While homes prices continue to be on the decline, rent prices are actually on the rise and showed a 3 percent increase from January 2011 to January 2012, as opposed to home values, which dropped 4.6 percent during that same period, according to the January Zillow Real Estate Market Reports released recently.
"While it seems that rents are rising at the expense of home values, the opposite is true. A thriving rental market will stimulate home sales as investors snap up low-priced inventory to convert to rentals," said chief economist for Zillow Dr. Stan Humphries in a release.
Read More: Zillow report: Median Rent Prices on the Rise as Home Values Drop.
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