Chart number 2 - 3mil from 50k.png

Resources for Kalamazoo Rental Investors/Owners/Landlords

Taylor Long.jpg

My favorite part of managing rental properties is sharing what I've learned with others and having that knowledge positively affect their rental investment outcomes. If you have any questions about getting started or increasing your current rental portfolio's cashflow, please schedule a time to chat below: 

Taylor Long

Managing Director at August PM

Schedule a Meeting with Taylor

Best Kalamazoo Neighborhoods for Rental Property

Updated: May 7, 2021


Click on the map below for rental information on each neighborhood!


At a Glance: Expected Rental Performance

 

How we weighed each variable:

40% Cap Rate (Higher is better)

25% Vacancy (Lower is better)

25% Crime (Lower is better)

10% Income-Rent Ratio (Lower is better)

Assumptions:

1. Neighborhoods with an expected <10% cap rate are not viable.

2. Neighborhoods with crime rates of >200% national average are not viable.





In-Depth: Kalamazoo Rental Performance



The Best

 

The Vine Neighborhood

Cap Rate: 16%

Vacancy Rate: 4.8%

Income – Rent Ratio: 52%

Crime Rate: 136% HIGHER THAN National Average

The Vine Neighborhood has been a favorite of Real Estate Investors for a long time now. The area has high cap rates and low vacancy. Many residents are either college students at WMU or K-College or work nearby. While this neighborhood is within walking distance to the Central Business District, it also hosts numerous stores, restaurants, and coffee shops.


Knollwood

Cap Rate: 16%

Vacancy Rate: 6%

Income – Rent Ratio: 90%

Crime Rate: 81% HIGHER THAN National Average


Knollwood properties may cost more than those in the vine neighborhoods, but benefit from high demand from students at WMU. Most listed properties here have 4-6 or even 7 bedrooms and see similar returns as the properties within the Vine neighborhood. Many larger buildings can rent out at more than $2,000. Investors may also be interested in owning any of the small multi-unit, student properties in this area.


South Westnedge

Cap Rate: 10%

Vacancy Rate: 5.7%

Income – Rent Ratio: 25%

Crime Rate: 6% HIGHER THAN National Average


While this neighborhood does not boast the highest cap rate, residents in South Westnedge have a very low rent-to-income ratio and there is less crime here than almost anywhere else in the city. The average tenancy duration is more than 1.5 years and renters have a high income stability.


Stuart

Cap Rate: 14%

Vacancy Rate: 4.8%

Income – Rent Ratio: 57%

Crime Rate: 183% HIGHER THAN National Average


The smallest of the Kalamazoo neighborhoods that we've analyzed, Stuart sits adjacent to the campus of Kalamazoo College. Each year the college has around 300 off-campus students that seek nearby rentals, meaning vacancy is lower. While the average home price may be higher in the neighborhood, higher rents mean a decent cap rate--14% in this case.