Gen X, millennials set to inherit trillions in real estate wealth

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Top 5 Metros Where Home Prices Are Falling the Fastest Link

• Austin leads the pack with a 7.3% price drop because it built too many houses and became too expensive during the pandemic.

• San Diego and San Jose saw prices fall over 5% as people realized renting is way cheaper than dealing with high mortgage rates and insurance costs.

• Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. also made the list because buyers are scared of job cuts and are waiting for interest rates to move lower.

My take: To be honest, this is just a reality check for the cities that got too expensive too fast. The thing is, when renting is cheaper than buying, people just stay put, so sellers are going to have to lower their prices even more to get anyone to move.

From Surge to Shakeout: Where Apartment Rents Are Falling Fastest Link

• Austin and Denver saw the biggest rent drops at nearly 8%, while Phoenix and San Antonio followed with 5% decreases due to a massive wave of new construction.

• National apartment occupancy fell to 94.8% as more people moved out than moved in during the final months of 2025.

• Landlords are increasingly using concessions and free rent deals to lure tenants, with over 23% of apartments now offering discounts.

My take: Like we saw in the last insight, Sun Belt gold rush is officially over and landlords are hurting because they built too much at the same time. Renters finally have the upper hand here, and anyone who bought these buildings thinking rents would go up forever is in trouble.

Gen X, millennials set to inherit trillions in real estate wealth Link

• Gen X and millennials are expected to inherit about $4.6 trillion in global real estate over the next 10 years.

• More than half of this massive property hand-off is happening right here in the U.S. as baby boomers pass down their assets.

• Gen X is first in line for the biggest slice of the pie right now, while millennials will see the largest gains in the long run.

My take: This isn't just a transfer of money; it’s going to be a massive reshuffle of where people live. Most heirs won't want to keep their parents' old houses, so we’re going to see a huge wave of listings as people sell off these estates to buy homes that actually fit their own lives.

Buying More Affordable than Renting in a Majority of Counties, But Home Prices Rising Faster than Rents Link

• Owning a home is currently cheaper than renting a three-bedroom place in nearly 58 percent of the counties studied across the U.S.

• Even though buying saves money monthly in the long run, home prices are growing faster than rents in 69 percent of those same areas.

• The Midwest is the best spot for buyers with 81.5 percent of counties favoring ownership, while the West is the toughest with only 16.9 percent favoring buying.

My take: It is a total mess for anyone trying to start out because the "cheaper" option requires a massive pile of cash upfront that most people can't save while paying record-high rents. The big money is going to landlords in the West and homeowners in the Midwest, but first-time buyers are getting squeezed out by prices that are moving way faster than their paychecks.

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Vidit

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