The Happiest States in America

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Top 10 U.S. Counties with Highest Effective Property Tax Rates in 2025 Link

• Schuylkill County, PA, leads the nation with an effective tax rate of 4.59 percent, followed by Kendall County, IL, at 3.58 percent.

• Other high-tax areas include Saint Lawrence County, NY, and several counties in Illinois like Will, Macon, and McLean, all with rates above 2.1 percent.

• These high rates in the Northeast and Midwest come as the national average property tax on single-family homes rose 3 percent to $4,427.

Small Apartment Markets, Big Rent Gains Link

• Twelve secondary apartment markets saw rent growth jump over 3% this year, even as the national average for rents actually dropped slightly.

• Urban Honolulu and Champaign-Urbana led the pack with increases of 7.1% and 5.8%, outperforming almost every large city in the country.

• These smaller areas are seeing high demand even when new buildings are finished, proving that local needs are currently more important than national trends.

Prices for Raw Land Surged a Staggering 87% Since 2019, but a Correction Has Begun Link

• Untouched land prices shot up nearly 87% over the last several years because they started at a lower price point and offered investors more room for speculation.

• The market is starting to cool off now because new home construction has slowed down, causing raw land prices to drop about 2.4% in the past year.

Fractional Real Estate Investing Is on the Rise in the Sun Belt Link

• People are buying small shares of property in states like Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and Florida because high prices and interest rates make buying a whole house too expensive.

• This trend is mostly driven by millennials and Gen Z who want monthly rental income without needing a massive down payment or dealing with landlord chores.

• Experts say the market is growing fast due to clearer SEC rules, though some warn that owning a fraction doesn't build wealth the same way as owning a full home.

Proptech Startups That Just Got Funded

• Traza, supply automation for construction, raised a $2.1M pre-seed led by Base10.

• OtelAI, an Irish property mgmt AI for Hotels, raised €2.8M led by Playfair.

Tool of the day: PropFlo

PropFlo Solutions is a real estate CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software. It provides advanced features like sales lead management, workflow automation, AI-powered marketing tools, finance and project management to optimize operations and deliver superior user interaction.

Maket AI Now Can Edit Your Floor Plans in Real-Time link

This real-time generative design tool significantly reduces the friction of architectural planning, allowing U.S. developers and agents to provide instant, customizable floor plan modifications during the early stages of property development.

AI Tools Every Real Estate Pro Should Be Using link

The integration of AI into the U.S. housing sector is rapidly moving from administrative help to predictive analytics, effectively forcing a "digitize or die" ultimatum on traditional brokerage models.

Mapped: The Happiest States in America

2026 North American Data Center Investors Survey Results

Why Seniors Are Choosing Smaller Spaces Over Massive Communities 

How Multifamily Operators Are Creating Value in a Tough Market

Outpatient Care Boom Drives Surge in Medical Office Demand

Class B Apartments Quietly Outperform in a Tiered Market

Proptech Startups That Just Got Funded

Ranked: What People Value Most in the U.S., UK, and Germany

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