Rental Markets for Investers in US Property

The rental market is a real concern, when we're looking to have a reasonable cash flow. Some areas of the US have huge vacancy rates, as people have moved out, looking for work in other cities. The average vacancy rate is around 10% across the country, with Florida recording 13.2% for the third quarter of 2010.

13.2% seems a bit high. However, in the third quarter last year, it was over 18% and hasn't actually been as low as 13% since before the financial crisis. So, I think we can make the assumption that the rental market is pretty 'normal' now in Florida, considering that a large number of condos are on the short-term market for holiday makers, which naturally pushes Florida's vacancy rate up.

The states that are coming in behind Florida, with higher vacancy rates, are Michigan, Indiana, Arizona, South Carolina, Texas and Mississippi.

The state with the lowest vacancy rates is.... Alaska! Brrrr!

Where do I get my info? The US Census data - http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/hvs/rates/index.html