Rental Market – 4th Quarter 2022

Rental Market – 4^th Quarter 2022

Landlords across the United States are experiencing a slowdown in the rental market. If you’re in the position of having a vacant rental right now and it’s been on the market for longer than usual, you’re not the only one.

The housing market for sales and rentals has slowed considerably. Why does your property seem to rent so quickly and for top dollar sometimes, and other times it seems to take forever?

Multiple things affect your housing market.

The holidays are usually slow for leasing vacant units as people travel or spend time with friends and relatives. Not just renters moving but also getting vendors in to do work when they’re working a limited schedule can make it more challenging to get a property ready between renters. Stores that have material may be closed as well.

A lot has happened over the last few years. Many people have sold and bought homes, upsized, downsized, left their jobs, started new careers or businesses, and even moved out of the country and worked remotely. While people will continue to move and need rentals, the majority who wanted to have and may not want to move again so soon means there are fewer people out looking for a new home.

Any property can be rented or sold in any market; it’s just a question of price. If the market is slow for leasing a rental, there is more inventory than renters looking. When more properties are available than renters, owners will start to lower prices to increase interest. If you wait, what you rent it for in a month or two might be less than what it would have rented for today. Waiting is usually not the best course when it’s a slow leasing market.

Owners typically lose much more in lost rental income than they would’ve if the property had been priced at the current market rates. Waiting doesn’t get the owner more money for their rental; it will rent at whatever the market rent is down the road when the price is lowered enough to match up with what the market will pay.

For example, if your property is rented for $1800 a month but is vacant for 90 days instead of 30 days, you’ve lost an additional $3600 in rental income. Spread that over 12 months, and you would make the same rental income over the year if it rented for $1500 after 30 days.

Having a long-term vacant property can also affect your insurance coverage and make it more likely to be broken into since vacant properties appeal more to appliance thieves and squatters than occupied ones.

We’re familiar with the market and see how it changes daily with new properties coming on the market and others being leased. We price rentals at the current market rent to get qualified renters within a reasonable timeframe, as having a vacancy for months is not in our client’s best interest. Give us a call if you need a Houston, Texas property management company’s help leasing your rental property.

We are the one you want if you are looking for a Spring Property Management Company! RentLife® Property Management CRMC® is the best choice for property management in Cypress, TX. We also offer rentals and property management in Humble, Katy, Richmond, Spring, The Woodlands, Tomball, Conroe, Houston, Magnolia, and other surrounding areas. Contact us today at www.rentlifepm.com or 832-562-3600.