There’s been a lot of discussion lately about real estate property and investment property between me and various people, and today I see this article about rent. Rent is rising again due to increasing demand (I’m speculating that the housing market has priced out of the average person’s ability to purchase). The most expensive 3 cities to rent according to the stats from the last quarter of 2005? I’m sure it’s predictable.

1. New York City, average rent $2400/mo
2. San Francisco, avg rent $1573/mo
3. Los Angeles, avg rent $1421/mo

Orange County (where I live) ranks #4 with rent at $1384 a month. Miami, where I just was on vacation, ranks #17 at $971/mo, Las Vegas ranks #24 at $795, and on the lowest end of the study is Oklahoma City at $543. I’m glad I bought my property before this crazy spike, and it’s comforting (and selfish of me) to see that as rental property, my place will do well. I think I need to seriously consider buying investment property in the still-affordable-for-me places and catch them before their own spikes, and then sell high or rent it out and let it pay for itself.