Where Should You Buy Rental Property Next?
A data-driven system that shows which U.S. housing markets are early, overheated, cooling, or stressed — so you can allocate capital with discipline.
Built for long-term buy-and-hold investors comparing metros across the U.S.
Housing markets don’t move together. Some metros are recovering. Others are overheated or slowing.
This system tracks where each metro sits in its cycle so you can see:
- Where demand is strengthening
- Where supply is building too fast
- Where financing stress is rising
- Where risk is stabilizing
Why This Matters
Buying in an overheated market can compress returns.
Buying too early in a downturn can mean dead capital.
Cycle positioning helps you avoid both.
43% of metros are in Recovery, 26% in Expansion.
2025-12 · 281 metros with cycle data
National Market Backdrop
| Factor | What’s Happening | What It Means for Investors |
|---|---|---|
| Financing | Stable | No major credit stress |
| Supply | Gradually Building | Some rent pressure possible |
| Demand | 114 metros showing stress | Days-on-market rising in some areas |
| Pricing | 18 metros compressed | Yield compression in some markets |
Updated monthly across 287+ metros.
40 metros in Elevated or High Risk bands. 136 with rising scores this month, predominantly elevated in permit growth. 134 with declining scores.
Narrow to a shortlist of metros.
Evaluate cycle phase and structural risk.
Monitor improving or deteriorating conditions before deploying capital.
Use risk, cycle, liquidity, and momentum filters to align results with your risk posture and timing view.
Highest Risk
Structural Drivers
Prices, supply, affordability, employment, migration.
Market Signals
Liquidity conditions and rent-price alignment.
Cycle Phase
Recovery, Expansion, Hypersupply, Recession.