The Rent Roll with Jay Parsons

It's a very tough environment for apartment developers to get new projects started these days, with starts cut in half from 2022's peak levels. So what are the common denominators for projects breaking ground of late? Rental housing economist Jay Parsons dives into the data and shares five common themes among projects that are still working today even amidst softer rents and higher cost of capital. One unique profile includes master-planned development with long-term build-to-hold ownership. Jay travels to Raleigh and talks with Rob Reid of Kane Realty — which has been some of Raleigh's coolest live/work/play neighborhoods — for a conversation on placemaking. Additionally, Jay brings back recurring segments like In the News, Rental Housing Trivia, Good Question and Good News.

Rental housing economist Jay Parsons shares his top four takeaways from the single-family rental REITs' Q1'26 earnings calls — including how they're navigating heightened regulatory risk surrounding the ROAD to Housing Act, why stock buybacks are now preferred over investing in new development, how leasing activity is picking up this spring after a slow fall and winter, and much more. Additionally, Jay shares the latest news on the federal legislation: Will build-to-rent get carved out? Additionally, Jay shares headlines about the emergence of an unlikely pro-development folk hero and the bizarre rent inflation numbers released this week. And in this week's "Good News" segment, Jay tells the story of how one apartment manager helped a resident get through college — and how that resident is now paying it forward. Later in the program, Jay welcomes in Zelman's SFR REIT analyst, Jesse Lederman, for a conversation on AMH and Invitation Homes. Jesse shares his view on regulatory risk, the recent improvement in the REITs' stock prices, the leasing season, and the SFR outlook.

Rental housing economist Jay Parsons recaps his six big takeaways from the apartment REITs' first quarter earnings calls that just wrapped up — starting with the big news that leaked after hours, the rumored merger discussions between AvalonBay and Equity Residential. What would be the implications of merging two of the biggest names in multifamily? Jay also shares color and highlights from the REITs' calls — touching on spring leasing momentum, rents, the big push toward stock buybacks over acquisitions, and differences between key markets across the U.S. Jay also shares the latest news on the ROAD to Housing Act, which took a positive turn this week as Politico reported the White House was pulling its support for the Senate legislation that effectively bans most build-to-rent construction. Also in the program, Jay welcomes in veteran Wall Street REIT analyst Alexander Goldfarb of Piper Sandler, who shares his take on the last rounding of earnings calls, the potential merger between AVB and EQR, and his thoughts on why REIT investors value apartments below net asset value.

Rental housing economist Jay Parsons breaks down the latest data on spring leasing trends, explains why supply is still a headwind even as completions decline, and answers the popular question: Why do different data providers show very different numbers for apartment occupancy right now? Additionally, Jay shares the latest buzz on Congress' potential ban on build-to-rent construction and single-family rental investments — and highlights the chorus of media articles trumpeting real facts to combat runaway narratives about institutional investors. Later in the program, Jay welcomes in proptech trends guru Dom Beveridge of 20 for 20 for a conversation on the latest trends in proptech and AI. Dom shares why his recent survey of apartment execs, asking about technology trends, found "exhaustion" as a key theme, as well as other key findings about what's moving the needle and what's to come.

What markets don't get the attention they might deserve? There's no "right answer," but rental housing economist Jay Parsons attempts to make such a list — highlighting markets that have outperformed the national averages on long-term rent growth and volatility, while not ranking among the top markets favored by institutional capital. Additionally, Jay welcomes in the founder and CEO of Bonaventure, Dwight Dunton, who shares his family's story of getting into the multifamily business, as well as what under-the-radar markets his firm targets. Jay also shares headlines from the week, including a new research paper arguing that the ROAD to Housing Act's limitations on single-family rental investment and construction are "unconstitutional thrice over." Jay also shares recurring segments like "Rental Housing Trivia," "Good News" and "Good Question."