Why Most Americans Are Investing in Real Estate, Not Stocks

Aug 17, 2015

Why Most Americans Are Investing in Real Estate, Not Stocks

David McNew/Getty Images

David McNew/Getty Images

If you’ve been hesitant to dip your toe in the water when it comes to investing in stocks , you’re not alone. A recent Bankrate survey found that just 17% of Americans agreed that stocks are the best way to invest money that won’t be needed for at least 10 years. The two most preferred means of investing were cash (23%) and real estate (27%). Men were more likely to choose real estate as their preferred investment method while women were more likely to turn toward the safety of cash investments such as savings accounts and CDs.


Additional research findings:

Source: Thinkstock

Source: Thinkstock

  •  Among those who favored stock investing , gold and other precious metals ranked fourth on the list, garnering a 14% vote. Bonds came in last , with a vote of 5%.
  • When survey respondents were asked how they felt about their job security compared to 12 months ago, 22% reported feeling more secure and 14% reported feeling less secure during this time period. These numbers are down from 29% and 9% in June.
  • Consumers are feeling less confident in their ability to save for a rainy day. Roughly 29% of respondents reported being less comfortable with their savings level compared to 12 months ago, while 18% say they are more comfortable.

Why do Americans prefer real estate?

Bankrate says many Americans remain fearful of the stock market’s short-term volatility, and would rather give up higher long-term returns than take the risk. They mention that although the S&P 500 has risen 27% over the past two years, Americans are just three percentage points more likely to turn to stocks now than they were two years ago.

“Most Americans are still not embracing the stock market for long-term investment horizons . Many still fear short-term volatility more than they desire the higher long-term returns,” said Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate.com’s chief financial analyst.

By Bruce McNeilage 14 Dec, 2023
In my interview with Seana Smith & Brad Smith from Yahoo Finance today we discussed single-familiy rental rates and my thoughts on mortgage rates going into 2024.
By Bruce McNeilage 14 Dec, 2023
Owner's equivalent rental prices rose 0.5% in November , a pervasive factor in US inflation as limited housing inventory continues to squeeze homebuyers out of tightened real estate markets. Kinloch Partners CEO Bruce McNeilage joins Yahoo Finance Live to weigh in on the outlook for renters and home purchases in 2024. Home prices are "not going to go down, that's for sure. And mortgage rates might go down, but if the cost of a house goes up $10-20,000, it's a wash," McNeilage states. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live. 
By Bruce McNeilage 08 Nov, 2023
Original Story can be found here: https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2023/11/08/renters-seek-new-options-in-nashvilles-tight-housing-market/70652968007/ Charlene and Timothy Stratton traded in their 4-acre Illinois ranch for a rental home in the Nashville suburb of Spring Hill and, so far, they love the new low-maintenance lifestyle. Like a growing contingent of Americans, they chose to rent a single-family house rather than buy a home or rent in multifamily apartment buildings. "We lived in the country all of our lives with horses and cows," said Timothy Stratton, a retired airline mechanic. "But we wanted to rent because we’re looking at our age. We did a lot of research and decided this will work out for the time being." Families like the Strattons increasingly want the mobility and limited commitment of a rental, with the privacy and space of a single-family home. Meanwhile, many families are also being pushed out of the tight housing market. Housing affordability plummeted to historic lows this year, with only 23% of U.S. listings in April considered affordable to households earning $75,000 or less, according to the National Association of Realtors. In response, real estate investors are betting heavily on new rental properties and, increasingly, on standalone units — especially in the South. More than 61,000 fully and semi-detached single-family rental units are under construction in Southern states as of September. In comparison, 28,000 units are in production in the Western U.S., the next-busiest region, according to RealPage Market Analytics. Those units include single-family homes, townhomes, rowhomes, quadruplexes and duplexes. Single-family rental communities are increasingly concentrated in subdivisions with on-site maintenance, rather than in homes nestled in for-sale housing neighborhoods. The Nashville market has the ninth-highest number of in-construction, build-to-rent homes with 2,745 units in the pipeline. Phoenix tops the list with 21,676 units underway, a RealPage analysis in August found. "Construction isn't going fast enough in Nashville. If they built four or five new build-to-rent communities, they would fill them up immediately," said Doug Ressler, the business intelligence director of Yardi Matrix, a real estate data firm. "We really expect Nashville to continue to see growth here." Rent vs. own: 'More house for your money' Charlene Stratton filled the three-bedroom house with festive seasonal crafts and artwork she creates in her home studio. Renting isn't perfect, but there are real perks — like, when the air conditioner stalled on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of summer, the landlord offered to put them in a hotel until maintenance could fix it that Monday. "When something goes wrong, we just call them," Charlene Stratton said. "It's great." The Strattons live at DerryBerry Estates, one of the first of its kind, built in 2019 by Kinloch Parners. The 34-home community sits on former pastures with views of Spring Hill's rolling green landscape and rose bushes in the front yard. Local development companies like Kinloch Partners of Nashville and Franklin-based Chartwell Residential and Barlow Builders have made stakes in the industry. "In 2008, I had no competition. Now there are six or seven players in the market," said Kinloch Partners Co-founder Bruce McNeilage, who sold much of his inventory to American Homes 4 Rent and expanded to South Carolina. "We're 99% leased out." McNeilage said he prioritizes creating a calm, supportive community with competitive prices. Rents at DerryBerry Estates ranged from $2,300 to $2,600 for homes with three to five bedrooms in September. "People are starting families later in life and COVID-19 has allowed people to work out of their houses so people are moving farther out," McNeilage added. "Housing prices are going up and interest prices just doubled. You can get more house for your money if you get farther out." Housing in Nashville area: 'Can't build them fast enough' Chartwell Residential, a local real estate firm specializing in multifamily apartments, is now building out its first single-family rental home community. https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2023/11/08/renters-seek-new-options-in-nashvilles-tight-housing-market/70652968007/ https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2023/11/08/renters-seek-new-options-in-nashvilles-tight-housing-market/70652968007/ https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2023/11/08/renters-seek-new-options-in-nashvilles-tight-housing-market/70652968007/ https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2023/11/08/renters-seek-new-options-in-nashvilles-tight-housing-market/70652968007/ https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2023/11/08/renters-seek-new-options-in-nashvilles-tight-housing-market/70652968007/ https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2023/11/08/renters-seek-new-options-in-nashvilles-tight-housing-market/70652968007/
By Bruce McNeilage 15 Jul, 2023
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — High prices and high-interest rates have kept many from buying a single-family home in a quiet suburban neighborhood. But what if you could rent one? Developers say they are seeing a big demand for build-to-rent communities. Upon first glance at the DerryBerry Estates subdivision, you might assume the single-family homes are for sale, but they are not—each one is a rental. “People are very happy with what we are providing,” said Bruce McNeilage, CEO/co-founder, Kinloch Partners. Bruce McNeilage built DerryBerry Estates in Spring Hill a few years ago. He saw some families struggling to afford a single-family home in the suburbs, but still craving that lifestyle. “Their kids are getting older, they want to be in good schools, you want to ride a bike around, and you just can’t do that in an apartment complex.” No sharing walls at DerryBerry Estates, or Fairview Station, the other rental home community Kinloch Partners built in western Williamson County. DerryBerry Estates subdivision has 41 single-family homes with 3 and 4 bedrooms and rents in the $2,300 to $2,500 range; and all the trappings of the suburban lifestyle. “They have front porches, they have covered back porches, two-car garage. They have all the amenities and appointments on the interior that one would want in a house for sale, but these are available for rent.” Who would be interested in an all-rental community? McNeilage said his tenants are often folks new to town testing out the neighborhood, young families who can’t afford just yet to buy, those looking for a low-maintenance lifestyle, and senior citizens, which make up 10% of his tenants. “They don’t want to live in an apartment and share walls with someone. They want to live in a single-family home in the suburbs to probably be real close to their grandchildren.” McNeilage has a couple of rental communities in Middle Tennessee, as well as out of state. And with housing prices staying high, he sees the popularity of rental communities sticking around “I could build 100 houses. I could build another 100 houses. I really have a demand that I can’t keep up with.” McNeilage said that his tenant turnover is lower than an apartment complex. People will stay in his homes 3-4 years on average, but for apartment complexes, it’s 1.5 years. 
Show More
Share by: