One-in-Five Renters Casts a Shadow on the For-Sale Housing Market
For-sale inventory is exceptionally tight and competition among buyers is high: In 2016, the typical home buyer made offers on at least two-to-three homes before closing. At the same time, almost one-in-five renters that moved into a rental unit seriously considered buying at the time, but didn’t – perhaps because of those same buying hurdles.
Where Renting Pays: Places Where Owning Takes a While to Pencil Out
It takes more than two years before buying the typical U.S. home makes more financial sense than renting it -- but that time frame varies by market. In San Jose, you'd have to spend 5.1 years in a house for buying to make more sense than renting.
Zillow’s Breakeven Horizon: The Financial Answer to ‘Rent or Buy’?
Here's a tool for helping weigh the financial side of an exciting and personal question.
Demographic Headwinds Only Modest Weight on Renter Turnover
An older renter population, the growth in single-family rentals and rent affordability do not appear to be primary factors in the decline of mobility among renters. A more important driver could be the growth of renting in markets where turnover has historically been lower.
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: Why They Matter, How They Work and How They Could Change
As markets struggle to meet increasing demand and provide sufficient affordable housing, the White House and Congress have made proposals that could lower the value of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits – the main tool Uncle Sam has to help get that kind of housing built.
Rents Are Climbing Faster in Suburban Than Urban Areas
For the first time in four years, suburban rents are rising faster than rents in urban areas. The trend is more pronounced in booming markets where rent affordability is an issue.
Despite Rising Costs, Most Renters Feel Secure in Their Homes
Most U.S. renters – including lower-income renters – feel confident they will be able to stay in their current homes as long as they want. Lower-income renters in Los Angeles, San Jose and Dallas feel least secure in their ability to stay long-term.
Retail Jobs, Under Fire, Play an Important Role in Paying the Rent
American retail workers have had a rough start to 2017, with department stores and general retail shops shedding tens of thousands of jobs in Q1. And continued losses could imperil hundreds of thousands of households that depend on the income from a retail worker to pay the rent or mortgage each month.
Without Spending More, Some Renters Could Likely Afford to Buy Above-Average Homes
With rents continuing to climb and mortgage rates staying low, many renters find themselves gazing over the homeownership fence and wondering if the grass really is greener.
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.
