Black and Buono Blog

Investing in rental homes does not always generate high returns and depends largely on how popular the market is and the current state of the economy.

Some cities tend to generate higher profits for investors, because the need for rental housing is higher due to a lack of affordable housing in major cities such as on the coasts or where there is a large concentration of jobs being offered.

Landlords should also factor in other costs that can affect their profit margin such as higher property insurance and taxes, maintenance expenses and homeowner's association fees.

While landlords might expect a good return on their property investment in some communities, there are a few costs that can chip away at the profits.

Rental properties can also emerge as a "liability for those hoping to tap into the home equity at a competitive rate.

There are many lenders who will not approve a home equity line of credit that uses a rental property as collateral and even the ones who approve a loan are likely to charge higher than average interest rates.

The number of Americans renting has increased, as even retirees are opting to forgo homeownership and instead rent to give themselves additional mobility and disposable income in order to fund other retirement expenses.

Renting is emerging as a preferred alternative for both Millennials and Baby Boomers, since in many cities it is a cheaper alternative.

During the period of 2005 to 2015, the largest group of renters to increase was Baby Boomers or those 50 and older with a 55% gain. Gen X-ers, ages 30 to 49, reported an increase of 34% and a rise of 11% occurred among those under 30.

A greater proportion of Americans are renting with 37% doing so in 2015 compared to 31% in 2005, the highest level since the mid-1960s.

Renting is spreading across income groups since 18% of the increase in renters during this decade earned $100,000 or more, and the number of renters in the top income bracket grew by 61%.

Investors should be conservative when estimating their returns, because there are other fees such as real estate agent commissions, periods of time when there are vacancies or paying a property manager.

When looking at property for sale with the intention to rent, don't trust what the advertising cap rate is. Many times the advertised caps are not what the property is currently producing, but rather predicted caps.

In the aftermath of the recession, investors found the surplus of distressed properties resulted in another market - the single-family rental home market.

The best markets for renting a home are not necessarily the places that have shown the largest appreciation in home prices.

Coastal cities and states have tended to produce more modest returns while northeast states are generating returns in line with the national average of 9.1% a year.

The number of people living in single-family homes includes 15.1 million households or 35% of the population or 47.6 million residents comprising of 43% of the total population.

For more information, contact Black and Buono.

The Street