Home prices in the US are lowest during the winter months each year. Real estate investors pay 6.6% less per square foot for the same rental property during the winter as they do during the spring and summer. In some of the country's biggest metros, a winter buy could increase your overall return on investment by as much as 36%.
Winter is the best time to buy a home — and that includes scooping up a rental property.
HomeUnion , an online real estate and investment firm, recently released a list of the best places in America to score a bargain on a rental property this season. They compared return on investment figures for homes purchased during winter and homes purchased during summer in the country's biggest metro areas.
"Median home prices drop substantially during the colder months, while rent losses remain marginal for landlords," said Steve Hovland, director of research for HomeUnion. "On average, investors can acquire higher-yielding properties in cold-weather markets like Omaha, Nebraska, Buffalo, and Chicago, as well as some Sun Belt markets."
To determine how much a winter buyer saves in each market, HomeUnion looked at all single-family housing sales over $30,000 that occurred in October and November 2017, and compared them to May and June 2017.
HomeUnion then calculated the capitalization rate (or "cap rate") — the return on investment after operating costs — for each market, and subsequently, the percentage difference between the cap rate in winter months and summer months.
Below, we've highlighted the 26 cities where the cap rate increased by more than 10% when an investor purchased a rental property in the winter rather than the summer.
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26. Rochester, New York
Increase in annual investment return: 10.32%
Median home sale price (winter): $120,000
Median home sale price (summer): $138,802
Savings on home purchase: 14%
25. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Increase in annual investment return: 10.53%
Median home sale price (winter): $210,000
Median home sale price (summer): $230,000
Savings on home purchase: 9%
24. San Jose, California
Increase in annual investment return: 10.74%
Median home sale price (winter): $823,500
Median home sale price (summer): $950,000
Savings on home purchase: 13%
23. Cleveland, Ohio
Increase in annual investment return: 12.25%
Median home sale price (winter): $69,950
Median home sale price (summer): $77,500
Savings on home purchase: 10%
22. Dallas, Texas
Increase in annual investment return: 12.37%
Median home sale price (winter): $166,950
Median home sale price (summer): $201,875
Savings on home purchase: 17%
21. Detroit, Michigan
Increase in annual investment return: 12.47%
Median home sale price (winter): $132,000
Median home sale price (summer): $165,000
Savings on home purchase: 20%
20. Providence, Rhode Island
Increase in annual investment return: 12.52%
Median home sale price (winter): $200,347
Median home sale price (summer): $230,000
Savings on home purchase: 13%
19. St. Louis
Increase in annual investment return: 12.82%
Median home sale price (winter): $91,125
Median home sale price (summer): $110,000
Savings on home purchase: 17%
17. (TIE) Knoxville, Tennessee
Increase in annual investment return: 12.86%
Median home sale price (winter): $85,550
Median home sale price (summer): $94,500
Savings on home purchase: 9%
17. (TIE) Kansas City, Missouri
Increase in annual investment return: 12.86%
Median home sale price (winter): $100,000
Median home sale price (summer): $124,900
Savings on home purchase: 20%
16. Charlotte, North Carolina
Increase in annual investment return: 13.68%
Median home sale price (winter): $127,000
Median home sale price (summer): $155,000
Savings on home purchase: 18%
15. Washington, DC
Increase in annual investment return: 14.22%
Median home sale price (winter): $265,000
Median home sale price (summer): $349,900
Savings on home purchase: 24%
14. Boston, Massachusetts
Increase in annual investment return: 14.54%
Median home sale price (winter): $290,000
Median home sale price (summer): $330,000
Savings on home purchase: 12%
13. Atlanta, Georgia
Increase in annual investment return: 14.62%
Median home sale price (winter): $115,000
Median home sale price (summer): $135,000
Savings on home purchase: 15%
12. New York, New York
Increase in annual investment return: 14.88%
Median home sale price (winter): $309,000
Median home sale price (summer): $405,733
Savings on home purchase: 24%
11. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Increase in annual investment return: 16.08%
Median home sale price (winter): $163,823
Median home sale price (summer): $205,000
Savings on home purchase: 20%
10. San Francisco, California
Increase in annual investment return: 16.55%
Median home sale price (winter): $1,037,500
Median home sale price (summer): $1,285,000
Savings on home purchase: 19%
9. Seattle, Washington
Increase in annual investment return: 17.81%
Median home sale price (winter): $389,500
Median home sale price (summer): $517,000
Savings on home purchase: 25%
8. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Increase in annual investment return: 18.35%
Median home sale price (winter): $110,000
Median home sale price (summer): $140,000
Savings on home purchase: 21%
7. Columbus, Ohio
Increase in annual investment return: 18.61%
Median home sale price (winter): $131,000
Median home sale price (summer): $175,000
Savings on home purchase: 25%
6. Hartford, Connecticut
Increase in annual investment return: 18.73%
Median home sale price (winter): $153,000
Median home sale price (summer): $205,450
Savings on home purchase: 26%
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Increase in annual investment return: 20.93%
Median home sale price (winter): $123,000
Median home sale price (summer): $150,000
Savings on home purchase: 18%
4. Chicago, Illinois
Increase in annual investment return: 21.19%
Median home sale price (winter): $185,000
Median home sale price (summer): $250,000
Savings on home purchase: 26%
4. Cincinnati, Ohio
Increase in annual investment return: 23.76%
Median home sale price (winter): $85,500
Median home sale price (summer): $110,203
Savings on home purchase: 22%
2. Buffalo, New York
Increase in annual investment return: 28.10%
Median home sale price (winter): $119,900
Median home sale price (summer): $150,000
Savings on home purchase: 20%
1. Omaha, Nebraska
Increase in annual investment return: 36.12%
Median home sale price (winter): $78,112
Median home sale price (summer): $115,000
Savings on home purchase: 32%
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