A big data dump from Trulia, supplemented by helpful analysis, helps make sense of the U.S. rental market.
Online real estate company Trulia has released the results of its "semi-regular" look at rental process around the United States, producing this tried and true conclusion: "The rent is too damn high." The pace at which rent is getting more than too damn high is the shocking part of Trulia's findings, however.
Around the country, median rent rose 3.1%, while in some cities it rose nearly three times that average. "In fact, in Tacoma, Wash., Sacramento, Calif., Milwaukee and Los Angeles rents rose 8% or more based on our estimates," writes David Weidner in a written post that that explains the data.
When combined with data from previous years, we're talking about huge rises in rental prices. Around the country, rents have increased 19.6% since 2012. "Places like Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla., and Oakland, Calif., have seen increases of more than 50% since the end of the Great Recession," according to Weidner.
The article includes a lot of helpful infographics to help visualize the data, and a few other angles to understand the implications of rents rising. For instance, rising rents mean that in some cities buying a house and paying a mortgage is a better financial proposition than in others. Weidner also expresses hope that relief might be coming to some markets soon.
FULL STORY: The Rent Is Getting Too Damn High
Tight For-Sale Market Leads to Record Price Spikes in the Rental Market
A supply-demand imbalance in the for-sale housing market will eventually spill into the rental market.
Rents Rebounding Around the U.S., Report Says
Apartment List's May National Rent Report indicates that the brief reprieve in rising rental prices caused the economic disruption of the pandemic might already be a thing of the past.
When Wall Street Controls the Housing Market
A debate about the effect of the increasing footprint of large, institutional investors in the housing market is further fragmenting the politics of development in the United States.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
