Supersize Apartments Are Back in Demand

Apartment sizes are getting bigger across the U.S., just as more people are looking for additional space while spending more time working from home.

In 36% of U.S. cities, apartments under construction are larger on average than those built over the previous five years, according to a report from RENTCafé, a nationwide apartment-search website. Units in 33 of the 92 cities studied rose nearly 50 square feet on average, the report said.

The demand for larger units follows several years when apartments were shrinking in size, in part because smaller units are more profitable for property owners. In dense urban areas and around universities, many developers continue to build smaller apartments to offer more of them and meet high rental demand, according to Yardi Matrix, a real-estate market-intelligence firm that provided data for the RENTCafé report.

But the percentage of bigger new apartments is the highest it has been in five years, reflecting recent tenant preferences, said Doug Ressler, Yardi Matrix’s manager of business intelligence. Older millennials have reached the typical homebuying age, but many are unable to find a home they can afford. Instead, they are looking to rent larger apartments for themselves and their families, Mr. Ressler said.

While the urge to upsize apartments predated the Covid-19 pandemic, some real-estate executives suggest it will continue as the health crisis puts a new premium on space. Developers say they are building units that offer more space to work and relax in, as a way to accommodate residents who are moving out of high-density cities and into suburban areas across the country.

“We’re doing little things like adding built-in offices and areas where people can work from home in nooks and crannies,” said Michael Van Der Poel, founding partner of Asia Capital Real Estate, a private-equity firm that specializes in multifamily-housing development and investment.

J. David Heller, chief executive of the NRP Group, a developer of multifamily buildings, said his firm is offering a den that can be used as a home office in both its one- and two-bedroom apartment plans.

NRP, which develops communities in St. Petersburg, Fla., and San Antonio, among other cities, has expanded a number of its floor plans by 30 to 50 square feet, Mr. Heller said.

Some multifamily developers in northern New Jersey are taking a similar approach, replacing one-bedroom apartments with one-bedrooms plus a den, said Brian Gretkowski, president of Sparrow Asset Management.

The extra space that U.S. developers are offering is incremental, but “in a 600-square-foot apartment, 50 square feet adds up,” said Justin Brown, president and CEO of Skender, a Chicago-based construction firm.

RENTCafé’s report, which it released in early June, analyzed apartment data in the 92 U.S. cities where floor-plan-size information was available as of last month for projects under construction.

One-, two- and three-bedroom apartments are increasing in size in almost half of the cities RENTCafé analyzed. Those units are adding to their average size 28 square feet, 39 square feet and 105 square feet, respectively, according to the report.

Everett, Wash., is leading the trend. Developers there are building apartments to be 267 square feet larger than those built in the past five years, the report said. Other leaders include Kirkland, Wash., with 211 additional square feet, followed by Scottsdale, Ariz., with 208 more square feet, on average.

The report didn’t address whether the shift to add space will affect rent prices. Not all developers are convinced the trend will stick, citing affordability challenges.

“We’re unsure if long term, average unit sizes will increase because that would ultimately mean higher rents,” said Omar Rihani, head of multifamily development at Project Management Advisors.

There are 10 local council areas scattered along the East Coast of Australia that offer both affordability and solid fundamentals for sustainable future growth, according to the research team at residential property network, PRD. The areas have been selected based on five criterion. They are affordability – defined as a median house price below $600,000, rising house values, strong rental yields to encourage investment, a strong pipeline of residential, commercial and infrastructure projects to facilitate local economic development, and low unemployment.

Here are Australia’s 10 most affordable regional property markets with great future potential.

Mackay, QLD

Mackay is a tropical coastal area located in north Queensland. It’s known for its closeconnection to the Great Barrier Reef. The median house price is $462,750, up 8.9 percent in 2023. Mackay attracts a lot of interstate migrants and is home to more than 120,000 people. It has a healthy economy with an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent and $1.7 billion worth of projects due to commence this year.

Toowoomba, QLD

The Toowoomba median house price was up 10.9 percent in 2023.

Toowoomba is located west of Brisbane and is known for its Victorian buildings, street artand surrounding national parks. The median house price is $560,000, up 10.9 percent in 2023. The city has a population of more than 180,000. The unemployment rate is 4 percentand there is $6.1 billion in projects commencing in 2024.

Townsville, QLD

Townsville is a coastal city in north-eastern Queensland. The median house price is $420,000, up 5 percent in 2023. It is home to more than 200,000 people. Unemployment is very low at 2.5 percent and there is $3.2 billion of projects commencing this year.

Dubbo, NSW

Dubbo is located west of Newcastle in the Orana Region and is home to the Western Plains Zoo. The median house price is $530,000, up 11.6 percent in 2023. The population has exploded in recent years to more than 56,000 people. The unemployment rate is just 2.2percent and the economy is thriving. There is a pipeline of $4.7 billion in projects commencing this year.

Tamworth, NSW

Located in north-east NSW, Tamworth is known for its popular annual Country Music Festival. It’s also the largest retail centre for the New England and Northwest Slopes regions. The median house price is $490,000, up 14 percent in 2023. With a population of more than 65,000 people, the economy is strong with unemployment of just 2 percent and $112.4million worth of projects commencing this year.

Griffith, NSW

Located west of Sydney and northwest of Canberra, Griffith is known for its prime produce production and wine cultivation. The median house price is $531,000, up 2.1 percent in 2023. Griffith’s population is about 27,000 people. The city boasts high economic resilience with a 2 percent unemployment rate and $258.7 million in projects in the pipeline.

Ballarat, VIC

Ballarat is a 1.5–hour drive west of Melbourne. It’s popular with city commuters who move here for housing affordability and a relaxed lifestyle with easy access to the city via train. The median house price is $570,000, down 4.2 percent in 2023 but up 92.9 percent over the past decade. The city has the third highest population in Victoria at about 118,000. Ballarat has an unemployment rate of 3 percent and a total projects pipeline worth $2.3 billion for 2024.

Shepparton, VIC

Shepparton is a rural area about two hours north of Melbourne. It is popularly referred to as ‘the food bowl of Australia’. The median house price is $475,000, up 4.4 percent in 2023. The population is about 70,000. The unemployment rate is just 2 percent and there is $1.8 billion in projects for 2024.

Wodonga, VIC

Wodonga is located on the border of NSW on the southern side of the Murray River. It is approximately 320km from Melbourne and 345km from Canberra. The median house price is $567,250, up 4.7 percent in 2023. With a population of about 44,000, the city’s jobless rate is 3 percent and there is $388.2 million in development set to commence in 2024, primarily new infrastructure.

Burnie, TAS

Burnie is a bustling port city located in Emu Bay in Tasmania’s north-west. Overlooking beaches and parklands, the area is known for its rich agriculture and mining projects. The median house price is $435,000, up 3.6 percent. Despite a rising population, the unemployment rate is falling and is currently 5.6 percent. In 2024, Burnie’s project pipeline is valued at approximately $1.6 billion. A significant portion is commercial development, primarily renewable energy projects.