EP#83 Alexander Goldfarb | 6 Takeaways From Q1'26 Multifamily REITS' Earnings Calls

Rental housing economist Jay Parsons recaps his six big takeaways from the apartment REITs' first quarter earnings calls that just wrapped up — starting with the big news that leaked after hours, the rumored merger discussions between AvalonBay and Equity Residential. What would be the implications of merging two of the biggest names in multifamily? Jay also shares color and highlights from the REITs' calls — touching on spring leasing momentum, rents, the big push toward stock buybacks over acquisitions, and differences between key markets across the U.S. Jay also shares the latest news on the ROAD to Housing Act, which took a positive turn this week as Politico reported the White House was pulling its support for the Senate legislation that effectively bans most build-to-rent construction. Also in the program, Jay welcomes in veteran Wall Street REIT analyst Alexander Goldfarb of Piper Sandler, who shares his take on the last rounding of earnings calls, the potential merger between AVB and EQR, and his thoughts on why REIT investors value apartments below net asset value.