Zelman Insights
Exclusive insights and analyses from our industry-leading research team
Zillow Has Ambitious iBuyer Goals, but Its Own Price Index Missed Market Shift
May 17, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
With more than 180 million unique monthly users of Zillow’s website or mobile app, the brand is clearly a dominant force with consumers. While it has historically monetized this audience indirectly through advertising sold to real estate professionals, ...
Filed Under
home pricingsurvey
Income Analysis Suggests Future Firepower for Homeownership
May 03, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
For 1Q19, the Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancy and Homeownership Survey (HVS) estimated the national homeownership rate at 64.2%, unchanged from 1Q18. This is the first time out of the last eight quarters that homeownership did not increase ...
Filed Under
demographicshomeownership
Single-Family Built-to-Rent Likely Here to Stay
April 19, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
Every month, we track interest in built-to-rent construction, along with other acquisition channels, in our proprietary survey of single-family rental operators. Over the last year, interest in partnering with homebuilders on built-to-rent ...
Where are the iBuyers Heading Next?
April 19, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
In recent years, iBuyers have gained notable attention and become a widespread topic of debate. Effectively the new-age version of “We Buy Ugly Houses”, which has been around since 1989, iBuyers charge sellers 7-10% of their home value in exchange ...
What Exactly are Young Adults Living at Home Up To?
April 05, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
Approximately 34% of young adults are living in their parents’ home, more than at any point over the last 50-plus years, which has remarkable consequences for housing demand. While this fact is well understood and has spawned many questions ...
Filed Under
demographicsmillennials
Warning Lights Flashing Red for Healthcare Costs and Housing Affordability
April 05, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), personal consumption expenditures totaled $13.9 trillion in 2018, up 4.7% year over year versus a 5.0% increase in disposable income, which was aided by wage growth and tax reform. The BEA ...
Filed Under
affordabilitymacro housing
The Percentage of Construction Workers Saying “I Quit” a Sign of the Times
April 05, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
In 2018, the national unemployment rate averaged 3.9%, the first year below 4.0% since 1969, which has been a positive for wage growth and potential entry-level homebuyers. However, the other side of that coin has been a shortage of labor in ...
Filed Under
homebuildingmacro housing
Is Your State Winning or Losing Among Millennial, Baby Boomer Movers?
March 22, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
In February, we analyzed state-to-state migration patterns of 25-29 year old households – the heart of the Millennial generation – showing that the catalyst to bring a young adult to a state often differs from ...
Filed Under
baby boomersdemographicsmillennials
30-Year Olds: Still Acting Young or Growing Up?
March 22, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
In 2007, 66.1% of 30-39 year old households lived in a single-family dwelling, inclusive of owned and rental homes. This was the peak of the decade, with the share dropping each of the next eight years as the Great Recession unfolded and aftereffects ...
Filed Under
demographicsmillennials
Historically Linked, Here’s Why Housing Outlook Far Superior to Autos
March 08, 2019 by Zelman & Associates
Historically, the housing and auto markets have been highly linked given the big-ticket nature of the consumer purchases and the dependence on credit for the majority of buyers. For example, from 1990-2016, auto sales and housing starts have ...
Filed Under
macro housingmortgage
affordabilityapartmentsbaby boomersbuild-for-rentconstruction lendingdemographicsentry-levelexisting home saleshome improvementhome pricinghomebuildinghomeownershiphousehold formationhousinghousing startsinstitutional investorsinterest ratesmacro housingmillennialsmortgagemortgage ratesnew home salesreal estate servicesrefinancesg&asingle-family rentalstocksstudent debtsupplysurvey