Nick Gerli(@nickgerli1):U.S. real estate investment has collapsed by 50% over the last four years. The reason? It's now more profitable to sit on your couch and buy a 10-year government bond than to buy an investment property. 10-year yields are now 5.1%. While the single-family cap rate for rentals is 4.8%. For the first time in nearly two decades, buying real estate for cash flow has a negative opportunity cost v buying government bonds. And as a result, the number of people buying investment properties has plummeted by 50% over the last four years. This is having a massive price impact on certain markets. Track Cap Rates for your area at

2026.09.24 14:54

U.S. real estate investment has collapsed by 50% over the last four years. The reason? It's now more profitable to sit on your couch and buy a 10-year government bond than to buy an investment property. 10-year yields are now 5.1%. While the single-family cap rate for rentals is 4.8%. For the first time in nearly two decades, buying real estate for cash flow has a negative opportunity cost v buying government bonds. And as a result, the number of people buying investment properties has plummeted by 50% over the last four years. This is having a massive price impact on certain markets. Track Cap Rates for your area at