Portland Housing Vacancies and Holiday Bonuses

An article from the Portland Business Journal reports that 94 percent of homes in the Portland metro area are occupied. That's the fifth-lowest vacancy rate among all metro areas nationwide, and a sign of a strengthening real estate market.

The Business Journal analyzed raw data for all 109 metropolitan areas that contain more than 200,000 housing units. Among the 85 million homes in those markets, 89 percent were occupied, while 11 percent were vacant. More information is available in the full article.

Picking up on our holiday theme from yesterday's post, another Business Journal piece discusses small business plans for holiday bonuses. A survey conducted by the American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor found that 35 percent of small business owners plan to give bonuses this year. That's an increase from 29 percent in 2011, and 25 percent in 2010. The article notes that more small business owners also plan to throw a holiday party this season than last, with 45 percent planning to do so this year, up from 35 percent.