Why College Towns Are Beating Core Markets in 2026

In this episode of The Business of Real Estate, Lucas and Luna examine why college-town real estate is outperforming core markets in 2026. They break down the numbers: student housing REITs like American Campus Communities saw rent growth of 6.8% year-over-year, while occupancy at top-50 university markets held at 97.2%. Beyond dorms, they explore how professors and university staff create stable demand for single-family rentals, how local retail benefits from a captive customer base, and why the town-gown dynamic makes these markets less volatile during economic downturns. Using examples from Ann Arbor, Madison, and Austin, they explain the four pillars of college-town resilience: predictable enrollment, donor-funded development, non-cyclical employment, and lifestyle migration by remote workers. They also address the risks: over-reliance on a single institution, political friction between students and permanent residents, and the cap on rent growth in smaller markets. If you have ever wondered why a two-bedroom in a college town costs as much as a downtown condo, this episode gives you the framework to evaluate the investment thesis yourself. #CollegeTownRealEstate #StudentHousing #RealEstateInvesting #AmericanCampusCommunities #AnnArbor #Madison #Austin #UniversityOfMichigan #UniversityOfWisconsin #UniversityOfTexas #RealEstate2026 #CommercialRealEstate #ResidentialRealEstate #PropertyInvestment #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #RealEstatePodcast #TheBusinessOfRealEstate Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo