Get the most from your day off
The idea of “vacation” often conjures up thoughts of trips to faraway lands. While it’s true that big trips can be fun and even refreshing, they can also take a lot of time, energy,...
Toni Blake: Creating a kinder world
In February of 2016, Toni Blake launched a Kindness Challenge that was accepted by over 1,000 people in six countries to make a positive difference in the world. Management companies, schools, civic groups and...
Keys to an apartment property’s reputation
Reputation.com analyzed over 400,000 tenant reviews of over 9000 locations in order to determine what factors figure most prominently in positive reviews and in negative reviews. Here's an overview of what they found influenced...
Census releases housing construction data for July, 2018
The Census Bureau released its monthly new residential construction report for July, 2018. The report shows continued strength for multifamily housing completions but possible cause for concern in a softening of construction starts. Steady as she...
Freddie Mac assesses the multifamily housing market
Last Friday, FreddieMac released a report on the mid-year 2018 outlook for the multifamily housing market. The report looks back at where the market has been and looks forward to where it is going. Looking...
Senator Booker takes on housing
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who has been frequently mentioned as a potential 2020 presidential candidate for the Democrats, recently introduced a bill addressing housing. The Booker bill may not have much of...
HUD seeks to revise AFFH rules
On August 13, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking inviting public comments on proposed changes to HUD's affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) regulations which were...
Taking sides on California’s rent control initiative
With two months to go before the general election, forces are lining up for and against California’s Proposition 10, which would greatly expand local communities’ ability to impose rent control. Current law in the...
Renters rising across America
It’s official. The percentage of renters rose across all 50 of the nation’s largest cities between 2006 and 2016 according to real estate website Zillow. Renters now outnumber homeowners in 29 of those cities....
Living with the risk of wildfires in California
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen visited Redding, California, Friday to survey the damage from the state’s unprecedented wildfires. Nielsen called the scenes “truly heartbreaking” and thanked firefighters and responders for helping battle the...
Report show slower rent growth
The Yardi Matrix Monthly Multifamily report on rent growth for July was released recently. It reported that rents continued their rise nationally, although more slowly than in recent years. Historically, rental rates follow an annual...
Construction material prices rise more slowly in July
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its producer price index report for July. It showed that overall prices for processed goods for intermediate demand were unchanged from June but that they increased 6.8...
Report shows slow multifamily job growth
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLT) report for June was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) this week. Its data on the parts of the job market of interest to the...
Everyone (still) has a story
You walk amongst giants lest you forget. You are the country’s innovators. Leaders. Risk-takers. Those who house America. It’s the noblest of professions and not for the faint of heart. As vital as housing...
GDP: Up, up, up
It’s a red-letter day. Today the Commerce Department released its much-awaited Q2 GDP data. The swirl around this announcement draws from a humming economy and more. The number is exceptionally bright with a growth rate...
