TRIAD -- Triad developers are building apartments too fast, and now there are hundreds of empty apartments around the area.
That's according to the Piedmont Triad Apartment Association.
Heather McAlister has lived in the Triad her whole life. It's never been a significant issue to find a new place to live.
"Not hard If you want a particular place,” said McAlister. “You may have to wait. I had to wait for a month or two."
She was lucky to find a place quickly during a tighter rental time. The apartment vacancy numbers were on the downslope for several years.
According to the Piedmont Triad Apartment Association, it's even easier to find a place. In the last six months they've gone up about 1 percent, from 6.7 percent to about 7.5 percent.
John Lowder, the executive director of the Piedmont Triad Apartment Association has been in his position for seven years. He says the 1 percent uptick isn't anything to be too concerned about.
"Seven years ago, the occupancy rate was around 85 percent, so we had 15 percent vacancy," said Lowder.
Part of the reason is developers are building new apartments faster than they can fill them. Lowder says there just are not enough jobs yet in the Triad.
"The demand hasn't quite caught up,” said Lowder. “I think we'll see it catch in the near future."
The PTAA projects vacancy rates to increase to 8 percent over the next six months. However, Lowder says most of the areas in the Triad shouldn't be worried. After all, if you build it, they should come.
Rent has also increased throughout the Triad, but still the figures do not compare to cities like Raleigh or Charlotte.