Over the past year or so, it’s been impossible to escape real estate market doomsaying. It seems everyone is holding their breath in anticipation of a bursting bubble or housing crash. That, however, doesn’t seem as likely as a slow housing market correction.

According to Bankrate and Market Watch, the Sunbelt – specifically the Southeast – is the hottest region for real estate. West Coast and Rust Belt markets have grown cold due to massive price spikes and stagnant job growth, respectively. Meanwhile, 18 of the top 20 markets in the Bankrate Housing Heat Index are in the Sunbelt region.

The state of the U.S. real estate market may have you questioning whether or not investing in real estate is worth it. Let’s get this out of the way: every stage and season of the market carries distinct challenges and advantages. It doesn’t benefit your portfolio to wish for a bygone era.

What a strange year it’s been for the real estate market! Nothing about the Spring buying season worked, interest rates put a damper on everything, and investors felt the market squeeze. Thankfully, the trends and data we’re seeing point to the beginning of the end of this real estate slump.

Real estate investors choosing to sit on their hands in wait for a market crash will be sorely disappointed. Investors must adapt their strategies for any and everything the real estate market brings to the table, favorable and otherwise. We can always wait and hope that conditions will take a turn for the ideal, but that’s not a reliable investment method.

The misconception is that people rent because they have no other option. Either they’re terrible with money and can’t save due to debt and spending, or they don’t earn enough in the first place. This hasn’t been the case for a long time.

We get it – investing in an uncertain economy is nerve-wracking. You don’t know what to expect. It feels like there’s a genuine possibility of losing everything. While there will be challenges, investors can’t allow fear to stop them from building their wealth.

According to Warren Buffet, "be greedy when others are fearful." And there's plenty of fear in the real estate world. There's still ongoing debate about whether we're going to see a correction or a crash, how rising interest rates (yes, they're expected to get higher) will impact buyers, and if real estate is worth it anymore.

Despite the ups and downs of the real estate market over the past few quarters, the single-family rental market has been on fire. Even though the tide of the market seems to be shifting in favor of buyers again, a robust seller’s market, oppressive asking prices, and tight inventory have left many looking to rent not just for the present, but for the long term.

There’s an ongoing debate among economists about the state of the real estate market. While the first months of the year give us some idea of where we’ll be throughout 2023, some are still fearful that the market will crash. After all, we’re coming off unprecedented highs, through inflation, and into a recession.