
The last word purpose of actual property investing is monetary freedom. It’s not simply to do a deal.
To get monetary freedom, you want an revenue that meets these necessities:
- Rents rise quicker than inflation. Until rents rise quicker than inflation, you’ll not have the extra {dollars} to pay inflated costs.
- Your rental revenue should final all through your life.
Buying a property in simply any market can’t fulfill these revenue necessities. That is why market evaluation is crucial.
Listed here are the steps in market evaluation.

Location choice is the primary and most necessary step as a result of it defines all long-term revenue traits.
Evaluating Location Monetary Efficiency
What can be the distinction between shopping for in low-appreciating versus high-appreciating markets?
Individuals usually select a location primarily based on value, money movement, or ROI. Nonetheless, money movement and ROI metrics solely predict a property’s efficiency below ultimate situations on the primary day of a long-term maintain. It’s good to take a for much longer view than simply the primary day.
As an example this level, I’ll evaluate one property in a excessive appreciation and hire development location like Las Vegas to a typical low appreciation and hire development metropolis.
Suppose you purchase an funding property in Las Vegas for $400,000 with a hire of $2,200 per 30 days. You additionally purchase two $200,000 properties in a low-priced metropolis that hire for $1,100 per 30 days every.
Rents for the property section we goal in Las Vegas elevated on common by over 8% a 12 months between 2013 and 2023, so I’ll use 8% hire development within the instance. For the gradual hire development metropolis, I’ll assume rents improve by 3% a 12 months, which is excessive for many low-cost cities.
If we assume an inflation fee of 4% a 12 months, what would be the inflation-adjusted month-to-month revenue from the properties after 5, 10, and 15 years if the identical inflation and hire development proceed?
Excessive hire development metropolis
- Yr 0: $2,200 = Shopping for energy: $2,200
- Yr 5: $2,200 x (1 + 8%)^5 / (1 + 4%)^5 = Shopping for energy: $2,657
- Yr 10: $2,200 x (1 + 8%)^10 / (1 + 4%)^10 = Shopping for energy: $3,209
- Yr 15: $2,200 x (1 + 8%)^15 / (1 + 4%)^15 = Shopping for energy: $3,875
As a result of rents elevated quicker than inflation, your shopping for energy and the quantity of products and providers you should purchase elevated yearly.
Low-rent development metropolis
Observe: For simplicity, I mixed the revenue from the 2 properties ($1,100/month x 2 = $2,200/month).
- Yr 0: $2,200 = Shopping for energy: $2,200
- Yr 5: $2,200 x (1 + 3%)^5 / (1 + 4%)^5 = Shopping for energy: $2,096
- Yr 10: $2,200 x (1 + 3%)^10 / (1 + 4%)^10 = Shopping for energy: $1,997
- Yr 15: $2,200 x (1 + 3%)^15 / (1 + 4%)^15 = Shopping for energy: $1,903
As a result of hire didn’t preserve tempo with inflation, your buying energy, which is the amount of products and providers you should purchase, decreased yearly.
You may by no means be financially impartial should you purchase properties in places the place rents don’t outpace inflation.
How A lot Capital You Must Attain Your Aim
One other drawback with low appreciation and hire development cities is that most individuals might want to buy a number of properties to fulfill their monetary targets. A disadvantage of low-cost places is that buying a number of properties requires way more capital than in high-growth/higher-cost places.
I’ll present why that is the case by evaluating properties in two places. I’ll begin by estimating what number of properties you will have to buy.
For instance, should you want $5,000 per 30 days to take care of your lifestyle and every property generates $350 per 30 days, you will have to purchase 15 properties ($5,000 / $350).
Suppose I assume that every property in a low-cost, low-appreciation location prices $200,000, and your solely acquisition value is a 25% down fee. How a lot capital out of your financial savings will that you must buy 15 properties?
15 x $200,000 x 25% = $750,000, loads of after-tax {dollars}.
What should you invested in a higher-cost, higher-appreciation location as an alternative of a low-appreciation location?
I assume every property prices $400,000, and the appreciation fee is 10% yearly. (Observe: The typical appreciation fee in Las Vegas for the property section we’ve focused was higher than 15% yearly between 2013 and 2023.) Additionally, just like the earlier instance, I’ll assume that the one acquisition value is the 25% down fee.
The money from financial savings to accumulate the primary property:
$400,000 x 25% = $100,000
As a consequence of speedy appreciation, we will use cash-out refinancing for the down fee for all extra properties. How does this work? You may refinance a property and withdraw money. The amount of money you’ll be able to withdraw will depend on your property’s worth relative to the excellent mortgage steadiness.
Typically, you’ll be able to withdraw 75% of the market worth minus the payoff steadiness of the prevailing mortgage. Assuming the property appreciates at 10% yearly, how lengthy should you wait to withdraw $100,000 for the down fee in your subsequent property? (Observe: To simplify issues, I assume there is no such thing as a principal paydown.)
- Yr 1: $400,000 x (1+10%)^1 x 75% – $300,000 (current mortgage) = $30,000
- Yr 2: $400,000 x (1+10%)^2 x 75% – $300,000 = $63,000
- Yr 3: $400,000 x (1+10%)^3 x 75% – $300,000 = $99,300
- Yr 4: $400,000 x (1+10%)^4 x 75% – $300,000 = $139,230
So, after three years, a 75% cash-out refinance supplies the down fee in your subsequent property.
The property you refinanced and the property you acquired will proceed to extend in worth, enabling you to repeat the method each few years. This allows you to proceed rising your portfolio with restricted extra capital out of your financial savings, as illustrated right here.

Though properties in high-appreciation cities are usually dearer, buying a number of properties requires considerably much less capital than in low-cost places. It is because you’ll be able to develop your portfolio utilizing gathered fairness by way of cash-out refinancing.
You Want Fewer Properties in Excessive-Appreciation Areas
One other good thing about investing in high-appreciation cities is speedy hire development. When rents rise quicker than inflation, so does your inflation-adjusted revenue. In consequence, you could want to accumulate fewer properties because the inflation-adjusted money movement from every property is rising.
Remaining Ideas
To attain and preserve monetary freedom, you have to select the appropriate market(s) earlier than contemplating any properties. Use the guidelines outlined right here to information you.
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Observe By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the writer and don’t essentially characterize the opinions of BiggerPockets.