A mixed report for multifamily housing construction
The Census Bureau released its monthly new residential construction report for September 2020. It shows weakness for permits and starts but a surge in completions of multifamily housing units.
Permits rebound mildly
The number of permits...
Rent Payment Tracker: rent payments flat from September
The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC)’s Rent Payment Tracker found 90.6 percent of apartment households made a full or partial rent payment by October 20 in its survey of 11.4 million units of professionally...
Construction material prices rise on higher lumber prices
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its producer price index report for July 2020. It showed that the BLS price index of materials and components for construction was up 0.5 percent from June,...
Lumber drives construction material prices higher again
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its producer price index report for August 2020. It showed that the BLS price index of materials and components for construction was up 0.9 percent from July,...
Pricing disconnect weighs on CRE investment activity
A new CBRE survey finds a wide disconnect on pricing expectations between buyers and sellers as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic that is weighing on commercial real estate investment activity.
The CBRE survey found...
Emotional support animal vs person with allergies: Who wins?
The Iowa State Supreme Court looked at a conflict between two people, both requesting "reasonable accommodation," in a recent ruling.
Origins of the conflict
Karen Cohen has a severe allergy to pet dander. Because of this,...
Rent Payment Tracker: payments down from last month
The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC)’s Rent Payment Tracker found 86.8 percent of apartment households made a full or partial rent payment by October 13 in its survey of 11.5 million units of professionally...
Rent growth barely positive in August
Yardi Matrix released its August 2020 report on the multifamily rental housing market. The report shows that rent growth was positive for the second month in a row and that secondary markets are doing...
Bumps in the road for Katerra
Ambitious construction startup Katerra has laid off 7 percent of its workforce as it shifts its focus from fleshing out its product offerings to becoming profitable. This is at least the fourth round of...
Rent Payment Tracker: payments up slightly from last month
The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC)’s Rent Payment Tracker found 79.4 percent of apartment households made a full or partial rent payment by October 6 in its survey of 11.4 million units of professionally...
Industry responds to the Suspension of COVID relief negotiations
Multifamily industry associations issued the following statements after President Trump announced that coronavirus stimulus talks would be put off until after the November election:
Statement from NMHC President Doug Bibby:
The breakdown of negotiations this afternoon about the...
Invitation Homes announces $1 billion joint venture with Rockpoint Group
Invitation Homes Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with Rockpoint Group, L.L.C. to form a joint venture partnership that will acquire single-family homes to operate as rental residences.
“In Rockpoint, we have...
It’s still a good time to invest in apartments
Freddie Mac recently released its Apartment Investment Market Index (AIMI) for Q2 2020. While the index was down slightly from the Q1 reading, it was still up for the year.
Defining AIMI
Freddie Mac developed the...
Taking sides on Prop 21
The latest rent control initiative to appear on California’s ballot will be voted on this November. People and groups are now declaring where they stand on Proposition 21.
Recapping the basics
Prop 21 would allow rent...
Construction material prices rise on higher lumber prices
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its producer price index report for June 2020. It showed that overall prices for processed goods for intermediate demand rose by 0.9 percent. A 7.2 percent jump...
