Author: Brad Beckett

Today’s graphic from the VisualCapitalist asks;  Where are Americans moving since 2020?  Citing Census data they report that between April 2020 and July 2025, the U.S. population grew by more than 10 million people –  but growth was heavily concentrated in a handful of states (the usual suspects, of course).  As always stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to the Visual Capitalist.

According to Apartment List’s National Rent Report for March, 2026, national median rent increased 0.2% in February to $1,357 – the first monthly increase since July 2025.  In addition, they report that rent prices nationally are down 1.5% compared to one year ago with year-over-year rent growth being slightly negative for well over two years. Click here to read the full report at Apartment List.

In their latest Self Storage National Report, Yardi says national advertised rates slipped 0.2% year-over-year in January as slowing migration, softer demand and ongoing development weigh on performance. Midwest markets outperformed, while Sun Belt metros faced continued pressure.  Interestingly, while they report that from December to January, the national average advertised rate declined 0.2%, this figure contrasts with January 2025, when rates rose 0.3% despite similar seasonal conditions. Click here to read the full report at Yardi.

On a recent episode of the Rent Perfect podcast David Pickron and Scot Aubrey remind us that fraud is everywhere — but this time, it hit home.  In this episode, David Pickron shares a personal (and humbling) story of being scammed after posting a rental listing on Zillow. As a seasoned private investigator and fraud expert, David thought he knew every red flag in the book… until a perfectly timed “verification” email slipped through. “The email looked legitimate. The branding checked out. The timing made sense. And before he even hit “submit,” scammers were already harvesting his credit card information…

A recent report from LendingTree reveals that more than 4 in 10 users (41%) of buy now, pay later loans (BNPL) say they paid late on at least one of them in the past year.  This figure is up from 34% one year ago.  In addition, LendingTree found that many borrowers who take out these loans use them to buy groceries or takeout and believe that successfully managing one of them will boost their credit score – which they say it will not. Be sure to click on the interactive chart below to break down the numbers by status, income…

Rental information site Zumper recently released their latest monthly National Rent Report for February, 2026.  According to their data, median rent for 1-bedroom apartments was $1499 (down 1.7%) and $1878 (down 1.4%) for two-bedrooms.  Not surprising, New York City remained the nation’s most expensive market for one-bedroom rents.  Be sure to check out their list of the 100 top metros. Click here to read the full report at Zumper.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 92k jobs in February, 2026.  February’s unemployment rate came in at 4.4% – the same as January.  In addition, the report said employment in health care decreased, reflecting strike activity and Employment in information and federal government continued to trend down. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the latest Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI), home prices rose 0.1% in December, 2025.  In addition, prices were up 1.8% from Q4 2024 to Q4 2025.  The FHFA HPI is the nation’s only collection of public, freely available house price indexes that measure changes in single-family home values based on data from all 50 states and over 400 American cities that extend back to the mid-1970s. Click here to read the full report at the FHFA.

According to the ADP National Employment Report for February, 2026, private sector employment increases by 63k jobs and pay was up 4.5% year-over-year.  ADP says hiring jumped in February, delivering the best showing for job gains since July 2025. Construction and education and health services led the growth.  Indeed… “We’ve seen an increase in hiring and pay gains remain solid, especially for job-stayers. But with hiring concentrated in only a few sectors, our data shows no widespread pay benefit from changing jobs. In fact, the pay premium for switching employers hit a record low in February.”  Said ADP chief economist…

Today’s graphic form Statista might not shock you, given today’s political environment of acrimony and legislative skullduggery.  In it, they cite data form the Pew Research Center showing that trust in the U.S. government was nearing historic lows at the end of 2025, with only 17% of Americans trusting the government to do what is right just about always or most of the time.  Indeed…..  Well, stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! “As our infographic shows, trust in the government has been on a slow decline since it peaked at 54 percent in October 2001, during George W. Bush’s…