According to a recent Zillow report, the median monthly rent for apartments in February was $1,472. This represents a 2.4% increase over rents in February 2018. 
A strong rental market typically translates into a strong buying market.
What this translates into is that the average renter will typically pay approximately $400 more per year to rent the same apartment, or roughly $33 more per month.
As we enter into the 2019 home buying season, values of homes in most metropolitan areas are stable, but supply of homes has not caught up with demand.
This makes for higher rents for those looking to lease rather than to buy.
The Zillow rental report indicates rents for single family homes and multi-family apartments are now rising at a faster pace than in over a year.
This trend breaks with the recent decrease of rental costs that was reported last fall.
As the general income of individuals continues to rise due to the strong economy rents can now, move higher. There is an expectation that rental demands may fall in the future as more Millennials make the transition from rental to owner, but this is speculation at this point.
Still, most markets will maintain their robust real estate values as businesses continue to expand and hire new employees.