., currently focusing on the Indianapolis market.I visited Indy back in March, even climbed the tower downtown (by stairs!).

The median sales price climbed 4.5% year-over-year to $350,000, and year-to-date pricing up 2.8% .Rent growth remains strong too: Columbus recorded annual rent gains near 3–4% in 2024 and continued rent growth is expected through 2025, outpacing national averages .Vacancy is tight—just 4.1%, well below the national rate of 6.8%—making the rental market particularly resilient .With inventory increasing but demand still strong, Columbus offers both appreciation potential and healthy rental yield.

Over the last 10 years, KC has seen strong upward trends: home values have steadily climbed, supported by the FHFA house price index. 5-year appreciation has been consistently in the 6–8% annual range, although annual gains have eased (e.g., 5.6% in 2025, 6.0% in 2024, 7.4% in 2023).

That’s a far cry from the nearly 20% decline the market experienced during the 2008 crash.Plus, those small changes are easily absorbed when you consider how much home prices have climbed over the past few years.

But the reality is, without effective remedies and timely enforcement of lease agreements, small landlords — and even larger operators — can’t stay in business.In markets like California, where filing fees start at $240 and processes drag out for months, the result is predictable: landlords exit the market, supply shrinks, rents climb.

You can't buy what's not for sale, and there's a lot more for sale," Reffkin said.Let’s look at May’s numbers:Available Homes Increase — May saw 14,673 active listings, a 17.4% increase year-over-year and a 10% jump from April.Prices Hold Steady — The median home price was $449K, down 1.6% from May 2024 and unchanged from last month.Market Pace Picks Up — Homes spent an average of 57 days on the market, 19 days less than April and only 9 days more than last year.Buyer Interest Surges — Pending sales climbed 16.1% year-over-year, suggesting that many are ready to act even as closed sales slipped 3.8%.Supply Remains Solid — Months of inventory dipped slightly to 5.0, up 1.0 month from last year and down less than 1 month from April.Market Snapshot — Over 14,000 homes are on the market, selling for an average of 94.6% of the original list price; Realty Austin Compass listings achieved 98.1% of their original list price and sold 17 days faster than the MLS average.

In short - if buyers were required to have 20%+ down and 35-40% DTI's (recently raised to as high as 55% - not including real life expenses) - like when the program began, it is unlikely that valuations would have climbed as rapidly.

National pulseMetricJuly 2025August 2025MoM ΔAverage asking rent$1,909$1,912▲ 0.2 %Listings on market235,917241,318▲ 2.3 %Average Days on Market (DOM)51 days51 daysflatInterpretation: Rents nudged higher for the first time since April, even as supply climbed.

I’ve compiled this analysis to provide a snapshot of both the macro trends and how they’re playing out in our desert market.National Snapshot: A Market in TransitionForeclosures Are Increasing—But It’s Not 2008Foreclosure activity has climbed steadily since 2021, now sitting at approximately 125,000 filings per quarter—more than double the lows seen a few years ago.

Pull a moderate amount of equity in cash, rinse & repeat.Have $ saved for when things go wrong, because they will.Keep climbing the ladder in your career, if you get $ matching in your 401k then match.