As the housing market slowly attempts to turn the corner, the rental demand remains high for our particular region. Some areas report up to 20% increases in rental inventory. New construction is playing a large part in those numbers. Does this mean that the financial institutions are loosening up the purse strings for development loans? Possibly. In 2011, there was a 60% increase in Multi-Family Development Lending as compared to the previous year on a national level. The Census Bureau reported one outstanding statistic that 53% of the total number of renter households faced a housing cost burden last year. Unemployment remains high. Affordable housing is a treasure anxiously sought after. Rental rates remain high even paired alongside of the housing market slight improvements. Right now as it stands, renters make up approximately 22.64% of the Chester County, PA, population. 4.97% of houses and apartments in Chester County, PA, are unoccupied (vacancy rate).
