Believe it or not, the end of the year is already upon us. By the time we account for the holidays, it may as well be over, especially when preparing your investment portfolio for 2025!

This time of year, we revel in all things spooky – goblins and ghosts, skeletons and grim reapers, witches and creepy-crawlies. Most of us know there’s a difference between an innocent scare and true terror. And while we may not be talking about buckets of blood in the latest Halloween thriller, a few things should strike fear into the heart of any  SFR investor.

There are many ways to invest in real estate, but inexperienced investors are often drawn to the most difficult, risky way to do it: DIY investing.

Investors might feel gunshy about buying because the real estate market seems like such a toss-up (especially with un-affordability and unpredictable reactions to slashed interest rates). Never feel pressured to buy properties if it goes against your risk tolerance. Still, though, investors should do something. It isn’t enough to twiddle our thumbs, even as passive investors.

Even elementary financial concepts are commonly misunderstood. We all had the wrong idea at some point or another. There’s no shame in that – only in refusing to learn better! Some commonly misunderstood financial concepts could hold you back from building lasting wealth!

Mortgage rates have already fallen at least a percentage point below their 2024 peak. Cuts are expected to continue through the end of the year and on into 2025. Many of us have been waiting for this – something that will finally jog the frozen real estate market and get us towards more palatable conditions.

The Average Joe likely looks at the real estate market of 2024 in shock and awe. Prices are high, but mortgage rate cuts promised to bring everything back into balance. Meanwhile, data shows that the real estate market remains frozen, with only a tiny percentage of homes on the market changing hands.

Insurance feels, in many ways, to be a necessary evil. Not only is insurance largely required, whether on a car or a property, but it can also seem like paying for nothing until you actually need it. And even then, many of us have experienced the headache of trying to make a claim and get a promised payout.

For the most part, real estate investors aren’t interested in “trendy” homebuilding. Our focus is usually on function and longevity, not style. This isn’t to say investment properties don’t look nice – but they tend to be renovated for timelessness, not flash-in-the-pan appeal.

But we’re not talking about choosing fancy backsplashes or the right paint color for some HGTV dazzle. Investors should pay attention to building trends – including materials, home styles, layouts, and amenities. These give us insight into what buyers – and, in turn, renters – want in a home.

These are the trends (sourced from U.S. News) to watch and consider when making rental property renovations.

What does it mean to say a real estate market is “hot”? Should investors even care?