Bear in mind when shopping for a home meant sprinting to a displaying, writing a suggestion within the driveway, and praying the vendor favored your handwriting?
Fortunately, 2025 is nothing like that. The frenzy is gone, the mathematics lastly issues once more, and buyers can truly assume earlier than they make a suggestion on a property.
Greater charges have slowed down the frenzy, giving buyers one thing they haven’t had in a very long time: leverage. And when the market cools even barely, new building turns into one of many clearest, most predictable paths to getting an incredible deal. Buyers are actually seeing fairly priced entry factors in high-growth metros, which hasn’t all the time been the case.
Now let’s stroll by means of three markets the place the mathematics truly works, and why every is changing into a quiet favourite for buyers who need money circulate now and appreciation later.
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio continues to be a worthwhile place for actual property buyers 12 months after 12 months. The town added practically 24,000 residents in the latest annual depend, rating among the many fastest-growing cities within the U.S. In a market, extra folks equal extra households, which results in a increased demand for leases. On the identical time, median dwelling costs hover across the low-$300Ks and are anticipated to inch upward, not vault.
The rental information counsel alternative, as common rents have been close to $1,825/month for single-family houses as of September. New-build houses can assist buyers lock in upkeep and restore threat at decrease ranges.
Tampa, Florida
Tampa used to really feel like a bidding-war theme park on account of its seashores, occasions, trip transfers, and lack of state earnings tax. In 2025, issues look completely different. With extra stock available on the market and a slower tempo of gross sales, patrons lastly have choices once more. That availability is creating actual alternatives to lock in aggressive pricing, particularly with new building.
Moreover, the underlying rental fundamentals stay robust. As of October, common lease within the metro is round $2,200/month, emptiness is ~4.2%, and rental yields are ~6.2%.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta’s fundamentals stay extremely robust: inhabitants and job development, together with sturdy in-migration from different states, proceed to drive long-term housing demand. However in contrast to the high-pressure market of the previous few years, right now’s atmosphere provides buyers extra respiratory room. Stock has improved, pricing is steady, and days on market have returned to wholesome ranges. This is making a window for buyers to enter high quality neighborhoods at aggressive phrases. Leases stay persistently occupied throughout the metro, and the mix of stable demand with extra accessible buy costs is enhancing total yield potential.
Methods to Use Lennar’s Investor Market Accurately
The fantastic thing about Lennar’s Investor Market is that it cuts out all of the noise round discovering a super funding property. You gained’t must scroll by means of bizarre MLS images, guess rental comps, or marvel why somebody took an image of a ceiling fan at a 90-degree angle.
As a substitute, you open the Market, filter for San Antonio, Tampa, or Atlanta, and immediately see new-construction, rent-ready houses with the information buyers really need, together with projected rents, neighborhood stats, HOA particulars, estimated bills, and even college scores. It’s like getting the “investor model” of Zillow, however with out the emotional pricing or the houses that require sage smudging.
From there, you possibly can drop the numbers straight into your BiggerPockets calculator, understanding you’re underwriting with actual comps and brand-new building that gained’t shock you with a $12,000 AC alternative three months in.
As soon as a house passes your numbers check, the Market makes the remainder very simple. You possibly can line up financing, property administration, insurance coverage, and shutting companies straight by means of the platform, making it a one-stop store designed to get you from searching to cash-flowing with out juggling 18 completely different distributors.
In Tampa, meaning you possibly can confidently mannequin increased insurance coverage prices whereas nonetheless concentrating on these robust $2,200 rents. In San Antonio, you get decrease entry costs and stable rent-to-value ratios that really pencil. And in Atlanta, you possibly can store value-priced suburbs which can be already corrected, whereas nonetheless pulling in steady demand.
The complete expertise removes the friction buyers hate and leaves you with clear offers, exact numbers, and much fewer surprises after closing.
Decide your lane
- Need robust money circulate + decrease entry worth? San Antonio
- Need development + way of life attraction + robust rents? Tampa
- Need huge metro scale + worth entry + long-term stability? Atlanta
Use Lennar’s data-rich stock
The platform affords new-build houses, builder warranties, and rent-ready assumptions; use them as anchors. Cross-check with native comps.
Mannequin conservative returns
Don’t chase 10%+ yield except you’re doing value-add work. Settle for 5%–7% yield with upside through appreciation and low surprises.
Stress-test dangers
Greater rates of interest, rising insurance coverage (particularly in Tampa and all of Florida), tenant turnover, and capex spikes: New building helps mitigate a lot of these.
Last Ideas
San Antonio, Tampa, and Atlanta aren’t firework markets proper now; fairly, they’re energy vegetation. They’re inexpensive (within the context of huge metros), growth-oriented, and rental-friendly. In the event you purchase new (through Lennar Investor Market) and underwrite properly, you possibly can construct a portfolio that works.
Decide one among these three markets this week, run a deal by means of the numbers, and also you’ll probably discover a deal that really pencils out. Not hype. Not a fantasy. Simply good information and stable positioning in markets the place folks hold shifting and renting.
