And while short-term rentals are the big draw here, there’s also growing demand for mid-term rentals from snowbirds and traveling professionals, as well as long-term housing for the increasing number of permanent residents.Yes, higher interest rates are a factor, but the strong rental demand in the Panhandle often helps offset those costs.

In 2024, I noticed an increase in BP leads that have been high net worth investors reaching out wanting to 1031 into bigger properties.

This shift will increase the pressure for transportation to and from job centers.

Quote from @Basit Siddiqi: I personally would not buy real estate with a retirement account.There are just too many headaches that are not worth the potential increased return.Some headaches when it comes to investing in real estate with a retirement account1) LTV values are less and harder to find lenders.2) Potential to sell or partially distibute the property if you have to do a RMD(Required Minimum Distribution)3) If you run out of cash and have to make a major repair, you may be out of luck and have to sell.4) Having to potentially worry about UBTI(Unrelated Business Taxable Income)I would personally invest in stocks/bonds/notes with a retirement account.I buy deals with cash and use a ROTH SDIRA so there are no RMD's.I buy at huge discounts to retail.

pid=2141Houston Real Estate Highlights for December and Full-Year 2024:-Following two consecutive years of declines, single-family home sales rebounded in 2024 with 85,163 single-family homes sold compared to 84,038 in 2023 an increase of 1.3 percent; -Total property sales for full-year 2024 were statistically flat at 101,864 units while the total dollar volume increased 3.1 percent to $41 billion;-December single-family home sales climbed 16.3 percent year-over-year with 7,162 units sold;-Total December property sales increased 13.6 percent to 8,478 units;-Total dollar volume for December rose 20.5 percent to $3.5 billion;-The single-family home median price edged up by 1.3 percent to $334,290 while the average price increased 5.0 percent to $425,150;-Single-family homes months of inventory expanded to a 4.0-months supply;-The townhome/condominium market experienced declining sales throughout 2024, and in December, volume declined 5.8 percent, with the average price up 2.5 percent to $268,152 and the median price statistically flat at $234,250;-Townhome/condominium inventory improved from a 3.5-months supply to 5.4 months.

The biggest challenge is a lack of quality homes and a rapidly increasing demand for vacation, second and primary homes.

A few months go by and unbeknownst to me the escrow account had now drawn negative which triggers the lender to no longer apply what’s considered a “partial” payment to them, given that I’m now paying less that what’s due given the escrow increase required but not relayed to me even though I expected it at some point.Last month I’m on Zillow looking at the value of my properties.

While the vetting of residents is greater with FF over an Airbnb or similar platform, I think Airbnb overcharges for the increased convenience. 

So, after one year you netted $35,000 for your efforts while the property owner netted $40,000 in rent plus $150,000 increase in value.  

This decision increased our budget from $15K to $45K, but it turned out to be a wise investment.