Trending Posts
1
How The Govt. Shutdown Affects The Rental Market
October 24th, 2025
2
Do Houses Really Rent in December?
November 19th, 2025
3
2026 Market Insights
January 23rd, 2026
How The Govt. Shutdown Affects The Rental Market
The government shutdown has had an impact on the rental market in Arizona. Since October, the volume of rental inquiries has gone down significantly. Text, phone call, and email inquiries are all down by more than 50%.
Additionally, rental rates have softened again in response. However, my office is still leasing properties at the same pace that we have in the past. We are just working a lot harder!
The inquiries that we are getting now are much more serious and are from renters who really do have a desire to move. The move-ins that we have done in the last few weeks include an applicant paying six months of rent plus refundable deposits upfront in full, and several more paying a refundable security deposit of 1.5 times the rent plus the next full month of rent paid at move-in.
The last 12 to 18 months have been very difficult in the rental market, and this government shutdown is an additional challenge that we have to overcome in the investment real estate market in Phoenix.
Do Houses Really Rent in December?
December has historically been the busiest month of the year for the business--year after year!
My family loves Christmas, and I would love to just have the month of December off to celebrate by drinking eggnog and baking fudge...But this month is my MOST productive all year.
My Christmas tree has been up for months already, and Brian becomes Clark W. Griswold Jr. this time of year. We even got married in December because we love it so much!
In December, I rent more homes than in any other month during the year.
Despite what most people think about the holidays being slow--that is just not the case. Here's to a busy December filling vacant units, and I hope that you and your family have the best Holiday Season Ever!
2026 Market Insights
Rental Market Expectations
So-called experts state that 2026 is expected to closely follow the 2024-2025 years and give us another sluggish rental market. Rental rates are expected to decline and experts expect that an oversupply of rental housing will continue to impact the market. I have been expecting this--the book of business going into the new year is 100% occupied with security deposits from nearly all tenants at 1.5 times the rent. With no vacancy, the book is strong and I do not expect declines in monthly rent as I am planning to do small increases where it is appropriate. Since the great recession, I have not reduced rents when leases come up for renewals. I only have a few tenants expected to move out in the next 90-120 days so vacancy is expected to be very low. The fundamentals of a solid rental market are still in place as major centers of employment are still moving to the Arizona market and the oversupply is expected to be temporary.
Resale Market Expectations
This is an opportunity year to buy in 2026! Inventory levels are expected to increase 3-10% in the new year. If you are looking to add to your portfolio--you can have a large variety of homes to choose from. If you are looking for multifamily property, there are great opportunities here as well. I have a robust method for sorting through the large inventory of homes on the market, and I can help you source your next property to invest in.
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