Author: Brad Beckett

The latest S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index has reported a 1.5% annual increase for June, 2026.  Their 10-City Composite posted 2.9% increase year-over-year and their 20-City Composite posted a 2.1% year-over-year increase.  They say for the 13th consecutive month, U.S. home values fell in real terms, as June’s 3.5% inflation rate ran roughly 2 percentage points above the 1.1% home price gain. “Homeowners and renters alike breathed a sigh of relief in June as inflation cooled to 3.5%, while the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller National Home Price Index posted a 1.5% annual gain, up from a 1.2%…

A recent Daily-Download chart from HousingWire shows us a snapshot of the national single family inventory.  Notice the current 2026 line in the top middle where they show a 1.28% year-over-year increase.

Zillow says there were more than 300k vacant lots of five acres or less listed for sale on their site in June, representing 17.4% of all listings. They suggest that building one home on each could reduce the national housing deficit by 6.3%, to about 4.44 million homes. With the typical lot measuring 0.57 acres, the impact could be even greater.  However, they say the challenge is making it feasible to build. Policies that loosen zoning rules, streamline permitting or expand access to financing would help reduce the cost and uncertainty that hold construction back. The five states with the…

A recent report from Redfin says in the U.S., the typical working family buying a home could spend roughly half (52%) of their annual income on housing and childcare combined. However, they also point out that where a family lives can dramatically change how much of their budget goes toward these two major expenses. A few key points: Where a family lives can change the affordability equation. Childcare costs can ease as children enter public pre-K or kindergarten. Lower-cost metros in the Midwest and South have housing and childcare that consume a smaller share of income. Click here to read…

According to the latest Cotality Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI), U.S. single-family home rental prices increased 1.5% year over year in June, 2026.  Interestingly, they say this is a decrease from last year’s annual increase of 2.5%. However, monthly rent growth has been increasing at a typical seasonal pattern for most of 2026 after a year of below-trend growth.  Nationally, rent growth continues to be strongest in the Midwest, where Chicago led price growth at 5%, followed by Detroit (3.4%), Philadelphia (3.2%), New York (2.8%), and Atlanta (1.2%). “National single-family rent growth increased to 1.5% in June, marking the fourth consecutive…

The U.S. Government is reporting that sales of new single-family houses in July, 2026 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 607k, which is 10.5% lower than June’s revised rate but is 6.3% lower than one year ago.  The median sales price of new houses sold in July was $398,800 with an average sales price of $508,800.  There were an estimated 488k new houses for sale at the end of July representing an 9.6-month supply at the current sales rate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

Local Market Monitor recently released their monthly National Economic Outlook where they share their thoughts on developments taking place in the U.S. economy. Click here to read more at Local Market Monitor.

There is a lot of chatter about data centers and their potential impact. Whether you think they are a gain or a drain is a debate for another time.  Today’s chart from Statista shows which states have the most data centers across the nation.  Stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! “The U.S. South and Midwest are the regions where most new data centers are currently planned and they are also expected to be seeing the biggest relative increases in data center numbers due to planned construction.” Hat tip to Statista.

It’s time for Terminix’s annual list of the top bed bug infested cities.  Once again Philadelphia takes the top spot (2nd year in a row), followed by Cincinnati, New York, Detroit, and Cleveland-Akron.  Terminix says bed bugs are found in every city, but dense urban environments see the highest activity and greater risk of spread through travel, housing, and shared spaces. “Traveling to top bed bug cities increases exposure risk, so checking hotel beds, using luggage racks, and heat-drying clothes after trips helps prevent bringing them home.” Click here to read the full report at Terminix.

Last month we posted an infographic about the number of Airbnb bookings at 2026 World Cup cities.  Now comes a recent report from Airbnb that says the 2026 FIFA World Cup was not only their biggest hosting event ever, but it also generated more earnings for hosts than any other event in their history.  In fact, tournament-time stays generated hundreds of millions of dollars in total host earnings with the typical host earning almost $3k.  Airbnb says Millions of guests from 196 nations checked in to Airbnbs during the World Cup across 16 host cities in the US, Canada, and…