The rental market is already showing signs of recovery:Spring Is Coming: Historically, the rental market picks up momentum in the spring as tenants prepare to move during warmer months or ahead of the school year.Early 2025 Trends Are Positive: In just the first week of January, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in rental applications, suggesting pent-up demand from renters who delayed their searches in November and December.What Landlords Can Do NowTo make the most of this recovery, consider:Refreshing Your Listings: Update your photos, descriptions, and pricing to ensure your properties stand out.Offering Incentives: Temporary discounts or move-in bonuses can help fill vacancies quickly.Being Patient: The market is already bouncing back, so don’t panic if your property takes a bit longer to lease than usual.What’s been your experience?

@Edwing Hernandez Lots of unsupported claims...same story with Roofstock...nothing like getting on camera and claiming you have a magic formula but no evidence of what's in the potion....they want you to go on faith alone, I guess...

I would recommend focusing on good school districts where people want to be, which is going to dictate over average price and rent appreciations. 

Your ROI needs to be much higher the older you get started because of the loss of the magic of compounding. 

FInd a good old school General Contractor and forget these engineers.

Wow and I thought I was old school!!

Experienced managers can help evaluate potential investments by providing insights on rental demand, market rents, tenant preferences, and location-specific factors that affect leasing success.For example, rental properties need to be close to conveniences like major roads, shopping, and schools.

I'm in South Loop near the Loop, lake, Grant Park, CTA, and a variety of hospitals / schools, so renting out the room on a mid-term basis (32+ days) for a premium was the best strategy for me.

As you've mentioned, great schools, area in general is nice and it's centrally located.

So instead of living in regret of not buying sooner or waiting for things to magically be better, I figured out how to make it work still.