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North Carolina Population Surge Reshapes Housing

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How Is North Carolina’s Growth Driving Housing Demand? Although national population growth has slowed, North Carolina reached 11.2 million residents as of July 1, 2025. North Carolina ranked third nationally in population increase rate. The 1.3% annual gain added about 146,000 residents, intensifying housing demand statewide. Migration Driven Household Turnover Domestic net migration of 84,000 people led growth, with only about 10% coming from natural change. Relocating households from higher-cost states are shifting household composition. That shift is increasing rentals and entry-level buying near employment centers. Urbanization Pressure on Inventory Fast decade-long growth of 11.8% outpaced the U.S. and tightened supply across urban and suburban counties. Localized surges, including 30,057 added residents in Mecklenburg County and 4.5% growth in Brunswick County, strain infrastructure and keep vacancies low. Projections for roughly 1.3 million more residents this decade signal sus...
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Oregon Development Fees Rise Again

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Which Oregon Development Fees Increased for 2026? As 2026 approaches, multiple Oregon agencies are resetting fee schedules to keep pace with rising operating costs and widening budget gaps. City and County Development Fee Jumps Portland and Washington County Portland Permitting and Development increased most service fees 5 percent, influencing commercial permits and routine inspection fees. These Portland fee increases took effect July 1, 2025 . Washington County raised many Building Services and Development Review charges 8.5 percent. It also introduced valuation based planning and code compliance fees. When federal shutdowns disrupt mortgage approvals , added local cost pressures can compound housing market slowdowns. Statewide Recreation and Environmental Costs Parks, Fish, and Water Quality Oregon State Parks doubled resident annual parking permits to $60 and set out of state permits at $75 amid a $14 million shortfall. ODFW licenses rise 12 to 14 percent in 2026. DEQ rules allow u...
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Colorado Land Use Reform Advances Statewide

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HB26-1001 Explained: The Core Rule Change How HB26-1001 rewires Colorado land use is most visible in its shift from discretionary local hearings to administrative review for qualifying residential developments. The HOME Act takes effect beginning December 31, 2027 . Objective standards, not subjective judgments, control approvals and reduce permitting delays by 28 percent. Oregon’s SB 6 and SB 974 go further by tying missed review deadlines to automatic permit approval . Faster timelines correlate with lower per unit costs and pressure on housing prices, without mandating affordability. Local Rules Preempted, New Compliance Risks For covered projects, state authority limits enforcement of local height, density, setback, parking, landscaping, and buffering requirements. Eligible public and nonprofit entities, including housing authorities, school districts, colleges, universities, and transit districts, gain residential development authority. A safety clause prevents voter petition, whi...
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St. Louis Distressed Sales Increase Sharply

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St. Louis Distressed Sales: What They Are and Why Rising Although foreclosure headlines are increasing, distressed sales in St. Louis include foreclosures, pre-foreclosure resales, and auction transfers. Distressed-Sale Basics Signal Disruption Distressed activity is rising mainly from historically suppressed pandemic-era filing levels, not from a new baseline. Nationwide, 762-day timelines and other legal delays can freeze cash flow and postpone bank-owned supply reaching the market. Most hardship cases still move through traditional listings before repossession, because owners often have equity. Pre-foreclosure resales typically trade near prevailing values, adding supply gradually and stabilizing pricing for many areas. With active listings up about 8.9% , added distressed supply is being absorbed in a market that is slowly normalizing. Why Filings Are Climbing Now Loan performance has softened as rates rose, yet remains far below pre-crisis norms. Key policy drivers include the un...
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Austin Lot Glut Worsens, Builders Face Price Cuts

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Austin Lot Glut in 2026: What It Is More than 10,000 active residential listings in late 2025 signaled a widening glut of available homes across the Austin market. Active listings hit about 10,372 in December 2025, up 9.2% year over year. The market also moved toward balance with 4.2 months of inventory in December 2025. Elevated 6.83% mortgage rates continued to weigh on buyer demand and absorption. Glut Definition The lot glut reflects build-ready supply accumulating faster than absorption. Months of inventory rose to 5.0 in January 2026. Longer marketing cycles increase carrying costs and ecological impact from extended site disruption. In January 2026, total volume sold fell 7.6% to 1,566 homes. Disrupted Mechanics Days on market crossed 100 in January 2026. The average close-to-list price fell to 90.9% in December. Seller success dropped to 72% as inventory lingered. Peak 2025 inventory reached 15,000 to 17,000 listings, creating infrastructure strain when pipelines outpaced sal...
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Boise Median Price Drops Below $450K

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What Is the Boise Median Home Price in 2026? Where the Boise median home price sits in 2026 depends on the dataset and whether it tracks listings, closed sales, or home values. In the Treasure Valley, inventory has often hovered near 2.7–3.0 months , a level that historically sustains strong seller leverage. Disruptive 2026 price signals Data sources report medians spanning roughly $475,750 to $522,945. Across the valley, inventory tightening kept supply near 2.16 months in Ada County at year-end 2025. Closed-sale figures include $522,945 (up 4.6%), plus readings near $500K (down 1.5% year-over-year) and $487,333. A home-value series shows $475,750 (up 0.15% year-over-year). Average home value is $504,848 (up 1.9%). Forecast Methodology watchpoints List-side metrics skew higher, including a median list price of $529,990 (up 6%). Ada County medians cluster near $525,000 (down 1%). Eagle comes in at $892,100 (up 5%). Market forecasts anticipate about 4% price growth in 2026. But low 1.4...
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Detroit Faces 122K Vacant Lots, Rebuild Fight

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Detroit Vacant Lots by the Numbers (and Why It Matters) More than 100,000 vacant lots are scattered across Detroit. Nearly 45 percent of city properties are classified as vacant, including empty structures and structure-free parcels. Nearly 175,000 properties are vacant overall. Together, they cover about 18 square miles of idle land. Detroit’s population has fallen by nearly two-thirds since 1950. At the same time, rising foreclosure starts nationally can add pressure in cities already grappling with disinvestment. Numbers That Signal System Strain The AEI Housing Center estimates 134,000 vacant lots. It also reports that 36 percent of residential lots are vacant. Average lot size is about 3,200 square feet. That’s roughly a typical home site with yards. Why It Matters for Budgets and Health Detroit cuts about 100,000 lots five times per year. The average cost is $13.44 each, totaling about $1.3 million annually. Those recurring costs limit funds that could bolster reinvestment and ...
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