March 2017 Market Report: Rents Rise at Slowest Pace in Five Years
U.S. rents rose 0.7 percent over the past year, to a Zillow Rent Index (ZRI) of $1,408 per month, the slowest rate of appreciation since November 2012.
Renting
Rent Growth Is Flat. Now What?
Slower rental growth may take some heat off renters thinking of buying a home just to escape the volatility of steep annual rent hikes.
Empty Nest Households Are on the Rise
Pricey markets and those with weak labor markets have high concentrations of empty nests. Low densities of empty nests are found in booming cities with strong job markets, new family-oriented areas, and retirement communities.
Calculator: Need a Raise to Cover That Rent Increase?
The best way to cover a rent increase, if you can swing it, is to get a raise. That’s money out of your employer’s pocket and not your own – which, if they want to keep you and keep you happy, is a solid deal for everyone. But how much of a raise, exactly, do you need to ask for?
The Structures of Poverty: Renter Poverty Rates Are Highest in Low-Density Multifamily Units
As the poverty rate among America’s homeowners has trended downward over the past four decades, it has steadily marched upward among renters. Poverty rates are highest among black renters and single parents, and in older, low-density multifamily rental units, which are often found in suburbs.
Healthy Housing: Where Higher Rents Are Correlated With Worse Health
There is a strong correlation nationwide between communities with higher median rents and a larger proportion of local residents in poor health – even when incomes in those communities are similar.
A Picture’s Worth: Where to Maximize Take-Home Pay and Job Opportunities
Where we live has an enormous influence on how we balance the competing demands of living, working and playing. We all (well, most of us) need to work, and communities with stronger labor markets widen our options. We all need a place to live, too, but housing is more costly in some places than in others. And our capacity for play comes out of everything left over from the fruits of our labor after taxes and housing costs – the price we pay to live in a civilized society.
Subdued new home construction activity in recent years is pushing up the price and age of those homes that do sell, and contributing to slower depreciation in value among aging homes that otherwise would become more affordable. As a result, those homes that are affordable for lower-income, renter households are increasingly older and potentially a lot more hazardous.
Live, Work and Play: Where to Maximize Take-Home Pay and Job Opportunities
Where we live has an enormous influence on how we balance the competing demands of living, working and playing. We all (well, most of us) need to work, and communities with stronger labor markets widen our options. We all need a place to live, too, but housing is more costly in some places than in others. And our capacity for play comes out of everything left over from the fruits of our labor after taxes and housing costs – the price we pay to live in a civilized society.
Room for Rent: Exploring Rental Vacancy Rates in Urban, Suburban and Rural America
Rental vacancy rates in the country’s largest cities reached historic lows in 2016, even as rental vacancies remained stubbornly high in the nation’s rural communities, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
