Blog

How to Find Off-Market Properties for Fix-and-Flip Deals

angela.davis@kiavi.com (Angela Davis) — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 20:54:01 GMT

Finding off-market properties means identifying motivated owners through public records, relationships, and direct outreach, then reaching them before a home is listed on the MLS, which may give a fix-and-flip investor more room to negotiate on price and timing.ATTOM counted 164,566 foreclosure starts in the first half of 2026, up 18% year-over-year, whilenew listings fell 7.5% in October, so reaching owners early may matter more this fall.

Top Renovations That Increase ARV, Room by Room

angela.davis@kiavi.com (Angela Davis) — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 14:00:04 GMT

Renovations that increase ARV tend to be the ones buyers can picture using, and this guide walks fix-and-flip investors through the hosting-friendly upgrades that may add the most at resale. It looks room by room at which features buyers have paid more for, using Zillow's 2026 home features research and the 2025 Remodeling Impact Report from NAR and NARI, and shows how to keep each upgrade in line with local comps.

Kiavi Investor Pulse: October 2026 Market and Financing Update

elise.thompson@kiavi.com (Elise Thompson) — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:00:03 GMT

October 2026 housing market trends point to potential opportunities for real estate investors, from greater negotiating flexibility to improving rental conditions and more financing options. September pending home sales fell to a nearly 12-year low, and 14.5% of purchase contracts were canceled, which could create more room to negotiate in certain markets. Meanwhile, U.S. apartment rents rose 0.9% year-over-year in Q3, and increased DSCR lender competition may offer rental investors more financing options to compare. Freddie Mac reported a 7.32% average 30-year fixed mortgage rate on October 22, making current buyer affordability an important consideration for resale planning.

Arizona and Colorado DSCR Loans: Phoenix and Denver 2026

angela.davis@kiavi.com (Angela Davis) — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:00:04 GMT

DSCR loans in Arizona and Colorado may deserve a fresh look in 2026, as Phoenix and Denver combine frequent price cuts with relatively low effective property tax rates. In September, 32.1% of Denver-area listings and 29.0% of Phoenix-area listings carried a price reduction, according toRealtor.com. Rents in both metros remained below year-ago levels in August, though Phoenix vacancy and leasing times improved over the past year, perApartment List's renter's market analysis.

What Is PITIA? Meaning, Formula, and DSCR Impact

elise.thompson@kiavi.com (Elise Thompson) — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

PITIA stands for principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and association dues, the five costs that make up a rental property's full monthly payment and the figure DSCR lenders typically divide into rent to measure coverage. Property taxes alone averaged $4,427 per single-family home in 2025, up 3% from 2024, according toATTOM's annual property tax analysis. Because several of those costs can reset after closing, PITIA may change over a hold period even when the interest rate is fixed.

Rental Property Stress Test: Check DSCR Before You Buy

angela.davis@kiavi.com (Angela Davis) — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

A rental property stress test recalculates a rental's debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) with lower rent and higher costs than the listing assumes, and in 2026 that gap may be wider than it looks. Realtor.com reported that43.5% of big-metro rental listings offered a concession in August 2026, up from 40.4% a year earlier. Apartment List found thatnational rents fell 0.8% year over year in August, with units taking 32 days to lease on average.

How to Flip a Haunted House: Stigmatized Property Guide

angela.davis@kiavi.com (Angela Davis) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:17:12 GMT

In many cases, you can flip a haunted house, and the deal may come down to the same underwriting as any other fix and flip, with the property's reputation as one added variable at resale. ATTOM reported that thetypical gross flipping return reached 25.4% in Q1 2026, a figure calculated before rehab and holding costs, so even a modest stigma discount at exit could take a noticeable share of that margin. Seller disclosure rules for a death or alleged haunting also tend to vary by state, which suggests the legal side of the deal may deserve as much attention as the spooky side.

Kiavi Investor Pulse: September 2026 Market and Financing Update

angela.davis@kiavi.com (Angela Davis) — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

The September 2026 real estate market delivered the Federal Reserve's first rate hike since 2023, a 30-year mortgage rate above 7%, and a new chapter for Kiavi as a Figure company. Higher rates may slow retail buyers, but that same pullback could hand real estate investors more inventory than at any point in the past decade, more room to negotiate, and fewer competing investor buyers. Completed foreclosures rose 42% year-over-year in August and Midwest rents led the nation, two signals that may favor disciplined acquisition and rental hold strategies.

Rental Lease Renewal Timing and the School Calendar

madeline.sikorski@kiavi.com (Maddie Sikorski) — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:00:05 GMT

Timing rental lease renewals to the school calendar generally means locking in a renewal or a new lease before families and students settle in for the year, when demand and pricing power for real estate investors tend to peak. Apartment List's August 2026 report described the market as nearing the end of its busy summer leasing season, with the usual fall cooldown typically following once school starts.

Bridge Loan Application Denied? 5 Mistakes to Avoid

madeline.sikorski@kiavi.com (Maddie Sikorski) — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:00:05 GMT

Most bridge loan denials can trace back to five recurring issues: thin experience, an incomplete loan package, an ineligible property, weak comparable sales, or unrealistic budget math. Bridge lenders evaluate the property and the deal as closely as the borrower, so a gap in any one of these areas could stall an application before underwriting even begins. The share of real estate investors selling below their after-repair value estimate rose to 21% in the second quarter of Stressed real estate investor reviewing loan payment paperwork before applying for Kiavi bridge loans.