REI Lense Blog
Featured
Introducing the REI Lense API: Rental Analysis for Your Own Product
The REI Lense analysis engine is now a public API. Send a property address or GPS coordinates and get instant long-term rental metrics — rent, cap rate, cash-on-cash, cash flow, and comparables.
3 min read
Cash-on-Cash Is Just Year One — Why Tracking Return on Equity Matters
Cash-on-cash return is only a first-year snapshot. As equity builds and cash flow shifts, return on equity shows how hard your money is really working across your rental portfolio — and which properties to improve, refinance, or sell.
4 min read
New Feature Alert: Daily Deal Analysis. Fully Automated!
Deal Alerts automate your investment search. Instead of manually analyzing listings every day, you define your area, filters, and minimum cash-on-cash return — and REI Lense runs daily analysis for you. When a property meets your return threshold, you get notified. No noise. No endless browsing. Just deals that hit your numbers.
5 min read
Latest articles
Local U.S. Housing Markets Are Splitting: Austin Prices Slide as Phoenix Pockets Surge
Local housing data show widening gaps: Austin’s asking prices slid year over year, while select Phoenix neighborhoods still surged—proof that averages can mislead.
6 min read
Patchwork home price declines are emerging — but the market still looks frozen
Patchy home-price declines are appearing in pockets of the U.S., but tight supply and high rates keep the market frozen and outcomes highly local.
6 min read
Home Prices Dip Year Over Year for the First Time in 3+ Years — as Rents Turn Positive
Late-October 2026 data show a slight year-over-year dip in U.S. home-sale prices while national rents turn modestly positive, reshaping affordability signals.
7 min read
Home Prices Cool While Rents Rebound: What the Split Means for Buyers and Renters
U.S. home prices are flattening year over year while rents turn positive again. Here’s what the split means for affordability, buyers, and renters.
6 min read
Home-price gains slip below inflation as Chicago leads and parts of the West cool
Case-Shiller and FHFA show U.S. home-price gains still positive but below inflation, with major metro splits, more price cuts, and improving inventory.
7 min read
Parents Are Funding Down Payments Earlier—And It’s Reshaping Who Buys Homes
More young buyers are relying on parents for down payment help or older co-borrowers as mortgage rates stay elevated and affordability tightens.
7 min read
Manufactured Homes Without a Steel Chassis Could Expand Starter Supply—If Zoning Allows It
A 2026 federal change allows chassis-free manufactured homes, but local zoning still limits where they can be placed—constraining starter-home supply gains.
6 min read
U.S. Sellers Turn to Price Cuts and Concessions as the Housing Market Stalls
More U.S. sellers are cutting list prices and offering concessions as demand cools. Here’s what recent data shows across metros and regions.
6 min read
What Treasury’s proposed investor limits and a new housing order could mean for affordability
Treasury’s proposed investor limits and a new housing order aim to cut specific mortgage costs, reduce refinance fees, and boost manufactured housing pathways.
6 min read
What the October 2026 housing affordability order means for PMI, refi closing costs, and factory-built homes
An October 2026 order targets PMI cancellation, refinance closing costs, and factory-built housing approvals—what could change for U.S. borrowers.
6 min read
Home prices are cooling in some markets, but affordability is still getting worse
Some markets are seeing price cuts, but new county-level data show affordability remains strained as high mortgage rates keep monthly payments elevated.
6 min read
Housing Market Enters a Deep Freeze as Pending Sales Drop and Single-Family Building Pulls Back
Pending home sales slid in September, single-family building cooled, and affordability stayed tight as mortgage rates hovered near 7%+, keeping activity muted.
7 min read
Pending home sales hit a record low as mortgage rates top 7% — why prices aren’t falling faster
Pending home sales fell to a record low in September as mortgage rates moved above 7%, weakening the fall sales pipeline while prices stay sticky amid tight supply.
6 min read
U.S. Housing Splits in Two: Builders Discount as Luxury, Cash Buyers Keep High-End Firm
Builders are cutting prices as sentiment hits a 14-year low, while luxury homes stay firmer thanks to cash-heavy buyers and lower rate sensitivity.
7 min read
Investor buying, pending home sales, and new construction: the data points to watch this week
Investor buying, pending home sales, and new construction reports this week offer early clues on demand, supply, and rate sensitivity in U.S. housing.
6 min read
Mortgage Rates in the Mid-7% Range Are Cooling Sales—Why Home Prices Stay Sticky, Metro by Metro
Mortgage rates in the mid-7% range are slowing U.S. home sales, but tight supply and seller lock-in keep prices from falling evenly across metros.
7 min read
Sellers Are Piling Up, Buyers Are Thin: How 7%+ Rates Are Resetting Housing Power
Listings are rising and buyers are thinning out under 7%+ mortgage rates. Here’s why prices stay sticky and where leverage is shifting.
6 min read
High mortgage rates are creating a K-shaped housing market: who can still buy in 2026
Mortgage rates above 7% are splitting the U.S. housing market: equity-rich buyers keep moving while financed buyers face a payment shock, even as listings rise in pockets.
6 min read
Patchy U.S. Home Price Shifts: Where the Market Is Still Rising—and Where It’s Slipping
New ZIP- and metro-level reads show U.S. home prices splitting by region and price tier as mortgage rates stay high and inventory shifts locally.
7 min read
Existing-Home Sales Rose in September—But 7% Mortgage Rates Are Still Choking Affordability
September existing-home sales rose slightly as inventory improved, but 7%+ mortgage rates and high prices kept affordability strained heading into fall.
6 min read
The New Affordability Strategy: Modular Homes, State “Attainable” Funding, and Credit-Score Modernization
Affordability efforts are shifting toward targeted tools: modular construction, state attainable-housing funding, renovation loans, and credit-score modernization.
6 min read
Starter Homes vs. Zoning: Why States Are Zeroing In on Lot Sizes, Manufactured Housing, and "Missing Middle"
States are pushing zoning and lot-size reforms to unlock more starter homes, including manufactured and other missing-middle housing, as affordability strains persist.
7 min read
Why the Housing Affordability Crisis Can Persist Even as Home Equity Hits New Records
Home prices have outpaced inflation for decades, and high mortgage rates keep payments elevated. Meanwhile, senior homeowners hold record housing wealth, widening the owner-renter affordability gap.
6 min read
Why U.S. housing affordability is staying brutal—despite record home equity
Mortgage rates above 7% and sticky home prices are keeping affordability strained. Here’s why inventory isn’t loosening and where regional softness is emerging.
7 min read