Carrollton Has a Rental Problem. Tulane Created It.
80 active rentals. 16 leased per month. Here's what the MLS data shows and why it matters for owners and investors.
This is the first month Carrollton gets its own dedicated snapshot. Consider this the baseline every future report will measure against.
One thing worth knowing upfront: Tulane University’s policy requiring students to live on campus through sophomore year is a major factor. That decision is showing up clearly in the rental data below.
Small sample on closings but the under-contract activity is encouraging. Seven homes under contract against 24 active means nearly 30% of inventory is moving. Carrollton is the closest to a balanced market of any neighborhood we track.
The DOM on closed doubles, 129 days, tells the real story. These are taking four months to sell. Investors who bought Carrollton doubles as student housing plays are feeling this. Supply at 11 months with slow absorption means buyers have real negotiating leverage here if they have a clear plan for the units.
80 active rentals competing for 16 tenants per month. That’s a landlord’s market in reverse, renters have options and landlords are feeling it.
The Tulane effect
Tulane’s on-campus residency requirement through junior year is making a mark on the local rental market. The impact is no longer theoretical, it’s in the data. Undergrads who historically filled Carrollton and Uptown rentals are no longer competing for these units. The result is elevated rental inventory, longer leasing timelines, and downward pressure on what landlords can realistically ask.
The units that are leasing: $2,400/mo median are likely going to young professionals and graduate students, not undergraduates. That’s a different renter profile with different expectations around condition and amenities.
For landlords sitting on vacant units in this neighborhood, the answer isn’t patience. It’s repositioning: price, presentation, or both.
What it means
Buyers: Single family near balanced at 6 months of inventory. Move with confidence on well-priced homes. Doubles offer negotiating room: 129-day average DOM means sellers have been waiting.
Sellers: Single family is your strongest position right now. Doubles need sharp pricing and a clear investor narrative to move.
Investors: Underwrite Carrollton doubles carefully. The student rental thesis has changed. Run your numbers on young professional renters at $2,400/mo, not student renters at $1,500/mo. Different vacancy assumptions, different condition requirements.
Renters: 80 active units with 16 leasing per month gives you options and negotiating room. Don’t take the first unit you see.
This is my first month of tracking Carrollton as a standalone. If you live here, own here, or rent here, does this match what you’re seeing on the ground?