Of the 19.3 million rental properties in the United States, 85.6% are single-family rentals. By and large (70.2%), these properties are owned by individual investors. In fact, the smallest portion of rental properties are owned by real estate corporations and REITs – just 1.2%.

If you’re like most people, you’re feeling the squeeze of a tight, tough economy. At the same time, SFR investments are attracting more investors than ever! Throwing your proverbial hat into the ring might seem like a bigger challenge, but SFR investing makes it well worth it.

At one time, it was thought that owning a home was a great investment. While this is true in a sense thanks to real estate being a hedge against inflation, your home alone isn’t something to hang your financial hat on. The truth of the matter is more complex: appreciation rates shift based on national, even global, economics, market-specific characteristics, and individual property qualities.

According to the National Association of Realtors, 99% of tracked metro areas experienced year-over-year price gains in the first quarter of 2021. Of those markets, 89% experienced double-digit growth.

Investing in real estate offers a wide variety of benefits for the investor. While we tend to think of cash flow as the primary advantage of owning rental properties, it’s far from the only or the greatest advantage. We would argue that it is the combination of various benefits — including tax breaks, appreciation, cash flow, hedging against inflation, and more — that make real estate a truly worthwhile investment.