ATTOM’s Q1 2020 Single-Family Rental Market [1] report reveals that the annual gross rental yield (annual rent income divided by the average purchase price of single-family homes) is 8.4% for 2020, which is down slightly from the 8.6% average of 2019.
“The business of buying single-family homes for rent has lost a little steam this year across the United States as rents aren’t rising quite as fast as prices for investment rental properties in a majority of the country,” said Todd Teta, Chief Product Officer at ATTOM Data Solutions. “But from the national perspective, things are generally holding steady for landlords in the single-family home rental market. Also, profit trends are moving in favor of investors in higher-rent counties and against those in lower-rent regions.”
Baltimore City and County in Maryland has the highest potential gross rental yields for 2020 at 28.9%. Following were Cumberland County, New Jersey (20.1%); Bibb County, Georgia (18.2%); Mobile County, Alabama (15.7%); and Clayton County, Georgia (15.1%)
Baltimore City, Cumberland, and Bibb Counties had the top yields in 2019, also.
Of the counties with a population of at least 1 million, the highest potential gross yield in 2020 are in Wayne County, Michigan (14.5%); Cuyahoga County, Ohio (11.8%); Cook County, Illinois (9.3%); Dallas County, Texas (9.1%); and Harris County, Texas (8.7%).
ATTOM also reported that the annual gross rental yields for 2020 decreased in 231 of the 389 (59.4%) counties when compared to 2019. Delaware County, Pennsylvania, led the nation with its 30.5% decline.
Prices rose faster than rents in 2019 in 231 of the 389 counties, including in Harris County; Maricopa County, Arizona; Kings County, New York; Riverside County, California; and San Bernardino County.
However, rents rose faster than prices in just 40.6% of counties studied. Markets with accelerating rental prices include Los Angeles County, California; Cook County; San Diego County, California; Orange County, California: and Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Markets that are expected to see growth in the single-family rental market include Wayne County; Cuyahoga County, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; Shelby County; and Macomb County, Mississippi.