Long-Term Rentals · Market playbook

Buying Rental Properties in Des Moines, IA

Buying rentals in Des Moines is a 6.58% gross yield play at a $211k median entry — $1,156/mo rent gross before expenses. The math has to clear before the property does.

DATA · Zillow Research (via scrape.do) · AS OF APRIL 2026

Strong 83/100

Des Moines is one of the better buy-and-hold rental markets in the country right now.

TL;DR — data signals

→ Gross yield 6.58% — above national baseline
→ Rent $1,156/mo vs. national $1,930 — rent-weak
→ Cash flow expectation at 25% down / 7.5%: $50-200/door tight positive
→ Appreciation: flat — neutral

Long-term rentals in Des Moines sit at the intersection of two numbers: typical home value $210,703 and median rent $1,156/mo. That's a 6.58% gross yield — well above the national 4-5% baseline. Cash flow does most of the heavy lifting here, with appreciation as a bonus.

Run the cash-flow math. Assume 20-25% down on a 30-year conventional rental loan at 7.5%, plus taxes + insurance + 8% property management + 8% vacancy/maintenance reserve + 8% capex reserve. At those inputs you'll likely clear $50-200/door — tight cash flow with appreciation expected to do the rest of the work. Underwrite conservatively.

Rent demand context: Des Moines rents ($1,156) run 40% below the national median ($1,930). Rent is the constraint — operational discipline matters more than acquisition skill here.

Appreciation thesis: Des Moines home values are +0.6% YoY. Flat appreciation. Returns come from cash flow + pay-down + tax benefits, not price growth. Underwrite to that reality.

Net: Des Moines is a viable buy-and-hold rental market — yield does the work, appreciation is a bonus.

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Des Moines at a glance