RentCafe: Rental Competitiveness Cools Slightly–but Not Everywhere

RentCafe, Santa Barbara, Calif., released its latest report on the competitiveness of the rental market, finding that the national rental competitiveness index score dipped from 75.7 to 75.4 in early 2026, indicating it should be getting easier to find a place to rent.

Chart of the Week: New Home Inventory by Stage of Construction

While there was a shortage of single-family homes for sale due to underbuilding since the Great Recession, home builders increased production to meet the surge in demand that began 2020-2021, when mortgage rates were at historic lows.