Investors are still snapping up properties despite high mortgage rates—but it might surprise you where. Along with investing hotspots like Miami and New York, some of the most popular areas for real estate investors to buy—and hold—are mid-sized Midwest and Sun Belt cities.
Among the top 50 metro areas, Birmingham, AL had the highest net share of investor homebuyers in 2025, according to the Realtor.com economic research team’s latest investor report.
Known as the ‘Magic City’ for its rapid growth as an iron and steel boomtown in the late 19th century, Birmingham boasts low home prices and solid rents that make the town attractive to investors…