4 Reasons KC is Still a Hot Market to Invest In

The real estate market in Kansas City is still booming. Since 2013 or so, it’s been going strong, and 2017 shows no signs of slowing down. Of course, markets fluctuate and what is hot one year may be the opposite 3 years down the road. However, the picture in KC right now is nothing but rosy, and investors are still flocking to the city to score awesome investment deals and get the cash flow they’re after. Here are a few factors that are contributing to KC’s current status as one of the country’s top markets for investment:

Jobs

The job scene in Kansas City is on fire. Between February 2016 and February 2017, the metro area added nearly 28,000 jobs. Annually, the city has added more than 20,000 positions each year since 2014. That’s a lot of jobs! The largest increase has been in the professional and business services sectors, which is not surprising considering the recent additions of places like Google Fiber and Cerner.

Growing Population

More and more people are deciding to call KC home. Recent stats show an increase of nearly 100,000 people in the last seven years, with a spike in domestic migration in the last year. This tells us that people are purposefully moving to the city (rather than just being born here), and fewer people are moving away. This is due to several factors, including the diverse employment opportunities as well as low cost of living and appealing amenities.

Diverse Inventory

The inventory of current homes for sale in the KC is admittedly tight. At the time of this writing, there are just over 2,600 homes for sale in Kansas City, MO proper. Some investors may look at this and think, “too much demand, not enough supply” or that it would be too much work to find a suitable investment. I look at it from another perspective. Yes, the competition is fierce, but low inventory combined with a growing population also means that there are more people who need homes. I see this as an opportunity. If you own a rental property, or properties, in this type of environment, your risk for the vacancy is going to plummet. You might need to get more creative with your property scouting methods, and maybe pay a bit more than what you wanted. But if you can do these things and land great properties that people will want to rent - and maybe even pay a premium to do so - you’re setting yourself up for a nice payday. Plus, if you plan to hang onto the property for just a couple of years and the inventory remains low, you could see a sizable profit when you sell, too.

KC is Awesome!

Finally, Kansas City rocks. Plain and simple, our city is just awesome. The people are super friendly, there are tons of fun things to do, and it’s really beautiful! It’s a unique mix of city meets country, so there really is something for everyone. Our downtown is undergoing a huge revitalization, with lots of trendy restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues. Other notable areas experiencing the same rebirth are the Crossroads and the River Market. All of these places are easily accessible from the suburbs on both the Missouri and Kansas sides, so it’s just a short trek to experience all that the urban core has to offer. Other selling points: Our sports teams are awesome (even when they’re not); we have more fountains than anyone; our restaurant scene is one of the best in the Midwest; we’re very cultural (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, National World War I Museum, American Jazz Museum to name a few). Seriously, KC is where it’s at!

It’s also where you should consider investing. Thanks to all the factors above, this market is still going strong!