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Want more housing market stories from Lance Lamberts ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. This week, Zillow economists published their updated 12-month forecast, projecting that U.S. home pricesas measured by the Zillow Home Value Indexwill fall by 0.9% between April 2025 and April 2026. After a series of downward revisionsbeginning in January, when Zillow’s 12-month national home price forecast was +2.9%, and subsequently lowered each month until reaching -1.7% last monthZillow has finally stopped downgrading its outlook. That said, its fair to call the Zillow economist bearish, given that for this forecast to be correct, 2025 would mark the first calendar-year home price decline since 2011. Why did Zillow downgrade its forecast for national home prices so many times this year? The rise in [active] listings is fueling softer price growth, as greater supply provides more options and more bargaining power for buyers, Zillow economists wrote in March. Potential buyers are opting to remain renters for longer as affordability challenges suppress demand for home purchases. Zillow thinks strained housing affordabilitycaused by U.S. home prices rising over 40% during the pandemic housing boom and mortgage rates spiking from 3% to 6% in 2022is weighing on price growth. “Affordability is still challenging buyers. A mortgage payment on a typical home in March required about 35.3% of median household income nationwide when using a 20% down payment,” wrote Zillow chief economist Skylar Olsen last month. “Thats a slight improvement over last year, but is still unaffordable. Spending more than 30% of income on housing is considered a financial burden, and a 20% down payment is a steep entry fee, coming out to about $72,000 on the typical U.S. home.” According to Zillows home price model, the listing site also believes that weakening and softening housing markets across the Sun Belt will weigh on nationally aggregated home prices this year. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}(); Among the 300 largest U.S. metro area housing markets, Zillow expects the strongest home price appreciation between April 2025 and April 2026 to occur in these 10 areas: Atlantic City, NJ: 3.2% Kingston, NY: 2.6% Torrington, CT: 2.4% Knoxville, TN: 2.3% Rochester, NY: 2.2% Syracuse, NY: 2.0% Vineland, NJ: 2.0% Fayetteville, AR: 1.9% Concord, NH: 1.9% Hilton Head Island, SC: 1.8% And these are the 10 housing markets where Zillow expects the weakest home price appreciation over that time period: Houma, LA: -10.2% Lake Charles, LA: -8.4% Alexandria, LA: -7.5% New Orleans, LA: -7.1% Lafayette, LA: -7.0% Shreveport, LA: -6.9% Beaumont, TX: -6.2% Midland, TX: -6.1% Monroe, LA: -5.5% Odessa, TX: -5.3% Below is what the current year-over-year rate of home price growth looks like for single-family and condo home prices. Florida is currently the epicenter of housing market weakness right now. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
Category:
E-Commerce
Americans largely agree that women have made significant gains in the workplace over the past two decades. But what about men? While many Americans believe women are thriving, over half believe mens progress has stalled or even reversed. To make matters more complex, recent research has revealed a massive divide along gender and partisan lines. The majority of Republican men think full gender equity in America has been achieved, while the majority of Democratic women think theres still work to be done. As researchers at the Rutgers Center for Women in Business, we think this divide matters a lot. And for business leaders, this gap isnt just a social or political issue. Its a leadership challenge with direct implications for team cohesion and morale. If gender equity efforts are seen by some employees as a loss rather than a collective gain, leaders risk inadvertently entrenching division. When equity feels like a loss Efforts to advance gender equity often come with the reassurance that equality isnt a zero-sum gamethat womens advancement need not come at mens expense. Data backs this up, showing, for example, that having gender-diverse executive teams can boost company profits by as much as 21%. Yet workers perceptions of gender equity efforts tell another story. For example, 61% of Americans believe changing gender norms have made it easier for women to be successful at work, but only 36% say the same for men. Whats more, 61% of men think women have equal job opportunities, but only 33% of women believe the same thing. These differences reveal an important truth: Perception, not policy alone, shapes how equity efforts are received. Involving men in the equity conversation Research suggests men and women associate power with different psychological outcomes. Men are more likely to associate power with control, while for women, power is more often linked to a feeling of freedom. As a result, efforts to share power may feel more liberating to women but destabilizing to menparticularly to those already in power. But this doesnt mean ones gain needs to come at anothers expensejust that people make sense of change through the lens of their own identities and experiences. When men perceive progress for women as a threat to their status or opportunity, resistance grows, even in the face of data suggesting otherwise. This cycle becomes especially difficult to break because it requires challenging ones own beliefs, which isnt always easy. This is why learning about others experiences is so useful. For example, a man and a woman might be equally ambitious and capable, but perhaps only one of them experiences being routinely interrupted in meetings. These differences in personal history and lived experience shape how work environments are interpreted and therefore navigated. Understanding this diversity of perspectives and discussing lived experiences can help gender equity efforts become more effective. Building a truly equitable future requires acknowledging that feelings about efforts required to reach that future may differ widely. With that in mind, here are some best practices for leaders to consider as they navigate the changing landscape. Preparing for differences in perspective Avoid zero-sum thinking. If men think gender equity efforts will erode their opportunities or diminish their own power, theyll disengage. Leaders should instead frame equity as essential to team and business successand ground conversations in metrics that show how inclusion drives outcomes. Know that the stakes may vary. Women may see gender equity as a matter of justice or even survival, and when stakes are existential, compromise can be difficult. At the same time, they may experience organizational progress toward gender equity as a personal win. Publicizing these changes and their mutually beneficial gains can help to create a more cohesive team where everyone can thrive. Be aware that different clocks are ticking. Some men may view change as happening too quickly, destabilizing established norms. Women, on the other hand, may feel progress is too slow, given centuries of systemic inequity. Holding both views as worthy of respect requires teamwork. Encourage dialogue where the goal is mutual understanding rather than unity. Building coalitions around shared experiences Promote policies that benefit everyone. By promoting policies such as hybrid work and parental leave that benefit everyone, workplaces will attract and retain a more diverse workforce, which leads to greater innovation. Encourage men to take advantage of these policies and ensure your company culture makes it acceptable to do so. This enables men to actually experience the benefit of these initiatives. Align efforts around shared valuessuch as the desire for healthier families, better education or stronger economies. Use both/and thinking. Supporting men who express fears about status loss can open space for dialogue. Provide that space. At the same time, acknowledge the ongoing struggles women continue to face and their fears about workplaces returning to the way they used to be. One viewpoint does not need to negate the other. Prioritize lived experience. Rather than insisting that everyone see gender equity the same way, find ways for men to experience mutually beneficial initiatives. Then, encourage dialogue about experiences rather than ideas. Bridge divides with dialogue Mixed mentorship matters. Pairing employees with mentors of different backgroundsacross gender, race, age, department or seniority levelcan help them cultivate curiosity and learn from one another. Activate resource groups. Groups focused on cross-cultural engagement provide employees with a platform to discuss challenges, share experiences and collaborate on inclusion initiatives. Additionally, encouraging allies to participate in employee resource groups and business resource groups fosters increased openness and understanding. Leaders can support roups by providing resources, visibility and executive sponsorship. Embrace discomfort. In general, people work to avoid feeling uncomfortable. However, discomfort is often necessary for growth. Starting with this premise and encouraging thoughtful, open and honest discussions about sensitive topics and potential fears can help foster transparency and build trust. Leaders can facilitate these conversations through town halls, roundtable discussions or dedicated dialogue sessions. Progress depends not just on metrics and policies but on trust, communication and humility. When people feel seen and heardwhether theyre feeling empowered or uncertaintheyre more likely to engage. In other words, the real opportunity isnt to win an argument about whether gender equity is done, but to build organizations where everyone can see a future for themselves in the workplaceand feel as if they have a role in shaping it. Colleen Tolan is a postdoctoral researcher for the Center for Women in Business at Rutgers University. Lisa Kaplowitz is an associate professor and the executive director at the Center for Women in Business at Rutgers University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Category:
E-Commerce
JCPenney said it will close seven stores this weekend in California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and West Viriginia, according to USA Today, and will be running sales in those locations up until Sunday, May 25. It’s the latest set of JCPenney store closures since the long-struggling retail chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in May 2020 during the pandemic (it announced later that year it would close 200 of its 850 stores). The chain was then purchased by property managers Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management. Fast Company has reached out to JCPenney for comment. Which JCPenney store locations are closing? A JCPenney spokesperson told USA Today the following seven stores will close this Sunday, May 25: The Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno, California The Shops At Northfield in Denver, Colorado Pine Ridge Mall in Pocatello, Idaho West Ridge Mall in Topeka, Kansas Fox Run Mall in Newington, New Hampshire Asheville Mall in Asheville, North Carolina Charleston Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia In February, JCPenney said it would be closing a “handful” of stores by mid-2025, but did not disclose which ones. The news came just one month after the retailer announced it was partnering with Forever 21 to create a new company, Catalyst Brands, in a merger that would also include Brooks Brothers, Aéropostale, Lucky Brand, Nautica, and Eddie Bauer. (JCPenney said the closures were unrelated.) The iconic department store chain, like many major retailers, has been struggling in recent years as American consumer foot traffic decreases and more shoppers go online. This, coupled with increasing prices, inflation, and the high cost of living, have led many retailers to file for bankruptcy or initiate waves of store closings. Some have even gone out of business, including: Joann fabrics, Macys, Party City, Big Lots, Walgreens, and 7-Eleven.
Category:
E-Commerce
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