The Rent Roll with Jay Parsons

We've been hearing about the so-called wall of maturities and looming distress in multifamily for a couple years now. So, where is it? When will it show it up? What could it look like, and what implications could it have (or not have) on the broader multifamily market? Rental housing economist Jay Parsons shares the latest on apartment distress, and how we could be seeing a mismatch between capital chasing distressed deals versus actual distressed opportunities in the market. Jay then welcomes in the head of a major apartment lender, Michael Comparato of Benefit Street Partners, to dive deeper into emerging distress. Mike shares his thoughts on how much longer lenders can stay patient, what could push more distressed deals into the market, how the emergence of debt funds have changed the game, and how distressed deals could impact the broader sector. Additionally, Jay brings back recurring segments like "In the News" — highlighting new articles on the proposed ban on institutional SFR investors as well as the increased opportunities for BTR development.

What's the latest on the U.S. apartment market? Rental housing economist Jay Parsons shares fresh data and commentary on multifamily fundamentals across the country — and notes it's no longer as clean-cut as coastal versus Sun Belt. Jay breaks down the key performance indicators from supply and demand to occupancy and rent, hunting for green shoots and giving perspective on when we could see concessions burn off and rent growth rebound. RealPage Chief Economist Carl Whitaker joins the podcast to share his take on the 2026 outlook, particularly around demand drivers given increased uncertainty in the economy. Reduced supply is a given in 2026, but what about demand? And how long will it take to lease up the surge of supply that completed in 2024 and 2025? Additionally, Jay breaks down the latest headlines impacting apartments and single-family rentals, as well as teeing up another edition of "Rental Housing Trivia."

Institutional investors in single-family rentals are suddenly front-page news thanks to President Trump's proposed ban on institutions buying houses. But what does the data and academic research tell us about institutions' impact on home prices, home sales, homeownership, rents and on neighborhoods? And how do those impacts vary in the parts of the country with heavier concentrations of institutional investors? Rental housing economist Jay Parsons breaks down the 10 most common myths we're hearing about institutional investors in single-family housing, and responds to each one with data from academic papers, renter surveys and leading data sources. And to help further the conversation, Jay welcomes in an academic who just published an award-winning, peer-reviewed paper on the impact of institutional investors in housing — Dr. Joshua Coven, a professor at Baruch College in New York City. Professor Coven shares three major takeaways from his study published last year. Additionally, Jay shares his thoughts on the latest headlines touching on apartments and single-family rentals during the "In the News" segment, including high concessions for apartments in Phoenix and other Sun Belt cities.

What's the latest in the single-family rental and build-to-rent market? The sectors are drawing a lot of attention right now, driven by widening discount to rent versus buy. But that isn't translating into improved leasing velocity or rent growth for SFR operators. Why not? Rental housing economist Jay Parsons explains, and outlines what might play out this year. Additionally, Jay shares his take on President Trump's announcement that he will pursue a ban on institutional investors buying single-family homes. Later in the program, Jay welcomes in one of the nation's early pioneers in BTR development — Josh Hartmann, the CEO of NexMetro. Josh shares the great story of how Phoenix became the epicenter of the BTR boom, and gives his take on the sector's future direction. As always, Jay brings back recurring segments like "In the News" (where Jay breaks down a recent article on the sluggish condo market, among other headlines) and "Rental Housing Trivia."

It's predictions time! Rental housing economist Jay Parsons shares 15 predictions for apartments and single-family rentals in 2026 — including his take that apartment absorption could drop off even if job market rallies, and Jay explains why that's not necessarily a bad signal for the sector. Jay also shares his takes on the impact of immigration policy, the outlook for apartment and SFR rents, and what role distress might play in the capital markets. In addition, the main event of this episode is our guest, the one and only John Burns — the founder and CEO of John Burns Research & Consulting. John shares his take on the 2026 outlook for home sales and for rental housing, and why 2026 could be a "boring year" in his words. Additionally, Jay shares the latest headlines touching on rental housing, including a big article from Bloomberg on how "luxury" apartments and pushing down rents even for lower-income renters.