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The days of renting in the city and buying in the suburbs may have come to an end. According to a recent study from national apartment locator service RentCafé, in 19 of America’s 20 largest metros, the suburbs are attracting more renters than urban neighborhoods. Between 2011 and 2015, several metros — New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia — experienced greater overall population growth in urban neighborhoods than in suburban ones. However, only Philadelphia saw a greater year-over-year percentage increase in the growth of renter households inside the city limits as opposed to outside of them The difference in renter households that flocked to the suburbs over the city during that period was most pronounced in Riverside, Calif., which saw an additional 42,700 households move to the suburbs. Riverside was followed by Atlanta (37,200 households), Miami (29,800 households) and Chicago (20,600 households). Cheaper rent remains the primary incentive behind the trend. Of the 20 metros surveyed, only St. Louis posted a higher average rent in its suburban areas than its urban neighborhoods. The differences in average rent between the suburbs and the city were smallest in Dallas, Phoenix, Houston and Denver. The average amount of rent saved by moving to …

Average U.S. apartment rents saw a modest increase of 0.2 percent from March to April 2017, but rents increased in 81 percent of markets nationwide, according to a report from RENTCafé. The report uses data from the apartment listing service’s parent company, software provider Yardi. The RENTCafé research team analyzed data across the 250 largest cities in the United States for buildings containing 50 or more units. Based on the data, the average U.S. apartment saw a $2 increase in rent between March and April 2017. Rents increased in April in 203 of the 250 cities tracked by Yardi, while they decreased in 13 cities and stayed flat in 34. Year-over-year, rents went up 2 percent nationwide, which is “a significant reduction in regard to historical performance at this time of the year and is the lowest annual growth rate we’ve seen in more than three years,” according to the report’s author, Ama Otet. By comparison, average rents increased at triple that rate — 6 percent — from April 2015 to April 2016. California cities make up the bulk of the April rent-growth list, with 11 of the top 20 growth cities located in the state. Stockton, Calif., took the …

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Commercial and multifamily mortgage originations increased by 9 percent during the first quarter of 2017 on a year-over-year basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The results are based on the MBA’s Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers Originations index, which has tracked quarterly activity since 2002. The first quarter saw the dollar volume of loans for industrial properties increase by 40 percent compared with the first quarter of 2016. The volume of loans for healthcare and multifamily properties rose by 22 percent and 14 percent, respectively, during the same time frame. Loan production for all property classes was down 27 percent relative to the fourth quarter of 2016, but that was to be expected, says Jamie Woodwell, MBA’s vice president of commercial real estate research. “Commercial real estate borrowing and lending started 2017 on much the same footing it ended 2016,” says Woodwell. “Multifamily properties remain the key force behind overall origination trends. Matching, broader investment themes, financing for industrial properties also picked up while retail declined.” The dollar volume of loans originated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the first quarter represented a 33 percent increase from the same period a year ago. On the flip …

CHICAGO — Six in 10 apartment landlords say it is more profitable and attractive to be a landlord than it was five years ago, according to a new survey from TransUnion SmartMove, a tenant screening service for owners. The survey was conducted in March 2017 and included responses from 689 landlords across the country. At the close of the first quarter of 2017, property owners indicated it was easier to find qualified renters and that resident turnover had declined compared with the same time last year. Only 21 percent of respondents found it more difficult to find qualified renters. Data also shows that landlords utilized rent screening solutions to evaluate prospective tenants during the past year. “Our survey clearly shows it is a landlord’s market as the number of renters rises and these renters are remaining in units longer,” says Jason Norton, vice president of TransUnion SmartMove. “As a result, landlords are using sophisticated tools and screening solutions to evaluate potential long-term renters with greater certainty.” Six in 10 landlords reported that renters are remaining in their units for longer than they were a year ago. To ensure these residents are good prospects, the majority of owners (90 percent) conduct …