Real estate isn’t an impulse buy you toss in your cart like candles or candy. It takes planning, and January is the perfect time to stop “thinking about it” and get moving. A recent survey of Playbook readers found that 60% plan to buy property this year, and 16% plan to sell. Need some inspiration on what to do next? We asked investors to open up their own playbooks and share their plans.

Pounce on price drops. “My goal is to retain enough liquidity to take advantage of lower prices,” says Martin Orefice, an investor in Orlando, FL, and founder of Rent To Own Labs. “Real estate prices are likely to fall, and those who are in position to take advantage will be able to get income-generating units for cheap.”

Target low rates. “With many owners holding mortgages far below current rates, methods like seller financing or subject-to arrangements allow both sides to benefit,” says Armand Gjeka, a Pennsylvania-based real estate investor. “I used these tools sparingly in 2025, but in 2026 I plan to pursue them more intentionally.”

Shift from flips to rentals. “We wrapped up a handful of flips in 2025, and the effort-to-return ratio keeps shrinking,” says Igor Golovko, real estate investor at Chicago-based TwinCore. “So this year, I’m aiming to buy one or two small multifamily buildings in Midwest secondary markets and hold them for consistent monthly income rather than chasing one-off payouts.”

Wholesale for fast cash. “We renovated 14 houses in 2025,” says Jeffrey Miller, a real estate investor in Stillwater, NY. “In 2026, we plan to shift half our business to wholesale. With full renovations, it’s difficult to make a profit. Wholesaling minimizes some risk.”

Hustle less. “In 2026, I’m focused on buying and renovating properties in markets where demand is steady, not speculative,” says Dallas-based Jackie Coffey of The Happy Investor. “It’s less hustle-for-the-sake-of-hustle and more intentional investing that pays back with both money and peace of mind.”

Expand operations. “I plan to broaden our mobile home portfolio into neighboring states,” says South Carolina–based Ian Smith of We Buy SC Mobile Homes. “Having completed over 150 transactions here, I’m confident we can replicate our buy/renovate/re-sell model in new markets.”

Wait out the competition. “My resolution is to weather the short-term rental storm,” says Jeff Hurst, CEO of Furnished Finder, who owns and operates three short-term rental properties in Austin, TX. “I expect STR owners to exit when selling conditions improve, and I want to be in a position to be more successful. I may discount more for longer stays, add perks like early check-in and late checkout, and invest so my properties stay fresh.”

Prioritize community over cash flow. “I’m resolving to acquire three to five properties in underserved Baltimore neighborhoods where families are struggling with estate settlements or probate,” says Lewis Hammond of Bright Future Home Buyers. “This isn’t just about growing our portfolio; it’s about helping families move forward while building rental income that strengthens communities.”

Everything’s a bigger bang for your buck in Texas. For a house with legroom that’s also a bargain, Houston delivers the best value, at $174 per square foot—a far cry from the national median of $229 per Realtor.com. Find out where else you can get the most home for your money.

Large real estate investors banned from buying houses: President Donald Trump said he’s taking steps to bar institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes, arguing that this has pushed them further out of reach of average Americans. Check out which firms may be on Trump’s radar (and panic-calling his admin right now).

Are homeowners with low mortgage rates really not moving? New data suggests that the “rate lockdown effect” may be a myth.

A magical combo: MoneyLion found that certain cities have a low cost of living and low crime rates. Check out the 50 cheapest, safest places to live.

Mortgage delinquencies have spiked. Don’t blame high rates, but a curveball housing cost few homeowners think about until they’re hit.

L.A. land is piling up for sale. A year has passed since the Los Angeles wildfires, and real estate investors are stepping in to help rebuild, purchasing two in five lots, according to Redfin. Still, much more is sitting unsold, particularly in these three areas.

🪴 Is your home decor outdated? Interior designers share six trends that’ll be huge this year, and two on their way out.

Watch out for sharks. Any clue why this palatial mansion hasn’t sold? Perhaps it’s the toothy pets.

If you’re nostalgic for the golden age of handwritten letters, scrounging for stamps, and inching forward in line, a property for sale near San Jose, CA, can deliver that snail-mail nostalgia in a cute little package. Priced at $1,299,000, this half-acre lot with an 1,100-square-foot operating post office is rented by the United States Postal Service for $2,750 per month. Here’s more about this adorable investment from listing agent Therese Swan.

Q: What did you think of this listing when you got it? “I’d never thought about it before, who actually owned the land this post office is on. I just assumed that USPS owned it. I was surprised to hear it’s rented, staffed from 12 to 4pm.”

Q: What’s the town like? “New Almaden is a cute little town on the outskirts of San Jose, about 20 minutes from Silicon Valley. It feels like you’re going back to the 1950s, with a community center, July 4th parade, barbecues, and ice cream socials.”

Q: What interest have you gotten from buyers? “Some want to build a house on the property while earning income from the post office, although that may not be possible while the post office is operating. The lease ends in June. The county also contacted me since it owns the property next to it, the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum.”

Q: How do you think this stacks up as an investment? “There are other commercial uses if you don’t want the post office, like storage units. But I think the best fit is keeping it a post office. It would be weird to have an office building in the middle of this sleepy community. I just can’t think of any reason somebody would change it. I think you could cause an uproar if you did.”

Take a look at the listing for more info and photos.

In this new column, we zoom in on specific real estate markets and ask investors for the good, the bad, and their hard-won lessons. This week, we kicked the tires on Detroit.

Average home price: $76,340 (down 1.4% YoY)
Homes that sell over list price: 28.8%
Homes that sell under list price: 54.1%
Average rent: $1,200

Lay of the land: After filing for bankruptcy in 2013, Motor City was offloading vacant properties for less cash than a used car. A few intrepid investors swooped in and helped turn this run-down metropolis into what the WSJ calls “America’s most unlikely real-estate boomtown.”

“Detroit can be a great place to make returns that beat the stock market,” says Sergio Aguinaga, a software engineer who grew up there and currently owns five rental homes. But deals are much tougher to find today. “Downtown Detroit is expensive now,” Aguinaga adds. It’s also still hit or miss, riddled with “squatters and theft of appliances and plumbing.”

To unearth true bargains, Aguinaga shops further out, reasoning, “People are looking to stabilize in the suburbs,” which reduces tenant turnover. In Taylor, he recently purchased a three-bedroom, one-bath house for $80,000. After renovations, he rents it out for $1,700 per month.

His advice: “Stay away from areas where houses are worth less than $100,000 and invest in the better neighborhoods such as Bagley, Russell Woods, Southwest, Morningside, and Grandmont,” Aguinaga says. “Check Investorlift or local Facebook groups for posts from wholesalers. Many of the ‘deals’ are not actually deals, so always run your numbers.”

Have a real estate market you’d like to highlight? Share it here, and we’ll feature it in the future.