Raleigh, NC rental market report

The investor's view of Raleigh: official FY2025 rents for the Raleigh, NC MSA, and what a standard 3-bedroom rental actually pencils at across price points — every figure computed by the same deterministic engine behind the analyzer.

FY2025 rent benchmarks (HUD Fair Market Rents)

Studio1 BR2 BR3 BR4 BR
$1,533/mo$1,592/mo$1,763/mo$2,192/mo$2,961/mo

Source: U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, FY2025. FMRs sit at the 40th percentile — treat them as floor benchmarks; renovated or well-located units often rent above.

What pencils in Raleigh: 3BR buy-and-hold scenarios

Underwritten at the metro's $2,192/mo 3BR benchmark with 20% down, 7% interest, and a full operating-expense load (taxes, insurance, vacancy, maintenance, management):

Purchase priceMonthly cash flowDSCRCash-on-cashVerdict
$285,000-$467/mo0.69-8.6%NEGOTIATE
$330,000-$753/mo0.57-11.9%PASS
$375,000-$1,040/mo0.48-14.5%PASS

Read: at FY2025 benchmark rents, standard-financing buy-and-hold is challenging at these price points in Raleigh — deals here need discounts, higher-rent units, or a different strategy (rent-by-room often changes the math entirely). Illustrative scenarios, not offers of advice — every real deal needs its own underwriting.

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These are benchmark scenarios. The analyzer underwrites an actual property — records, live listing status, market rent estimate, all six strategies — in 30 seconds.

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