Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Western region

vote to overturn Costa Hawkins and allow rent control

Poll shows Californians evenly divided on rent control

In November, Californians will go to the polls for the third time in 6 years to decide whether to repeal the Costa Hawkins Act, which limits the ability of local governments to impose rent...

Apartment market fundamentals stabilized in July, reports RealPage

According to data from RealPage Analytics, apartment fundamentals stabilized in July. Rent growth and occupancy remained relatively steady during the month. National occupancy was 94.2 percent for the third straight month, which...

Apartment occupancy holds steady amid historic supply

Apartment occupancy held steady in May, marking the seventh straight month in which occupancy remained at or above 94.1 percent. Rent change fundamentals also remained steady, solidifying the idea that the nation...

Size and location are factors in student housing performance

Size and location are factors when it comes to student housing property performance, according to the 2024 Fall report and podcast by Yardi Matrix on November 21. Yardi Matrix expects another great...

Yardi Matrix: expenses and income grow in tandem in affordable housing

On December 3, Yardi Matrix released its first-ever report on expense and income growth in the affordable housing sector. The report concludes that expenses and income have grown in tandem at above-level...
Rents fall behind inflation

Rents fall behind inflation

Tracking rents is important for understanding the dynamics of the housing market. For example, the sharp increase in rents helped me deduce that there was a surge in household formation in 2021 (September 2021:...

Post fires, California policymakers commit to dysfunctional insurance regulations

Things are going from bad to worse in California’s property insurance market, raising the specter of a public bailout of the state’s insurer of last resort and more private insurance companies fleeing the state. On...

“Sitting empty:” Vast expanse of federal land eyed for new housing

The White House and the Republican National Committee agree on one thing at least: The sale of surplus federal land could help alleviate a crushing shortage of affordable housing. Proposals to sell federal land to...
California rent control on the ballot

Rent control fails (again) in California

Proposition 33, the latest attempt to open the door to rent control in California, went down to defeat Tuesday. It was supported by only 38.4 percent of the voters compared to the 61.6 percent...
Stricter land-use regulations force builders to spread their efforts over a large number of relatively small projects, limiting the number of homes they’re able to build. This, in turn, limits their ability to invest in better homebuilding technology or otherwise take advantage of economies of scale.

Is land-use regulation holding back construction productivity?

Ed Glaeser is perhaps the pre-eminent urban economist working today, and I’ve cited his work repeatedly when looking at land-use restrictions and burdens on new development. So I was very interested to see he’s coauthored...
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