Market Intelligence: U.S. 3Q26 Recap
With summer leasing in the rearview mirror, the national multifamily market performance appears to have finally turned a corner as demand remains firm and supply continues to ease off its multi-decade high. Yet, despite the nationwide improvement, local market trends continue to show a wide dispersion around the national average. Further, the difference between Class A, Class B, and Class C trends echoes the broader macroeconomic theme exhibited by the K-shaped economy. Whether demand can continue to hold firm in light of persistent macro pressures remains yet to be seen, but the general underpinning of the national market going into 2027 looks to be turning back towards a baseline of normalcy.
Join Realpage. market experts as they recap the nation's 3Q26 data refresh, summarizing key performance themes and trends. Included in the discussion will be updates to the 2027 (and beyond) forecast, regional and market-level overviews that reflect highly nuanced differences between local trends, and broader thoughts on macroeconomy and how those themes could shape both the renter demand and the investor demand outlook for the coming year.
Carl Whitaker is RealPage’s Chief Economist, leading the company's team of economists and market analysts. Carl and the Market Intelligence team specialize in analyzing and disseminating economic and market trends for the rental housing industry. He primarily focuses on presenting trends in the rental housing industry to a wide audience, including investors, asset managers, operations professionals and media, among other personas. Carl has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and GlobeSt and is a frequent keynote speaker for industry events. Carl holds degrees from the University of North Texas, including a Master of Science in Applied Geography.
Adam Couch
Research Analyst, RealPage, Inc.Adam Couch specializes in residential housing research and advanced analytics, with a focus on risk assessment, emerging trends, capital markets, and demographic shifts across the multifamily sector. He develops forward‑looking research into strategic recommendations that guide executive decision‑making across investment, portfolio strategy, and operations through market cycles and changing economic conditions. Adam has spoken at commercial real estate conferences, been cited in The Dallas Morning News, and previously advised Fannie Mae on multifamily asset management strategy.
