Rents down, vacancies up across US

[marmar]

via Yahoo!:



Rents Drop Nationwide as Vacancies Spike
by Prashant Gopal

Friday, January 23, 2009
provided by Business Week


The economic crisis has opened up opportunities for apartment tenants. The inventory of vacant apartments is expanding, and rents are dropping quickly in major metros across the country.

For renters with leases about to expire, it's time to negotiate. Landlords are working extra hard these days to keep units filled.

Of course, your ability to hold on to an apartment—especially a luxury unit—depends on how secure you feel about your own job. Americans lost about 2.6 million jobs in 2008 (mostly in the final quarter of the year) and are likely to lose millions more this year. They are losing money on stocks and other investments and are cutting back on costs by downsizing and moving in with family members or roommates as they hunker down for a deep recession.

Landlords, as a result, are forced to offer discounts to fill vacancies. Apartment vacancies spiked in September after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the eruption of the financial crisis. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/106480/Rents-Drop-Nationwide-as-Vacancies-Spike