Real Estate Investing in Alachua County, Florida

Everything the listing leaves out — vacancy, rent trend, cap rate, landlord climate. All free.

16 ZIP codes • Population: 273,585

Should you buy in Alachua County, FL? Our answer, based on the numbers below.

🏠 For Homebuyers
MIXED
Grade C (56/100)

Mixed — home prices are stretched relative to local incomes. Run the math on your specific situation.

📈 For Investors
MIXED
3.0 / 5 (52/100)

A middle-of-the-road market. Workable, but the best opportunities may be nearby ZIPs rather than this one.

⚠️ Risks to Know
1 flag
  • High vacancy: 12.2% of homes vacant — above national norms.

What’s happening in Alachua County, FL?

Click any question — our AI will research it live from the web and show you sources.

✨ Live AI + Web Search
Want to ask your own questions? Upgrade to Pro for unlimited custom queries.
3.0/ 5

Investability

County-wide average

3.0/ 5

Appreciation

4.4% 5yr CAGR

5.0/ 5

Landlord Climate

Regulatory friendliness

Avg Investability ★★★★★
Avg Home Value $311,535
Avg Monthly Rent $1,635
ZIP Codes 16

Investing in Alachua County Real Estate

Alachua County spans 16 ZIP codes across 8 cities in Florida, with a population of 273,585. The county's sluggish investment metrics reflect deeper structural challenges — worth studying before making commitments.

Alachua is the kind of county where the cap rate on paper and the cap rate realized tend to diverge. clearly out-of-state capital should be especially careful with carry-in assumptions.

Distressed-leaning demographics in Alachua — soft income growth, high rent burden, population shifts — are among the reasons the ★★★☆☆ rating sits where it does.

A great house in the wrong ZIP is still a bad deal — screen every market by cash flow & cap rate.
Open the Market Finder →
Free to search · investor plans from $19/mo

Landlord Ground Truth

Real numbers from people who own or manage rentals in Alachua County, FL. Anonymous, moderated, never written by AI.

Do you own or manage rentals in Alachua County, FL?

~25 seconds · no account needed · your report is anonymous

Avg Home Value
$311,535
Avg Monthly Rent
$1,635
1% Rule
✗ Below
Landlord Friendly (FL)
★★★★★

📉 Market Crash Risk Index

Based on Gainesville, FL metro

4/10
Moderate Risk
Price YoY
0/3
N/A
Rent YoY
0/2
N/A
Below List
2/3
75%
Days Pending
2/2
74 days

View all metro crash risk rankings →

🎓 Colleges & Universities in Alachua County

10 Colleges 74,072 Students 19,749 Off-Campus Renters
A
University of Florida
4-Year Public · 54,814 students
📍 ~6,193 students rent off-campus
C+
Santa Fe College
4-Year Public · 12,698 students
📍 ~8,482 students rent off-campus
C+
University of Florida-Online
4-Year Public · 5,462 students
📍 ~5,074 students rent off-campus
C
Florida School of Massage
Vocational For-Profit · 32 students
C
Summit Salon Academy-Gainesville
Vocational For-Profit · 146 students
C
Florida School of Traditional Midwifery
2-Year Private · 73 students
C
Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine
4-Year Private · 62 students
C
Academy for Five Element Acupuncture
4-Year Private · 55 students
D
Galen Health Institutes-Gainesville
4-Year For-Profit · 638 students
D
City College-Gainesville
2-Year For-Profit · 92 students

Investor Insight: With 19,749 students living off-campus, Alachua County has substantial rental demand from the college population — typically stable, lease-renewing tenants.

Cities in Alachua County

ZIP Codes in Alachua County, FL

Screen every market in Alachua County

Filter this county’s ZIPs by cap rate, vacancy, appreciation and 30+ more criteria, and export your shortlist to CSV — with the Investor plan ($19/mo). Add weekly alerts when these markets move with Investor Pro+.

View Plans

Frequently Asked Questions About Alachua County

Is it easy to find good tenants in, FL?

Working renters make up the core of the, FL tenant base. The pool is reasonable for investors targeting long-term holds.

Are eviction rules reasonable in, FL?

The landlord environment in, FL is tenant-protective. Statewide rules shape most day-to-day operations for rental owners.

What strategy should investors use in, FL?

, FL investors pursuing careful cash-flow rentals with hands-on management. The underlying economics ($312K prices, $1,635/mo rents) make it a reasonable choice.

Is investability higher in, FL than across FL?

within FL reads broadly in line with the state benchmark. Investors comparing markets should weight local data above the statewide aggregate.

Community Ratings

What people who’ve spent time here actually say. Not paid reviews.

Be the first to rate Alachua County, FL.

It takes 30 seconds. No signup. Your rating helps everyone who comes here after you.