Buying for your
IU student.
If you're buying because your kid is at Indiana University, you're not really an investor in the spreadsheet sense — you're solving for four years of housing, with a possible upside at the end. That changes which properties make sense, and we'll walk through it with you honestly.
Before you tour a single house.
How close to campus does your student truly need to be?
Walkability carries a premium — and a bus line two blocks over can buy you a better house. We shortlist by walk and bus zones and property condition, not just distance as the crow flies.
Will roommates' rent offset the carry?
It can change the calculus a lot. In our guide's illustrative example — a hypothetical $300,000 house with two roommates at $700 a room — the offset cuts an all-in payment near $2,212 a month to a net carry around $812. Compare that net carry to what you'd pay for a dorm or apartment anyway; that comparison, not a cap rate, is the honest frame. Also ask whether you're comfortable being their (or a manager's) landlord.
What's your exit — sell at graduation, or hold and rent through the IU lease cycle?
Decide before you buy. Four years is a short hold, and a flat market plus selling costs can eat thin appreciation — the roommate offset is the dependable part of the return. We model both exits so the decision is made before emotions are involved, and time a sale to the IU calendar so parent-buyer season works in your favor.
Have you accounted for Monroe County taxes in the real monthly payment?
Make sure you're using the correct property-tax class: if the house isn't your primary residence, the homestead cap likely isn't yours either. We verify the actual tax bill at your ownership classification before you offer, and our payment calculator includes the Monroe County line.
The lease-cycle rhythm
The IU calendar drives the local rental market — leases turn on a predictable schedule, and buying or selling against that rhythm matters. We'll help you time it so you're working with the calendar, not against it.