Macroeconomics Outlook 2025 Q2
Macroeconomics Outlook 2025 Q2
We continue to believe US residential rentals, Dallas especially, will be one of the best investment opportunities in the next 3 years. US rental vacancies dropped to 6.8% in the second quarter, a level last seen 26 years ago, with average rental rates hitting another all-time high. All recent reports validate our thesis: The supply of homes available for rent in the US is insufficient to satisfy the surging demand for rental properties. The combination of slow wage growth, low savings, tight mortgage lending standards, and lack of starter homes for sale all contribute to the current shortage. The situation is even more extreme in Dallas, where the vacancy rates in desirable suburbs have dropped below 2%. We expect the current supply and demand imbalance to persist until at least 2018.
Macroeconomics Outlook
US economy grew 2.3% in the second quarter, rebounding from a lackluster first quarter growth of 0.6%. Unemployment rate dropped down to 5.3%, close to the level of full employment. However, globally, China is slowing down rapidly, Europe and Japan are barely growing, and emerging markets are struggling from the drop in commodity demand and prices.
As the US economy picks up this summer and unemployment rates continue to drop, we expect that the Federal Reserve will attempt to raise the short-term rates this year, for the first time in almost a decade. However, the drop in raw material prices and the strengthening dollar is keeping the Federal Reserve’s measure of inflation below their 2% target, where an increase in short-term rates is warranted Thus, we do not believe the economic conditions will allow the Federal Reserve to raise short-term rates beyond 1% in the next twelve months. Fed Chair Yellen confirms our view in her July 15 testimony to congress, “What matters for financial conditions and the broader economy is the entire expected path of interest rates, not any particular move….Indeed, the stance of monetary policy will likely remain highly accommodative for quite some time after the first increase in the federal funds rate…”
As a result, we still believe mortgage rates will hover around 4% for the remainder of 2015. Accordingly, home prices will increase (though slower in the second half of the year).
Outlook for the Dallas Market
Heavy rain in the spring caused widespread damage and construction delays in Dallas. Luckily, only 2 of our homes suffered any water damage. The construction delay is exacerbating the supply shortage of residential properties.
Employment in Dallas/Fort-Worth metroplex remains robust, feeling no ill effects thus far from the crash in oil prices. We expect the metroplex to produce at least 100,000 net new jobs a year for the next 3 years. The creation of new jobs and associated demand for housing far outnumber the 25,000 new single-family homes being built in 2015. Anecdotally, we spoke to three large apartment operators who are turning away tenants after reaching 105% occupancy – an unusual situation caused by the operators leasing more units than available and then hoping some future tenants fail to show up.
Dallas home values jumped 8.4% in May (year over year), about twice as much as the national average. Unlike the pundits who are calling the Dallas home price surge a bubble, we believe Dallas homes remain extremely undervalued, especially when we factor in the low mortgage rate, low median home price, and the strong job growth in the city. According to the latest Zillow estimate, Dallas median home price is $164,200, still 9% below the national average of $180,100 and less than 3X median income. Compared to other large metros either in the US or abroad, where home prices are typically 5-10X the median income, Dallas homes remain an incredible value.
Foreign investors, especially the Chinese, have taken note of Dallas’ strong economic growth, excellent higher education system, and superior home affordability compared to California and New York. Chinese investors have increased their purchase of Dallas homes by at least 30% this year, now accounting for over 20% of sales to foreigners in the city. As more investors discover Dallas’ great value, we expect Dallas home prices to rise above the national average in the next few years
Our Framework for Selecting Property
We continue to be disciplined in our acquisitions. Our four criteria for selecting property
are 1) desirable location (good schools, safe neighborhood, quiet street); 2) appealing home for the location (size, number of rooms, amenities; 3) gross rental yield of 12% or more; 4) a purchase price significantly below replacement and market value.
We look forward to giving you an update next quarter. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions, comments or concerns. We always welcome the opportunity to speak with our partners.
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