- Global Financial Crisis
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- Global Financial Crisis
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U.S. apartment vacancies near historic high: report
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The vacancy rate for U.S. apartments reached its highest level in more than 20 years in the second quarter and could soon exceed record highs if the recession persists, real estate research firm Reis Inc said.The national vacancy rate rose to 7.5 percent, the highest since 1987 and an increase of 1.4 percentage points from last year, according to a report Reis released on Wednesday. The record high was 7.8 percent in 1986."We are reaching that historic high very quickly," said Victor Calanog, Reis director of research.The second-quarter vacancy rate was 0.20 percentage point higher than the prior quarter and up from the cyclical low 5.5 percent reached in 2006, Reis said.The U.S. recession has taken a toll on the U.S. apartment market, which largely relies on employment growth to fuel demand. Its largest tenant group, 18- to 24-year-olds, has been hardest hit by rising unemployment. Meanwhile, the apartment buildings sector has led all commercial real estate categorieson loan defaults.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090708/us_nm/us_realestate_usapartments