Share of renter households rises in Q2
The Census Bureau’s quarterly report on home ownership and occupancy for Q2 2025 stated that the rental housing vacancy rate was 7.0 percent, down 0.1 percentage points since last quarter’s report. This was the...
Multifamily starts forecasts revised lower
Revisions to Fannie Mae’s July housing forecast reduce the number of multifamily starts expected in 2025 and 2026 from those in last month’s forecast. Fannie Mae is now predicting 381,000 starts in 2025 with...
MSCI: Multifamily property prices break their fall in June
The latest commercial property price report from MSCI Real Capital Analytics said that multifamily property prices were unchanged in June compared to the revised level of the month before. Prices were up 0.1 percent...
Congress considers the future of the HOME program
The HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the largest federal block grant dedicated to affordable housing, is at the center of an intense funding battle for FY 2026. With the Trump administration proposing to eliminate the...
Multifamily starts recover while completions plunge in June
The Census Bureau’s report on new residential construction stated that multifamily permits rose slightly in June. Multifamily starts recovered most of last month’s fall while multifamily completions were reported to be at their lowest...
Construction materials prices higher despite lumber price decline
The producer price index (PPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated that construction materials prices rose 0.3 percent month-over-month in June on a seasonally adjusted basis. The index of components and...
Yardi Matrix: Rents continue slow rise in June
Yardi Matrix reported that the national average asking apartment rent was up $3 in June compared to the revised level of the month before at $1,749 per month. The national average year-over-year asking apartment rent growth...
HUD requests your comments
On July 7, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register requesting further comment on its adoption of compliance with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) or the ASHRAE 90.1-2019 standards as requirements...
Multifamily CMBS special servicing rate moves lower in June
Trepp reported that the special servicing rate for multifamily commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) loans fell in June. It has been generally trending lower since reaching a recent high in December 2024. However, the overall...
Positive outlook for multifamily sector
In a recent episode of the Walker Webcast, Willie Walker interviewed Dr. Peter Linneman on the current state of the U.S. economy and of the multifamily housing market. Their conversation drew on observations in...
Amenity fees and resident demand for technology
The multifamily housing sector is experiencing intensified competition, largely due to a wave of new construction projects initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. As these new properties enter the market, existing properties are compelled to...
Superwood promises greener cities
InventWood’s “Superwood,” a new engineered material touted as stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum, is drawing attention from environmentalists and investors alike. The product, created by modifying natural wood at the cellular level,...
Rise in multifamily employment outpaces national gains
The Employment Situation Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated employment grew in June, but many of the jobs added were in government, health care and social assistance. The employment levels for...
Job openings rise in May but not for multifamily
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLT) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said that the number of total non-farm job openings in May rose to 7.77 million. However, job openings in...
Multifamily construction spending edges higher
The Census Bureau’s report on construction spending stated that the value of multifamily residential construction put in place in May rose slightly from the revised level of the month before. Spending on single-family residential...
