Buy & Hold is still one of the best long-term strategies in 2025, but like any approach, it depends on your market, financing, and risk tolerance. With interest rates fluctuating, affordability challenges, and shifts in rental demand, investors need to be more strategic than ever. In strong rental markets with job growth and population increases, Buy & Hold remains a solid wealth-building strategy, especially if you lock in good financing and optimize cash flow. However, short-term strategies like value-add flips, BRRRR, or even mid-term rentals might offer better returns in certain markets.

I think it depends on your market area. In Jacksonville, FL, yes, it's one of the best investment strategies right now. 

@Leslie Nunn

Welcome to Bigger Pockets, Leslie. 

You’ve come to the right place to grow your portfolio!

Everything Cole said is spot on!

What’s your priority—quick returns or long-term wealth building? Answering that will help you determine if long-term buy & hold is the right strategy for you.

Check out this BiggerPockets podcast Is This the Most Beginner-Friendly Way to Start Investing?  

I think there’s a lot of valuable insight to take from it! 

Also, join local investor meet-ups. There is an area under "Real-Estate Classifieds" that investors will post local meet ups! 

There is no other REI strategy that is going to build wealth greater than buy and hold. Thats just a simple fact that nobody is going to convince me otherwise. Anything else is just a job to where when you stop doing it, the money stops coming. And you have no multiplying factor working in your favor.

Buy and hold is all about buying right and cash flow so you can control (i.e. hold) as many properties as possible.  The longer you hold, the more the rents go up, the more principal paydown amounts go up and the more appreciation you will earn.

If you had 10 million dollars of sfh's 10 years ago, I would venture to say that same portfolio is probably worth 13 to 15 million dollars today. And if your rents were 90,000 a month on those homes back then, they're probably closer 130k a month now. And so on and so on.

Regardless, buy and hold is the best way to build wealth.  You have to buy it right and have it cash flow from the get go - even if only for a little bit.  And then over time, the snowball gets going down the hill and every way real estate makes you money, it will make you even more money over time.

Hi @Leslie Nunn,

It is a crazy time in our world. I hear this question all the time. I have been involved in real estate for over 30 years and have seen some ups and downs. Although
Buy & Hold remains a viable strategy for real estate investment, it does come with challenges, especially in a market like our current one. Buy and Hold is dependent on many factors, suchh as interest rates, market conditions, and the ability to manage properties efficiently. And yes, it may still be one of the best strategies for long-term wealth-building, but it's essential to carefully evaluate the specific market you're investing in, the numbers and do not forget the aggravation factor; tenants and toilets, as I like to refer to it. It may be a good time to consider diversifying your portfolio or looking at alternative investment strategies such as syndications where you invest with others and it is truly passive. I have co-founded and invest in a coinvesting club. With as little as $5K anyone can invest in apartment communities, trailer parks, land and we have even invested in steel manufacturing plant. It allow diverisification as well. Just a thought. I wish you much success going forward!

 BUy and hold is always the best strategy out there. I worked for a company that bought real estate in the 1950s in and around DC. Many of the families affiliated with them sold off their assets, this company still holds the real estate which is now worth $2B+. 

Real estate is the long game, longer you hold the better off you will be.

Honestly, buy and hold is the best strategy for most assets (stocks, real estate, etc).

The amount of appreciation you'd get in a 10 year span is significantly greater the cash flow you'd get in that time span. 

The goal is to get both with every property you buy (if buy and hold if your strategy)!

Yes.

You are asking a question that can and will be answered differently by everyone you ask.

Is all your cash stuck in one property? Does selling allow you to purchase 5 new properties with value add potential? Can you avoid taxes if you sell? Can you increase equity of monthly cash flow by selling? 

There are many questions to consider before answering the question you asked and they are specific to each persons resources and preferences. 

Generally, buy and hold is a good strategy. But is it always the best option? No.

Hi @Richard Benjamin Wilhite, 

I have a few buy-and-hold investments that helped me get started in my investment journey by living in them first, then renting them out. My personal criteria for my region depend on a few factors: 1) Can I at minimum tolerate living in the area for a year? 2) Do the numbers make sense? I check CMAs, market rates for rentals, and look at current, past, and estimated future market trends. 3) Weigh the risks. If the market crashes, inflation increases, costs of repairs increases, people aren't renting, nor buying, etc...What is my worst case scenario, and am I prepared for that? 4) Have an excellent, reliable, honest, and ethical property management team. My brokerage is an investor-built business, and we own and manage over 500 SFH and multifamily doors. Therefore, I'm not concerned about our PMgt team in the Jax or other parts of FL and GA that we manage...As we expand to TN and NC, we'll need more local resources in those areas, so part of my job is scouting for PMgrs and investor-focused agents.

There are plenty of areas that I personally like in Jax-(meaning I enjoy living there), but number-wise, they don't always make sense for rentals. It varies on a case-by-case basis.

Anyway, I could talk forever about this, but I hope this is helpful for you. Happy investing! If you ever have questions, feel free to reach out. I know all the ins and outs of this city, and I've lived all over it. From Beaches to Riverside, West Side, Southside, and St. Augustine. We also manage properties all over the city. Happy to help.