Omaha’s apartment market continues to be fundamentally strong and attractive to national and regional investors. According to Reis, Omaha’s asking rental rates have increased in every quarter over the past eight years, and vacancy remains low at 5.6 percent as of the end of 2018. Historically Omaha has had low vacancy. The 4.6 percent average vacancy rate over the past decade and 4.4 percent over the past five years is in line with the five-year national average of 4.5 percent. Looking forward, Reis expects the vacancy rate in 2019 to remain steady at 5.6 percent, and Colliers International expects the vacancy rate to dip slightly during 2019. Remaining affordable Not surprisingly, the relatively tight market, coupled with new construction, has continued to drive rents higher with asking rental rates growing at a strong 5.1 percent during 2019, according to Reis. Colliers, as well as local developers we surveyed, expect that rents will continue to grow in 2019, but at a more modest level, which we expect will be very close to Omaha’s average annual increase of 2.7 percent over the past 10 years. Importantly, Omaha also continues to have a relatively low cost of living for apartment dwellers with an …
