The Best Markets to Buy Rental Properties Right Now (UPDATED)

Episode #1296 Get Financing Built for Real Estate Investors with Kiava! BiggerPockets Pro Members Get $1,250 Off Eligible Loans: https:///kiavi.com/biggerpockets *New to investing in real estate?* In an area that has high housing prices, tough landlord laws, or little-to-no cash flow potential? We’ve got you covered. We’re sharing *12 markets that are making money for real estate investors right now.* Regardless of your strategy, we have markets for you. From *long-term rentals* to short-term rentals and *Airbnbs, house hacking* cities that will help cover your mortgage, and *house flipping* markets with high returns and low rehab costs. We didn’t want to give you just one option to choose from, so *Dave, Henry, and Ashley Kehr* from the _Real Estate Rookie_ podcast brought along three separate markets for each real estate investing strategy. From *overlooked affordable suburbs* with solid population growth to *tourist towns that are making killer nightly rates* during busy season, and even some *sneaky top-tier markets* that many would assume house hacking wouldn’t work (but it does!). We’ll walk through *why we like each market,* their *population* and *job growth,* average *home prices* and *rent prices,* and the strategy that would make the most sense there. You can invest in real estate in 2026; you’ve just got to pick the right place! Episode Show Notes: https://lnk.to/biggerpocketsYT Join BiggerPockets for FREE 👇 https://www.biggerpockets.com/signup?utm_source=owned_media 🎉Join us at the BiggerPockets Conference October 2-4 in Orlando. Buy tickets: https://biggerpockets.com/bpcon2026 Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! https://www.BiggerPockets.com/Podcastfeedback Grab Dave’s Book, _Start with Strategy_ : https://store.biggerpockets.com/products/start-with-strategy?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Sign Up for the Investor Brief Newsletter: https://www.biggerpockets.com/email-subscribe?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Any Area: http://biggerpockets.com/agentmatch Hear More from Ashley on the _Real Estate Rookie_ Podcast: https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcasts/real-estate-rookie?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Ashley: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/ashkehr?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Henry: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/henryw22?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Dave: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/davem27?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none 0:00 Best Markets to Invest In 1:58 1. Overlooked (Affordable!) Suburb 4:50 2. This City is GROWING! 9:30 3. Cash Flow + Appreciation Market 14:33 Sponsor: Kiavi! 15:15 4. 18M+ Tourists Come Here! 18:35 5. High-Rent, Local Vacation Spot 21:35 6. Ski Bum’s Paradise 25:34 7. Flips Sell FAST Here 27:50 8. Flip for $200K (All-in)! 30:34 9. Cheap Renovations, High Returns? 31:42 10. House Hacker’s Paradise 33:37 11. Dave Would Move Here! 35:08 12. Invest In…California!?