Des Moines Real Estate Market Update: What Investors Should Know in 2026
The Real Cost of Vacancy in Des Moines - And How to Stop It
Ask most Des Moines landlords what vacancy costs them and they'll say something like “a month's rent.” That's the number they see — the gap on the rent roll, the empty unit, the $1,100 they didn't collect.
The real number is almost always higher. Sometimes significantly higher…
The Landlord's Case for Preventive Maintenance: What the Research Actually Shows
Most landlords know preventive maintenance is a good idea in the same vague way they know they should exercise more. The logic is obvious. The follow-through is inconsistent. And the real cost of not doing it tends to show up quietly — in the emergency HVAC call in January, the burst pipe in February, the tenant who didn't renew because nothing ever got fixed on time.
What Des Moines ADU Zoning Actually Means for Rental Property Owners
If you own a single-family rental in Des Moines and haven't looked into ADUs yet, you're leaving a rental unit on the table.
In July 2025, Iowa passed a statewide law permitting one accessory dwelling unit per residential lot across the state. Des Moines already had its own ADU ordinance in place - updated in 2022 to expand the number of qualifying properties by up to four times - but the state law reinforces and extends that access across the broader metro. For small investors in the Des Moines area, this is one of the most significant zoning changes in years.
Here's what you actually need to know.