We recently published a list of 12 Best Residential Real Estate Stocks To Buy According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:IRT) stands against other best residential real estate stocks to buy according to analysts.
As reported by CNBC, a troubling sign for the spring market is the homebuyer mortgage demand declining. While more listings are coming up for sale, home buyers are not really convinced to be a part of the spring housing market. The supply of homes for sale is up 25% as compared to the prior year, with the supply gain coming from homes sitting on the market for longer.
Redfin reveals that the average time to sell a home in the month of January was 54 days which is the longest since March 2020. Regardless, the supply lags from January 2019 by 25%. Back in January, Redfin reported that home prices have risen year-over-year in all 50 of the most populous metropolitan areas in the United States in December. Redfin Senior Economist Elijah de la Campa, reiterated the state of aggravating unaffordability, stating:
“Affordable housing havens have become harder and harder to come by; even places that saw some price relief last year, like Texas and Florida, are now seeing prices tick back up. Many people looking to move this year will likely opt to rent because it’s the more affordable option and rental affordability is expected to improve as more supply comes on the market.”
Brown Harris Stevens CEO Bess Freedman, recently joined CNBC to discuss the current housing affordability in the US. In her opinion, the current mortgage rates are the new normal and they could stay in the 6% range for quite some time even though they might dip a bit lower. Affordability remains an issue with first-time homebuyers nearing their 40s while they used to be 28 or 29 years old some ten years ago. The market is picking up but buyers continue to be rate sensitive. More activity could be seen if the rates decline even slightly in the next months. Overall, she tends to be bullish on housing saying that the US needs to get to a place where young people can buy their first home.
Our Methodology
In order to compile a list of the 12 best residential real estate stocks to buy according to analysts, we first used a stock screener to screen residential real estate stocks that have the highest market caps. Moving on, we shortlisted the 12 stocks with the highest average upside potentials, as of February 5. The 12 best residential real estate stocks to buy according to analysts have been arranged in ascending order of their average upside potentials.
At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
![Is Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (IRT) The Best Residential Real Estate Stock To Buy According to Analysts?](https://imonkey-blog.imgix.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/23222017/IRT-insidermonkey-1698114015223.jpg?auto=fortmat&fit=clip&expires=1770422400&width=480&height=269)
A close-up of a luxurious apartment building, surrounded by lush landscaping.
Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:IRT)
Average Upside Potential: 13.52%
Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:IRT) is a leading multi-family real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily apartment properties across non-gateway US markets such as Atlanta, Louisville, Memphis, and Raleigh.
Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:IRT) has established a differentiated portfolio in attractive markets. The firm’s portfolio is focused on the high-growth Sunbelt and Midwest regions which tends to be beneficial since the regions have shown strong fundamentals with favorable population migration trends due to a lower cost of living, better tax policy, and growing economic opportunity.
As compared to peers in non-gateway and coastal markets, the REIT has been successfully delivering industry-leading operating performance over the past few years, outpacing industry growth. Due to the firm’s attractive location in Sunbelt markets, as well as its investments in value-add renovations and new development initiatives, the momentum for the business is expected to continue.
Overall, IRT ranks 12th on our list of best residential stocks to buy according to analysts. While we acknowledge the potential of IRT to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than IRT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.