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5 Trends From the Builders Show

5 Trends From the Builders Show

Who’s Powering Global Economic Growth in 2026?, A ZERO bedroom for $329,900 and more

Vidit Saxena
March 16, 2026

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The Year-End Moves No One’s Watching

Markets don’t wait — and year-end waits even less.

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Latest Rates

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Loan Type	Current Rate	Day Change	1 Week	1 Month	1 Year	52-Week Range
30 Yr. Fixed	6.41%	+0.06%	+0.27%	+0.42%	-0.37%	5.99% - 7.08%
15 Yr. Fixed	6.01%	+0.06%	+0.27%	+0.41%	-0.47%	5.55% - 6.48%
30 Yr. FHA	5.87%	+0.04%	+0.15%	+0.25%	-0.66%	5.62% - 6.53%
30 Yr. Jumbo	6.60%	+0.05%	+0.13%	+0.15%	-0.60%	6.10% - 7.20%
7/6 SOFR ARM	5.78%	+0.08%	+0.33%	+0.41%	-0.67%	5.29% - 7.12%
30 Yr. VA	5.89%	+0.04%	+0.15%	+0.25%	-0.65%	5.64% - 6.54%

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Real Estate Trends

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5 trends that matter from IBS Link

Brands are focusing on cross-product coordination and ecosystem thinking to help builders save time on matching colors and specs.
Smart home tech and AI are becoming more subtle, focusing on reducing friction through features like fridges that order groceries and toilets that passively track health metrics.
Companies are moving away from visual excess in favor of transparent demonstrations, using deconstructed products and live tests to prove technical performance.

Apartment Concessions Now at Highest Level in 12 Years Li nk

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Rent discounts haven't been this high since 2014, with over 16% of stabilized apartments now offering some kind of deal to move units.
Class C buildings are handing out the most breaks, with nearly a quarter of those properties offering discounts to renters in January.
These high concessions are sticking around because rent growth is stalled, and overall rents are actually down compared to this time last year.

Remote Buyers Drive the Housing Search in America's Fastest-Changing Cities Link

Out-of-town shoppers now make up nearly 62% of online home views in the nation's 100 largest metros. This is a big jump from 2019, when locals still held about half of the interest in these markets.
Regions like the South and West are seeing the most outside interest, specifically in cities like Cape Coral and Durham. The Northeast is also seeing a shift as current homeowners stay put, leaving more room for outsiders to eye available listings.
A massive influx of AI jobs and data center projects is pulling remote interest into unexpected spots like Omaha, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. Even in tech hubs like San Francisco, the AI rebound is bringing a fresh wave of out-of-market browsers back to the table.

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South Dominates for Build-to-Rent with Nearly 42,000 Units Underway Link

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The South leads the country with approximately 41,700 build-to-rent units currently under construction, which are expected to be finished by the end of 2028.
Overall, the U.S. has about 68,700 units in the works, with Phoenix and Dallas serving as the top individual markets for this type of housing.
Most of this building activity is happening in the Sun Belt because of high population growth and the increasing cost difference between buying and renting a home.

Why C-Stores Suddenly Dominate Net Lease Deal Flow Link

New tax laws allowing permanent 100% bonus depreciation have triggered a 27% jump in available store inventory as owners rush to trade properties.
Most available listings are high-quality assets, with about 67% of stores carrying lease terms of 10 years or longer.
Major brands like 7-Eleven and Wawa are driving the market by shifting their focus toward larger, food-centric store formats to rely less on gas sales.

Proptech Startups That Just Got Funded

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MeltPlan, an Indian pre-con planning stack, raised a $10M seed led by Bessemer.
Faropoint, an RE investment manager service stack, received funding via APG.
Tewke, British home automation, raised $2M+ led by JamJar Investments.

AI & Real Estate - Today’s Trends

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Tool of the day: Just Appraised

AI driven software to help government tax assessment offices streamline property appraisal process

RenoFi Raises $22M in Series B Funding link

By leveraging data-driven underwriting to factor post-renovation value into home equity loans, this platform enables U.S. homeowners to bypass traditional appraisal bottlenecks and modernize aging housing stock.

The Next Chapter of AI in Real Estate: How Zillow is Building the "Housing Super App" link

Zillow is leveraging generative AI and conversational search to transform the U.S. consumer experience into a seamless "housing super app" that predicts buyer needs before they even filter a search.

How Commercial Property Management Firms Are Using AI and Hope to Use It link

U.S. commercial firms are pivoting from basic administrative AI toward sophisticated predictive maintenance and energy optimization to combat rising operational costs.

Pro Member Only Content Below

Most of the insights below stem from extra research and include content from paid sources and special reports.

Top 10 Best Single-Family Rental Counties in 2026