Price History
Median Home Price
Median Rent
Stored observations from 2016-07-31 to 2026-06-29. Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI. Missing rents are shown as gaps.
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Purchase
Monthly Cash Flow
* Based on metro-wide median values. 35% expenses include taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and property management. Individual counties and properties vary significantly.
Score Breakdown
Based on 5.24% rent-to-price ratio. Higher ratios indicate stronger cash flow potential.
Based on 1.0% YoY price growth. Moderate growth (3-8%) scores highest.
Based on 0.0% population growth. Growing areas indicate economic stability.
Based on price relative to estimated local incomes.
Scores are calculated using real Zillow metro-level home value and rent data, Census population data, and economic indicators. The weighted average produces the overall investment score. This metro score represents area-wide averages; individual counties may vary significantly.
Investment Outlook
Strengths
- +Low unemployment (0.0%)
Challenges
- -Below-average rent-to-price ratio (5.24%)
- -Negative cash flow at typical financing (-$711/mo)
- -Negative leverage (cap rate 3.4% < mortgage rate 6.9%)
Counties in Des Moines, IA
Section 8 in Des Moines, IA: payment standards by ZIP, PHA waitlist status, and voucher counts are on VoucherMatch, the same HUD dataset with the tenant demand side attached.
Compare to Similar Metros
| Metro Area | Verdict | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arkadelphia, AR Arkadelphia, AR | 76 | $165,028 | Est. | Strong Buy | View | ||
Borger, TX Borger, TX | 76 | $125,351 | $1,000 | 9.57% | Strong Buy | View | |
Marietta, OH Marietta, OH | 76 | $187,264 | $1,250 | 8.01% | Strong Buy | View | |
Fremont, OH Fremont, OH | 76 | $190,301 | Est. | Strong Buy | View | ||
Bartlesville, OK Bartlesville, OK | 76 | $184,820 | $1,210 | 7.86% | Strong Buy | View | |
Current Des Moines, IA | 56 | $296,070 | $1,293 | 5.24% | Hold |
Rent vs buy in this metro
The Bottom Line
The Des Moines, IA metro area scores 56/100, ranking #617 of 894 US metros (top 69%). The 5.24% rent-to-price ratio may require targeting specific counties or creative strategies for positive cash flow. Current metro-wide averages make traditional buy-and-hold investing challenging. Consider house hacking, value-add strategies, or drilling down to specific counties.