Rents increased in Istanbul as demand for housing climbs and the value of the Turkish lira continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.

Taubaté’s rental market experienced rising demand in recent months. I spoke with local housing sources who explained that many affluent Brazilians living in dense neighboring cities like Sao Paulo are craving more spacious properties and many have moved to condominiums in Taubaté.

In recent months, several major oil companies expanded their offshore drilling operations in Guyana to include neighboring Suriname. The entry into Suriname was facilitated by the country’s shifting political climate and the economic vulnerability triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the sudden arrival of expatriates into the capital, Paramaribo, the housing market is already experiencing considerable strain. 

The Hague’s rental market has been facing an affordable housing shortage over the past several years. During my research, local housing sources explained that the rental market is used primarily by expatriates and lower income individuals. Fewer expatriates are arriving now, and many existing tenants are extending their leases.

While conducting housing surveys of South Africa in August, I was curious to gain a better understanding of the state of load shedding in the country. Back in May of this year, my colleague, Zach Rossignol, wrote about the scheduled blackouts as both a daily inconvenience and a hindrance to the South African economy.

In May 2020, I conducted a remote housing survey of Stockholm. I read extensively about Sweden’s herd-immunity approach to COVID-19 and how the government is not enforcing business closures.