Retailers adopting AI to grow their profits nearly three times faster

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Which US cities give new grads the best shot in 2026? Link

• Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama, topped the list due to strong hiring, low living costs, and an impressive 16% jump in starting wages to roughly $59,000.

• Southern cities took six of the top ten spots because corporate expansions are creating job growth while lower living costs help paychecks stretch further.

• Traditional youth magnets like San Diego, Portland, and Seattle are losing their appeal as cooling job markets and high housing costs eat into worker pay.

CoStar Turns More Cautious on Multifamily as Vacancy Forecast Rises Link

• CoStar Group and Apartments.com lowered their multifamily market outlook due to a large backlog of empty apartments built over the last two years and slower hiring trends.

• The companies now predict national apartment vacancies will climb to 8.8% by the end of 2026 before dropping down to 8.4% by the close of 2027.

• Rent growth projections were also scaled back for the end of 2026, as weaker employment growth and higher energy prices continue to impact consumer spending power.

Self-Storage Rates Are Up This Spring - Find Out Why Link

• April 2026 saw a 1% growth in advertised self-storage rates month-over-month, kick-starting the spring leasing season positively.

• Top-performing metros like Boston, Chicago, and Minneapolis experienced healthy revenue growth due to limited supply, contrasting with declining revenues in Florida and Las Vegas.

• Most self-storage REITs anticipate further improvements in fundamentals as development activity slows.

U.S. Apartment Transactions Plummet in 2026’s 1st Quarter Link

• Total U.S. apartment sales volumes dropped 42% compared to the final quarter of 2025, bringing in $32 billion across roughly 1,450 property trades.

• This sudden drop broke a streak of gains from the previous three quarters, pushing overall sales well below the $55 billion quarterly average seen over the last five years.

Multifamily Starts Drop To Lowest Levels In More Than A Decade Link

• New apartment construction starts dropped to just 55,000 units in the first quarter of 2026, which is a 73% plunge from the peak in 2022.

• High borrowing costs, slower rent growth, and expensive development costs have forced builders to pull back on new projects to protect their balance sheets.

Guess which CT city is topping Zillow's hottest housing markets list? Link

• Hartford, CT has the highest ranking on Zillow's hottest housing market list for 2026.

• 66% of homes in Hartford sold above their asking price in 2025.

• Home values in Hartford increased by 4.3% in 2025, with a forecast growth of 3.9% for 2026.

Could North Texas Be the Next Investment Hotspot? Link

• The 76177 ZIP code in Fort Worth is ranked No. 7 among the fastest-growing new neighborhoods in the U.S.

• AllianceTexas, a 27,000-acre community, has attracted major companies like Amazon and Charles Schwab, driving population growth.

• Other notable fast-growing Texas ZIP codes include Fulshear at No. 4, Prosper at No. 9, and Melissa at No. 10.

Discover the US cities shaking up the rental market with skyrocketing rents! Link

• Newark, NJ tops the list with rapidly rising rents driven by its proximity to NYC and urban redevelopment.

• Cleveland, OH is attracting younger residents with a revitalized downtown and robust job market, causing rental prices to spike.

• Columbia, SC sees increasing rents fueled by population growth and demand for affordable living near educational institutions.

Early AI Adopters for Retail Forecast To Earn 3X More in Profit Link

• Retailers leading in AI adoption are expected to grow their profits nearly three times faster than slower-moving competitors due to a 52% increase in IT spending over the past five years.

• These early adopters are already seeing 79% higher store sales growth and 34% stronger buy-online-pickup-in-store performance.

Tool of the day: Outmarket

Outmarket is a marketing automation platform designed to help real estate professionals and investors streamline their outreach. It combines email campaigns, lead nurturing, and CRM tools to efficiently manage and grow client relationships and deal flow.

Meet the AI platform giving every agent a personal coach link

By deploying specialized AI personas to train real estate professionals on real-time objection handling and sales strategies, this platform scales personalized coaching across the U.S. market to rapidly elevate agent performance and competitiveness.

AI in Real Estate: Trends Businesses Should Watch link

AI is fundamentally reshaping the U.S. property landscape by migrating from basic administrative support to advanced predictive modeling, enabling developers and investors to accurately forecast future property valuations and market demands.

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A retreat for bond ladies

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Vidit

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