If You Have a Pet, Prepare to Pay More for Rent, or Consider Buying Your Own Place

Lighter Side of Real Estate • November 12, 2022

Pets are part of the family; many people even consider them their children. And like children, they come with costs that you’ll have to deal with, like:

  • Food
  • Grooming
  • A walker or pet sitter
  • Unexpected vet bills

But higher rent isn’t something you’d have to expect if you had an actual child. Sure, it may cost you more to rent a place that has enough room for the amount of children you have, but no landlord is going to tack on an extra monthly fee or deposit for every kid you have.

However, there’s a good chance that a pet will cost you more in monthly rent and require that you give the landlord an additional deposit (perhaps even non-refundable) to cover any damage they may do while you live there. This isn’t a new thing by any means, but according to this Market Watch article, it’s something that’s giving pet-owning renters more stress lately, considering how much rents have been increasing.

Even finding a place that allows pets can be more difficult in the best of times, but with a shortage of available rentals, it’s even tougher to find a rental that allows them. So, like it or not, if the landlord wants more money because you have a pet, it’s hard to argue or negotiate.

It might feel unfair since this practice presumes your pet will do damage. But what if it doesn’t? What if you have the best behaved pet in the world? Or what if you have a smaller pet? Why should you have to pay as much as somebody whose pet is like a bull in a china shop?

Well, you can’t entirely look at landlords like they’re evil, money-hungry people looking to milk you for more money. They’re taking increased risk, and have reasons for doing so. This article cited a few of them, such as:

  • 64% of landlords surveyed said they had property damaged by a tenant’s pet.
  • There’s increased liability, which could result in lawsuits or higher insurance rates.
  • They typically need to do more cleaning and repairs before renting it out to the next tenant.

So if you have a pet, you have to at least understand why the landlord would have concerns and would want protection from having to cover additional costs.

That being said, everything is at least potentially negotiable. So you can always try and plead your case, and ask the landlord to reduce (or even waive) any additional fees or deposits. You’re more likely to be successful with pets that are unlikely to cause damage, like fish or a reptile that stays in a tank.

But the ultimate solution is to buy your own house if possible. Considering the extra cost of renting as a pet owner, it may even be more economical to buy your own place. You might even look into buying a duplex or multi-family house and become a pet-friendly landlord yourself. Think about it: you can get higher rents than a landlord who doesn’t allow pets, and live in one of the units with as many pets as you want!

Otherwise, just keep your eyes peeled for pet-friendly rentals, and when you find one that allows your pet and has reasonable fees, jump on it and sign that lease before someone else scoops it up!

The Takeaway:

Renters have been facing higher rents and a lot of competition for the number of rentals available on the market in general. But when you add a pet into the mix, it not only makes it more difficult to find a place to rent, it increases the amount it costs on a monthly basis (as well as a larger security deposit).
You can always try to negotiate with a landlord, but if it’s hard to find a place that allows pets, you may just have to agree to their terms. Ultimately, the best solution is to buy a place of your own if possible. Buying a duplex or multi-family house that you can live in and rent out the other units to other pet owners may be an even smarter idea that can save you even more money.


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The #1 Regret Sellers Have When They Don’t Use an Agent

By KCM • February 2, 2026
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Are Big Investors Really Buying Up All the Homes? Here’s the Truth.

By KCM • January 28, 2026
Are Big Investors Really Buying Up All the Homes? Here’s the Truth. It’s hard to scroll online lately without seeing some version of this claim: “Big investors are buying up all the homes.” And honestly, if you’re a homebuyer who’s lost out on a few offers, that idea probably sounds believable. When homes are expensive and competition is tight, it’s easy to assume giant companies are scooping everything up behind the scenes. But here’s the thing: what people assume is happening and what the data actually shows aren’t always the same. Let’s look at what’s really happening with large institutional investors in today’s housing market – because the numbers tell a much different story than the headlines. The Number Most People Won’t See Online Let’s start with the most important stat. According to John Burns Research & Consulting (JBREC), large institutional investors – those that own 100 or more homes – made up just 1.2% of all home purchases in Q3 of 2025 (see graph below): That’s it. Out of every 100 homes sold, only about 1 went to a large institutional investor. And here’s an important point that often gets missed: that level of investor activity is very much in line with historical norms. It’s not unusually high, and it’s actually well below the recent peak of 3.1% back in 2022 – which itself was still a small share of the overall market. So, while it can feel like big investors are everywhere, nationally, they’re a very small part of overall home sales. Why Investor Activity Gets So Much Attention There are two main reasons this topic gets so much attention: Investor activity isn’t spread evenly. Investors are more active in certain markets, which can make competition feel intense for homebuyers in those areas. As Lance Lambert, Co-Founder of ResiClub, explains:“On a national level, “large investors”—those owning at least 100 single-family homes—only own around 1% of total single-family housing stock. That said, in a handful of regional housing markets, institutional and large single-family landlords have a much larger presence. ” Investor is a broad term. Part of what makes the share of purchases bought by investors sound so big is because many headlines lump large Wall Street institutions together with small, local investors (like your neighbor who owns one or two rental homes). But those are very different buyers.In reality, most investors are small, local owners, not massive corporations. And when all investors get grouped together in the headlines as a single stat, it inflates the number and makes it seem like big institutions are dominating the market (even though they’re not). Yes, big investors exist. Yes, they buy homes. But nationally, they’re responsible for a very small share of total purchases – far smaller than most people assume. The bigger challenges around affordability have much more to do with supply, demand, and years of underbuilding than with large institutions competing against everyday buyers. That’s why it’s so important to separate noise from reality, especially if you’re trying to decide if now is the right time to move. Bottom Line If you want to talk through what investor activity actually looks like in our local market, and how it impacts your options (or doesn’t), let’s connect. Sometimes a little context makes all the difference.

Why January Is the Best Time to Kickstart Your 2026 Home Search

By Inner Circle • January 22, 2026
It’s a new year, and if buying a home in 2026 is on your mind, there’s one simple piece of advice worth hearing first: get started now. Not in March. Not in spring. Not “when the weather gets better.” Now. Why? For starters, buying a home takes time. A recent Realtor.com article suggests getting started at least six months before you plan to close. That doesn’t mean starting in January automatically puts you on track for a June closing. In fact, if you get started now, there’s a good chance you could be in a home much sooner than that. On the flip side, even if you don’t plan to move until later in the year, beginning the process early still puts you in a far stronger position when you’re ready to make offers. You’re almost always better off starting sooner rather than later. There’s a lot involved beyond simply finding a house you like. Financial preparation, getting pre-approved for a mortgage, understanding what you can truly afford, getting a handle on the existing inventory, touring homes, writing offers, negotiating terms, and finally closing — all of that takes time. And that’s before factoring in local competition and inventory. But as we head into this new year, there’s another reason starting early matters even more — and it has everything to do with what’s happening in the market right now… It’s Finally a Buyer’s Market in Many Areas… But It Might Not Last One of the biggest reasons to begin in January is where the market stands right now. In many areas, conditions are unusually favorable for buyers — and that’s not something to assume will stick around. According to recent housing market data , there were roughly 37% more sellers than buyers across the U.S. in November 2025, one of the largest gaps on record going back to 2013. A gap that large can give buyers more negotiating power. It often leads to more options, more time to consider choices, and greater leverage when it comes to price, terms, and requests for seller concessions. But that gap can easily close. Many buyers put off looking for a home until the spring market “officially” begins. That’s in quotation marks because there really is no official date for when the spring market begins. But at some point in the next few months, there will likely be a surge of buyers entering the market. When that happens, competition will increase and many of the advantages buyers enjoy early in the year will likely begin to shrink. Buyers who wait may find themselves facing more multiple-offer situations, tighter negotiations, and less room to ask for concessions. Getting started in January doesn’t just give you a head start — it gives you a shot at taking advantage of conditions that may look very different just a few months from now. The First Thing to Do After the First of the Year If you’re even just thinking about buying a home in 2026, the most productive first step after the new year isn’t scrolling listings or heading out to open houses — it’s having a conversation with a local real estate agent. National headlines are helpful for understanding broad trends, but real estate is extremely local. Conditions can vary dramatically from one city to the next, from one neighborhood to another, and even from one price range to another within the same town. An agent can walk you through what inventory looks like right now, how competitive buyers are in your target price range, and whether sellers are negotiating or still holding firm. They can also help you come up with a timeline and strategy based upon your personal situation and the current market conditions. The Takeaway: Buying a home almost always takes longer than people expect. That’s why many experts recommend starting the process at least six months before you plan to move. That doesn’t mean it has to take that long — plenty of buyers find and close on a home much sooner. But it does mean that giving yourself time is rarely a bad idea. Starting as early in the year as possible is always smart, but starting early in 2026 may be even smarter. With roughly 37% more sellers than buyers — the largest gap we’ve seen since 2013 — today’s market is offering buyers opportunities that may not last once more people jump in later this year. Waiting until spring could mean more competition and fewer advantages than buyers see right now. If you’re even thinking about buying in 2026, getting the ball rolling in January can put you in a much stronger position. And the best first step isn’t browsing listings — it’s talking with a local real estate agent who can explain what’s happening in your market, help you set realistic.
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