zillow's county rent index blends single-family homes, townhomes and apartments. Metro-wide in September 2026 its single-family-only index was $1,792, against $1,534 for all homes, about 17% higher. The Census survey points the same way: median gross rent for a three-bedroom was $1,422 in Jackson County, $1,355 in Wyandotte, $1,593 in Clay, $1,733 in Platte and $1,802 in Johnson. Gross rent includes utilities the tenant pays, so a lease on the same unit would show less.
Neither source is the rent your lender will use. That comes from the appraiser's market-rent schedule, built from leased comparables, and most lenders then take the lower of that figure and your signed lease. Kiavi, for one, counts the lower of your lease and 110% of the appraiser's market rent.
The price ceiling in each county
Flip the question around: for a house renting at the county's typical figure, what's the most you can pay and still reach a target ratio? At 7.5% over 30 years, each dollar borrowed costs $0.006992 a month, so the ceiling falls out of one line.
| County | Typical rent | Ceiling at DSCR 1.00 | Ceiling at DSCR 1.20 | Typical value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson, Mo. | $1,446 | $192,000 | $155,000 | $247,543 |
| Clay, Mo. | $1,546 | $208,000 | $169,000 | $318,510 |
| Platte, Mo. | $1,603 | $218,000 | $176,000 | $389,181 |
| Cass, Mo. | $1,675 | $234,000 | $190,000 | $341,122 |
| Johnson, Kan. | $1,760 | $239,000 | $194,000 | $458,265 |
| Wyandotte, Kan. | $1,322 | $165,000 | $133,000 | $206,653 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
The ceiling holds only if the house really rents for the county's typical figure. A $180,000 three-bed in Jackson County that leases for $1,600 has room to spare; a $180,000 two-bed that leases for $1,200 doesn't. Put your own rent and your own tax bill into the formula.
ZIP by ZIP: where the ratio clears
Inside each county the spread is wider still. Here are Zillow's September 2026 typical value and typical rent for a sample of Kansas City-area ZIP codes, run through the same loan.
| ZIP | City | Typical value | Typical rent | Rent ÷ value | DSCR at 80% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64130 | Kansas City, Mo. | $100,248 | $1,348 | 1.34% | 1.59 |
| 64132 | Kansas City, Mo. | $109,387 | $1,246 | 1.14% | 1.37 |
| 64124 | Kansas City, Mo. | $120,168 | $1,211 | 1.01% | 1.24 |
| 66101 | Kansas City, Kan. | $123,598 | $1,180 | 0.95% | 1.14 |
| 66104 | Kansas City, Kan. | $166,378 | $1,289 | 0.77% | 0.97 |
| 64134 | Kansas City, Mo. | $172,141 | $1,467 | 0.85% | 1.11 |
| 64138 | Raytown, Mo. | $204,411 | $1,599 | 0.78% | 1.05 |
| 64119 | Kansas City, Mo. (Clay County) | $259,583 | $1,677 | 0.65% | 0.86 |
| 64114 | Kansas City, Mo. | $295,888 | $1,526 | 0.52% | 0.69 |
| 66212 | Overland Park, Kan. | $358,538 | $1,836 | 0.51% | 0.68 |
| 64081 | Lee's Summit, Mo. | $421,476 | $1,788 | 0.42% | 0.58 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Below about $200,000 the rent usually carries the loan; above about $250,000 it doesn't, at least not at 80%. Kansas City, Kan.'s 66104 shows why the line isn't exact: at $166,378 it falls just short, because Wyandotte's tax rate is the highest in the metro. The top rows aren't a shopping list either. Values there are low enough to run into some lenders' minimums, covered below, and any one house still has to appraise and lease the way the index suggests.
Worked example: a $175,000 three-bed in south Kansas City
Say you're buying a three-bedroom house in ZIP 64134 for $175,000, close to the ZIP's typical value of $172,141. Leased comparables support $1,500 a month, a little above the ZIP's typical $1,467. This is an illustration, not a live deal.
| Line | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Loan: 80% of $175,000 = $140,000, 30-year fixed at 7.5% | $978.90 principal and interest |
| Property tax at 1.12% of price | $162.92 |
| Insurance (sample rate, $200,000 of coverage) | $195.93 |
| HOA dues | $0 |
| Total payment (PITIA) | $1,337.74 |
| Rent | $1,500 |
| DSCR | 1.12 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
A 1.12 clears every published minimum we found. Now stress it the way an underwriter will:
- Less leverage. At 75% the loan is $131,250, principal and interest drop to $917.72 and the ratio rises to 1.18. You bring $8,750 more to closing.
- A different rate. At 8.0% and 80% the ratio slips to 1.08; at 7.0% it rises to 1.16.
- A lower rent opinion. If the appraiser's rent schedule says $1,400, the ratio is 1.05 at 7.5% and 80%: still above 1.00, barely.
- The tax bill at full value. Missouri reassesses real estate every odd-numbered year, so the bill you inherit may reflect an older value. If the house sits in the Kansas City Public Schools district (Jackson County tax code 001, 8.3882 per $100 of assessed value in 2025), a full assessment at your price is $175,000 × 19% × 8.3882%, about $232 a month. That alone takes the ratio to 1.07.
What lenders in this market publish
| Lender | Minimum DSCR | Max leverage | Minimum score | Loan size | Also notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiavi | As low as 0.8x | Up to 80% LTV | — | $75,000–$2,000,000 | Rent: lower of lease or 110% of market rent |
| RCN Capital | 1.00 | 80% purchase; 75% cash-out | 660 | $70,000–$1.5 million | As-is value must be $115,000 or more |
| Easy Street Capital (Missouri) | No minimum | 80% purchase or refinance; 75% cash-out | — | — | Rates from 5.75% |
| Crossroads Investment Lending (Overland Park) | — | Up to 80% | 660 | $100,000–$2 million | 30-year term |
| KC Investor Funding | — | Up to 80% | 620 | — | 6 months of PITI in reserves; closes in 30–40 days |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
In Kansas City, the loan-size and value lines can matter more than the rate floors. In 64130 an 80% loan on the typical $100,248 house is about $80,200. That's above Kiavi's and RCN's minimum loan amounts, below Crossroads' $100,000 minimum, and on a property worth less than RCN's $115,000 floor. Ask about both before you write an offer on a low-priced house.
Missouri or Kansas changes the tax line
The metro straddles two tax systems. Missouri assesses residential property at 19% of market value and reassesses real estate every odd-numbered year, per Jackson County's assessment office. Kansas assesses residential property at 11.5% under Article 11 of its constitution and appraises it at market value as of January 1 every year (K.S.A. 79-1455). In the Census figures the effective rates came out close for Jackson (1.12%) and Johnson (1.14%) counties, while Wyandotte ran 1.46%. On a $200,000 house, the Jackson-to-Wyandotte gap is about $57 a month, enough to move a $1,450 rent from a DSCR of 0.97 to 0.93. Our guide to Missouri vs. Kansas property taxes runs the 2025 levies on both sides.
Where a United Lending rental loan fits
United Lending is based in Brooklyn and lends nationwide. Our DSCR rental loans are qualified on the property's rent. We lend up to 85% loan-to-value (LTV) on a purchase and up to 80% on a cash-out refinance, with credit scores from 620, a DSCR from 0.75 and loans from $75,000. These are separate limits, not one combined offer: the highest leverage goes to stronger credit and rent coverage, and a lower score or ratio means lower leverage. Prepayment terms range from none up to five years, and the borrower can be you personally or an LLC. We don't publish a rate; it's quoted on each deal.
They're business-purpose loans, made only on houses held as rentals. A home you or a relative will occupy, even half of a duplex, belongs with a residential mortgage lender.
Run your own Kansas City deal
- Pull three to five signed leases on houses with the same bed and bath count within a mile, and use the middle one.
- Look up the tax code and levy with the county (Jackson, Clay, Platte or Cass in Missouri; Johnson or Wyandotte in Kansas), then estimate the bill at your price, not the seller's assessment.
- Get a landlord insurance quote on the address before you offer.
- Run the ratio at 80% and 75%, and at a rate half a point above your quote.
- Check the lender's floors: minimum DSCR, minimum loan amount and minimum property value.
- Solve for your ceiling price with the formula above and offer below it.
Buying a house that needs work first? See BRRRR in Kansas City and St. Louis for the refinance side. Buying in St. Louis instead? The St. Louis DSCR guide runs the same numbers there.