Millennials are quickly becoming the largest generation the world has seen. In the US, they make up more than 75 million, making them the biggest renting population of all time. While many of these young men and women look forward to buying their own property and living the American Dream, they often find themselves in a challenging position right after college due to student loans, rising mortgage rates, and rising cost of living. Moreover, the cost of homeownership in addition to the lack of funds to pay for the down payment of a property force millennials to choose rental properties as their home.
How Does This Affect the Real Estate Market?
This has created an increasing demand for rental properties in the real estate investing world and, thus, opened a window of opportunity for real estate investors! However, one question often arises: Which are the best cities to invest in real estate properties to rent out to millennials?
Naturally, property investors should look at real estate markets that have registered a high population growth in the last few years. Additionally, single-family homes have emerged as the preferred choice of millennials, meaning this is the type of rental property you should look to buy and invest in. Property investors should also look at employment opportunities for millennials in the area before deciding to buy a rental property. This will help them ensure that the demand will continue to exceed the supply of rental properties. Want to learn how to attract millennials to your investment property? Read this: “Marketing Your Real Estate Property to the Millennial Generation”
Fortunately for real estate investors, now they have access to an extraordinary amount of data, including trends on rising rents in cities across the US housing market, that allows them to pinpoint the locations where investment properties earn the best rental income. So, what are some of the best cities to invest in real estate that top the list?
Best Cities to Invest in Real Estate Where Millennials Are Renting
Millennials are moving to rent in cities that have a lower cost of living, better economic opportunity and general quality of life. According to the Millennial Generation Report, which was released by the Brookings Institution in January 2018, the following US cities had the highest young adult growth in the last few years:
#1 Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado Springs – the largest city in Colorado – offers a low cost of living and major culture and lifestyle appeal, making it an attractive destination for millennials. Over a quarter of the city’s population, in fact, fall into the millennial category. It has the highest growth rate in the US housing market, which is why it tops our list of the best cities to invest in real estate that investors should keep an eye on. Click here to look for and analyze investment properties in Colorado Springs.
- Median Property Price: $386,423
- Price Per Square Foot: $155
- Traditional Rental Income: $1,473
#2 Denver, CO
According to Zillow, the Mile High City is one the best cities to invest in real estate in 2018. Denver is turning into a major tech hub. The energy, healthcare industries, and universities in the city have all been thriving as well, creating a growing job market for millennials and investment opportunities for property investors. Click here to look for and analyze investment properties in Denver.
- Median Property Price: $491,392
- Price Per Square Foot: $3,303
- Traditional Rental Income: $1,865
#3 Orlando, FL
There’s more to Orlando than Disney World. Millennials drive the Orlando real estate market as they continue to move into the city due to the strong job market. Employment growth in the city is better than that of most markets in the US housing market. Recent development and low housing costs also attract millennials seeking affordable rental properties and, as a result, makes Orlando one of the best cities to invest in real estate to rent to millennials. Click here to look for and analyze investment properties in Orlando.
- Median Property Price: $356,398
- Price Per Square Foot: $195
- Traditional Rental Income: $1,633
#4 Houston, TX
Houston combines affordability with being one of the biggest cities in the US housing market! This has attracted millennials to the city at a fast rate. Even though the area was hit by Hurricane Harvey, the market is recovering and real estate investors still look into it when thinking of buying an investment property. Click here to look for and analyze investment properties in Houston.
- Median Property Price: $418,228
- Price Per Square Foot: $172
- Traditional Rental Income: $2,006
Related: Where Should You Buy an Investment Property in the Houston Real Estate Market in 2018?
#5 Seattle, WA
Home to Amazon, Microsoft and many other tech companies, Emerald City continues to attract millennial renters not only from the country but worldwide! Areas outside the city are also experiencing population growth as millennials look for more affordable rental properties within the driving range of their employment. Thus, property investors should keep an eye out for Seattle and its surrounding areas as they’re among the best cities to invest in real estate to rent to millennials in 2018. Click here to look for and analyze investment properties in Seattle.
- Median Property Price: $891,907
- Price Per Square Foot: $528
- Traditional Rental Income: $2,408
To get similar data for any other city in the US housing market, click here to start out your 14-day free trial with Mashvisor!
How to Find an Investment Property in These Cities
If you don’t want to spend months searching for the right investment property to rent out in these cities, try searching using our property finder tool. Simply select your city of choice, enter your budget, and use a number of filters to control the search results. The property finder will then give you a list of the best properties that match with your criteria and generate a good cash on cash return!
After finding a property, use Mashvisor’s investment property calculator to analyze it and see if it has the potential to make money! This tool shows you information regarding the rental income, cash on cash return, and the cap rate of investment properties (both traditional and Airbnb) in any city and neighborhood in the US housing market. Not only that, the median property price and Airbnb occupancy rate are projected as well. In fact, the data provided for rental properties in the above cities was obtained from this tool!
Related: Investment Property Search: 4 Must Have Real Estate Investing Tools
Hand-in-hand, these two real estate investing tools allow property investors to easily find, analyze, and compare properties to determine the most profitable one in the best cities to invest in real estate. Do you have a free Mashvisor account? Click here to use our Property Finder and find properties in a matter of minutes, or here to analyze investment properties in your city and neighborhood of choice.