Poll shows Californians support rent control initiative
A poll from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) says the 55 percent of likely voters are currently in support of an initiative scheduled for the November 2024 ballot that would expand the...
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,...
Building more luxury apartments lowers rent for all classes
One of ten unintended consequences of rent control, according to the National Apartment Association, is that it reduces developers’ incentives to build new rental housing. Rent control has proven to backfire on...
Building envelopes and energy efficiency
When I was young and growing up, I lived in a 1913 farmhouse in rural Fresno, California. I thought that the refrigerator was the most exquisite device in our home because it didn’t matter...
NAHB: Multifamily housing construction will decline in 2024
Multifamily housing starts are predicted to decline in 2024, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Meanwhile, the remodeling sector remains on solid ground and will hold steady this year.
Multifamily starts totaled...
Fannie Mae predicts a soft landing for economy
Fannie Mae’s February economic forecast calls for a steady decline in inflation while both GDP growth and employment growth remain positive, if subdued. The housing forecast predicts that multifamily starts will be higher in...
Rent declines stabilize while Midwest markets outperform
Apartment rent growth is expected to remain stagnant near zero this year, just as it has since August 2023, according to RealPage Analytics. RealPage SVP and Chief Economist Jay Parsons explained that...
MSCI: Multifamily property prices unchanged
The latest commercial property price report from MSCI Real Capital Analytics said that multifamily property prices in December were statistically unchanged from their level of the month before, breaking a string of 16 monthly...
Yardi matrix reports strong student housing preleasing activity
Yardi Matrix reports strong student housing preleasing in its most recent Yardi Matrix National Student Housing Report.
The off-campus student housing sector continues to post solid fundamentals, beating out last year’s preleasing rate...
CoStar: Multifamily property prices lower as transactions plunge
CoStar reported that its value-weighted index of multifamily property prices fell 0.6 percent month-over-month in November 2023, a smaller drop than last month’s revised decline of 0.9 percent. This index was down 13.5 percent...
Multifamily mortgage originations fall in Q4
A report from the Mortgage Bankers’ Association (MBA) says that multifamily mortgage originations in Q4 2023 were down 27 percent year-over-year despite rising 13 percent from their level in Q3. Originations of all commercial...
Weather predictions and utility expenses
I know that everyone loves a good groundhog prediction. I mean, what is not to love about a large burrowing rodent telling you what the weather will be (with greater accuracy than the Farmer’s...
Consider the emotional benefits of lighting
Have you ever walked down the freezer aisle of a store and found that the cases look a little dark? Then, as you approach, the insides light up. I personally love that! It makes...
The good stuff is at the bottom
As a child, I loved it when my grandmother would pick my brother and me up for an afternoon playdate. It was the best. My grandmother was indescribably beautiful, exuded love, spread laughter and...
CBRE reports cap rates trending higher in Q3
A new report from CBRE states that cap rates for prime class A multifamily assets moved higher in Q3 as both the 10-year Treasury yield and the Fed Funds rate also rose.
The pulse of...
