Good news at last for landlords. Last quarter the US residential vacancy rate declined to 9.4 per cent, an almost 1 percentage point drop compared with the third quarter and the steepest quarterly fall since 1966. This new-found demand means rents could grow at more than 2 per cent this year, says Deutsche Bank. So with rental yields almost two-thirds higher than their 2006 trough, and house prices still about 30 per cent below their corresponding peak, according to the Case-Shiller index, it might appear a good time to buy. The good news, though, may already be priced in.
房东们终于迎来了好消息。去年第四季度，美国住房空置率降至9.4%，比第三季度低了将近1个百分点，是1966年以来的最大季度降幅。德意志银行(Deutsche Bank)表示，新显现的需求意味着，今年租金增幅可能超过2%。如此一来，租金回报率几乎比2006年低谷水平高出了三分之二，同时Case-Shiller指数显示房价仍然比峰值水平低30%，看上去，现在或许是购房的大好时机。不过，好消息或许已经在价格中得到了消化。