Beneath the spreading shade tree in Laura Holcomb's front yard, there are some 70 varieties of hosta, stands of elephant ear and a Japanese maple. For the 17 years she has owned the brick house on Rose Trail Drive in Memphis' Hillshire subdivision, Ms. Holcomb has devoted herself to her home and garden.
Across the street, Carl Osborne and his family have been tenants for two years, moving in after the previous owner lost the house in a foreclosure. They are happy to have a decent place to call home but, like many renters, they have not done much to improve the appearance or join the community.
They are not alone: the family behind Ms. Holcomb, the one two doors down, and several in the cul-de-sac across the way are among the renters who have been supplanting homeowners in this blue-collar, suburban neighborhood as investors buy single-family homes and convert them to rentals.
"Used to, we knew our neighbors," Ms. Holcomb said. Then she gestured toward the few remaining owner-occupied houses nearby. "Except for the two that have been here, I don't know any of my neighbors."
Across the country, a growing number of single-family rentals provide an option for many who lost their homes in the housing crash through foreclosure and for those who cannot obtain a mortgage under today's tougher credit conditions.
But the decline in homeownership is also changing many neighborhoods in profound ways, including reduced home values, lower voter turnout and political influence, less social stability and higher crime. Read more >>
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