It’s been a very good couple of years for Real Estate IRA investors – and the overall investment environment continues to be very favorable for self-directed IRA investors and real estate fans. The latest Rent Trends Report from Apartment List says that nationwide, August rent prices have logged a month-over-month increase of about 0.4 percent.

Good news for Real Estate IRA investors – the national rent index has shown an increase every month so far this year. Rents have been rising between 0.4 and 0.5 percent each month for most of this summer – even during the seasonal doldrums that most apartment landlords experience before the mad rush in late August to get kids settled in to new housing in new neighborhoods before school starts.

Year-over-year, rent growth nationwide has logged 2.9 percent compared to the year-ago period, according to Apartment List analysts – handily exceeding the official inflation rate of 1.6 percent.

Rent prices are seasonal, usually growing through the summer and leveling off in the winter. Apartment List expects these trends to continue for 2017 and into 2018.

The rental market has been benefitting from solid economic growth and a general improvement in the employment situation. The current unemployment rate of 4.3 percent essentially represents full employment: It doesn’t get too much better than this. However, landlords in competitive areas must take care to keep up properties and provide an attractive value to potential renters.

The Hottest Markets for Real Estate IRA Investors

Apartment List has been tracking rent trends in 100 metropolitan area markets across the U.S. According to their figures, the highest rent increases over the past year have occurred in these areas:

Arlington, TX               +9.2%

Providence, RI             +9.1%

Sacramento, CA          +8.9%

Tacoma, WA               +7.4%

Baton Rouge, LA         +6.8%

Reno NV                      +6.7%

Vancouver, WA           +6.6%

Mesa, AZ                     +6.4%

Santa Ana, CA             +6.2%

Fresno, CA                   +6.1%

Notable markets here in the Southeast include:

Atlanta, GA                  +2.4%

Knoxville, TN               +5.0%

Winston-Salem, NC     +4.6%

Durham, NC                +4.4%

Jacksonville, FL            +4.3%

Charlotte, NC              +4.1%

Huntsville, AL              +5.2%

Fort Worth, TX            +5.2%

St. Petersburg, FL        +4.0%

Raleigh, NC                 +3.8%

Greensboro, NC          +3.3%

Virginia Beach, VA      +2.9%

Dallas                          +2.9%

Richmond, VA             +2.4%

Norfolk, VA                  +2.1%

Austin, TX                    +2.0%

Irving, TX                     +5.4%

Nashville, TN               +0.8%

Columbus, GA             +0.2%

Fort Lauderdale          +1.4%

Fayetteville, NC           +5.3%

Miami                         -0.8%

Orlando                       +5.6%

San Antonio                 +2.8%

Tallahassee                 +4.0%

Tampa                         +4.5%

Washington, DC          -0.4%

The only two losers in the Southeast market were Washington, D.C and the notorious boom-or-bust market of Miami.

Overall, rents increased in the last two years in 92 out of the 100 markets surveyed. The biggest losses were in Anchorage Alaska, where rents fell by 4.3 percent over the last year, and Houston, Texas, where rents fell by 2.6 percent.