Skip to main content

Zillow: Rental Market Rises as Home Prices Continue to Decline

Mar 13, 2012

Median rent prices rose three percent from January 2011 to January 2012, but home values continued to fall, declining 4.6 percent during that period, according to the January Zillow Real Estate Market Reports. The Zillow Rent Index (ZRI) showed year-over-year gains for 69.2 percent of metropolitan areas covered by the ZRI. By contrast, only 7.3 percent of metro areas covered by the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) saw home values rise. In some large markets, rents rose almost as much as values fell. In the Chicago metro, the ZRI rose 9.1 percent year-over-year, while home values fell 10.4 percent during the same period. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro, rents rose 11 percent and home values fell 8.1 percent. "The flourishing rental market is the silver lining to the nation's housing downturn," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries. "We haven't had a good way to quantify what is happening with rental rates until now, and the inaugural Zillow Rent Index shows us a healthy and growing rental market across the majority of the country, even as home values continue to fall." In the short term, national monthly rents declined slightly from December 2011 to January 2012, falling 0.3 percent to $1,218. Home values fell 0.5 percent during the same period to $146,200. Additionally, foreclosures ticked up slightly in January, when lenders foreclosed 8.4 out of every 10,000 homes. That was up from December, when 8.1 out of every 10,000 homes were foreclosed. Foreclosure re-sales also rose on both a month-over-month and year-over-year basis. Nearly one-in-five (19.5 percent) of homes sold in January were foreclosure re-sales. "While it seems that rents are rising at the expense of home values, the opposite is true. A thriving rental market will stimulate home sales as investors snap up low-priced inventory to convert to rentals," said Dr. Humphries. "That, in turn, will lower the number of homes on the market, which will eventually help put a floor under the value of all homes. Moreover, rising rents increase demand as buying becomes more attractive than renting because of low purchase prices and higher rents."
About the author
Published
Mar 13, 2012
MBA Urges Shift To Single Credit Report Model, Citing Cost Savings And Efficiency

MBA says tri-merge credit checks cost lenders up to $100 per loan, doubling since pre-COVID, as industry pushes for a cheaper, single-report model

Jun 16, 2025
Fairway Acquires Hallmark Home Mortgage Through Asset Purchase

Hallmark to become new Fairway division, gets access to Fairway's Fairway's product portfolio, tech, and support resources

Jun 13, 2025
Trigger Leads Bill Clears Senate

Final push now left to House; reconciled bill needed next

Housing Market Outlook: Brighter Days To Come

NAR Chief Economist Yun calls lower mortgage rates ‘magic bullet’ to boost home sales

Jun 11, 2025
Redfin Shareholders Say Yes To Acquisition By Rocket

Nearly 99% of Redfin shareholders vote to approve merger, though fewer vote yes to compensation for company’s execs

Jun 10, 2025
Play Ball: Ishbias Could Add Another Team To Their Roster

Justin Ishbia in agreement to potentially take over as owner of Chicago White Sox — but not for several years yet

Jun 09, 2025