June 2nd, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Landover, MD – The stock market has had some ups and downs in 2025. In fact, the S&P 500 lost ground three of the first four months of the year. While it’s important to take a long-term view of investing, it’s also important to have diversification in different types of investments. This may be a good time for some investors to consider investing in real estate.
“Many people have used real estate as an avenue to build wealth,” says Milan Griffin, Chief Operations Officer at HomeFree-USA. “Some have seen their primary home increase in value. Others have increased their wealth by becoming landlords. If people are concerned about the stock market, now might be a good time to explore real estate either as a first-time homebuyer or as the owner of a rental property.”
While all investments—including real estate—have some level of risk, real estate investors have historically seen 4% to 8% in annual gains. With June being National Homeownership Month, here are some benefits of investing in real estate either as a first-time homebuyer or as the owner of a rental property.
Investing in real estate can provide another stream of income. A recent Gallup poll has found that more than half of Americans believe their financial situations are getting worse. Homeowners can earn extra money either by renting out rooms or storage space, or they can buy an investment property and rent out the entire house. “When you own property, you have financial options that you would not have as a renter,” Griffin says.
Investing in real estate can give you some tax advantages. When you are a homeowner, you may be entitled to certain tax deductions that can lower your tax bill. Those savings could put you in a much better place financially.
Investing in real estate could provide diversification to your investment portfolio. If you have a 401(k) plan at work or another investment account, you can augment your savings and investments by purchasing a house or a rental property. A diverse portfolio can help you earn more money over time because you increase the odds of one of your investments doing well even when others are performing poorly.
Investing in real estate may give you the opportunity to use someone else’s money. Noone is going to give you free money to buy stocks and bonds. But there are programs that provide downpayment assistance when you buy a house. That means you may be able to see a return on your investment even when someone else has put up some of the funds.
While no one can predict where the economy will be in the near future, investing in real estate can be a way to diversify one’s assets and start building wealth today.
About Milan Griffin
As Chief Operations Officer at HomeFree-USA, Milan Griffin is committed to amplifying the company’s mission — to create new homebuyers and sustainable homeowners, develop affordable homes, and revitalize communities. She does this by driving production across the company, strengthening partnerships, and increasing community engagement.
In response to the low Black homeownership rate, the widening wealth gap, and the swift wave of gentrification in cities nationwide, Griffin has led multiple campaigns to show marginalized communities how to achieve homeownership; teach homeowners how to prevent foreclosure; and help emerging real estate developers grow their businesses.
About HomeFree-USA
Marcia and Jim Griffin launched HomeFree-USA in 1994 with a vision to close the wealth gap by giving people the guidance they need to achieve and sustain homeownership. As the owners of the first and largest African American mortgage servicing company in the country, National Loan Service Center, Jim and Marcia were devastated by the high rates of default among borrowers of color. Thirty years later, HomeFree-USA is still on the frontlines serving the diverse interests of 63 million consumers through its national intermediary network. We connect government, the real estate finance industry, and consumers to create new homebuyers, sustainable homeowners, affordable homes and revitalized communities.