Good news at last for landlords. Last quarter the US residential vacancy rate declined to 9.4 per cent, an almost 1 percentage point drop compared with the third quarter and the steepest quarterly fall since 1966. This new-found demand means rents could grow at more than 2 per cent this year, says Deutsche Bank. So with rental yields almost two-thirds higher than their 2006 trough, and house prices still about 30 per cent below their corresponding peak, according to the Case-Shiller index, it might appear a good time to buy. The good news, though, may already be priced in.
房東們終於迎來了好訊息。去年第四季度，美國住房空置率降至9.4%，比第三季度低了將近1個百分點，是1966年以來的最大季度降幅。德意志銀行(Deutsche Bank)表示，新顯現的需求意味著，今年租金增幅可能超過2%。如此一來，租金回報率幾乎比2006年低谷水準高出了三分之二，同時Case-Shiller指數顯示房價仍然比峯值水準低30%，看上去，現在或許是購房的大好時機。不過，好訊息或許已經在價格中得到了消化。