Blog for Apartment Industry Professionals Looking to Gather and Use Market Survey Data

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Our blog is updated often with advice to help leasing teams analyze and apply market survey data!

"Three Reasons Why Land Deals In Multifamily Are Trending Upward" by Susan Tjarksen

12/4/2017
High demand for new housing results in higher developer interest in acquiring multifamily land.

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"1 in 5 US Millennials Moved Within the Past Year" from Marketing Charts

11/29/2017
Renters continue to move at a far higher rate than owners and youth continue to be the most likely to move.

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"Top 10 Cities With the Largest Rent Increases" from Multifamily Executive

11/16/2017
Based on 2013 median household income and average rent versus that in 2016, these are the cities with the biggest rent increases.

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"Developer Testing Discounted Rent To Attract More Downtown Living" by Meagan Farley

11/8/2017
Development company in Tulsa is lowering rates for the month to see if it will lead to more people living downtown.

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"What Interest Rate Hikes Mean for Multifamily Real Estate Owners" by Ely Razin

10/27/2017
Multifamily borrowers could be effected by interest rate hike by the end of 2017.

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"Baltimore apartments aim to win over renters by appealing to their pets" by Sarah Gantz

10/25/2017
Pet-friendly amenities are becoming more common in an effort to appeal to renters by providing for the needs of their pets.

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"Market Pulse for October 2017" by Jing Fu

10/11/2017
National Association of Home Builder's Multifamily Production Index bounced back in the 2nd quarter.

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"How Strong Is the Multifamily Market?" from NREIonline

10/2/2017
Many in the multifamily industry believe the market will continue to grow over the next 3-5 years.

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How Quickly Can Housing Supply Meet Demand? By Jennifer Castenson

9/19/2017
Prefabrication may be the answer to provide new homes in half the time.

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"Multifamily Investment Forecast" by Marcus & Millichap

3/7/2017
Investors remain cautiously optimistic. However, speculation on how a new presidential administration will govern is certain to influence investors’ outlooks temporarily, at least through the early months of a Trump presidency.

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"Cities with the biggest rent hikes" by Kathryn Vasel at CNN Money

10/20/2015

"Best Affordable Places to Live" from Livability

7/6/2015

"Real Estate Prices Across The U.S. Continue Upward Trend" by Scott Gamm, TheStreet

5/15/2015

"Top 10 Metros with the Most Population Change and Their Rental Rates" from MHNOnline

4/10/2015

"Multifamily Market is Enjoying the Best of Times. Here’s Why" by Keat Foong, Executive Editor MHNOnline

2/4/2015

"Outsmart Your Competition with Automated Competitive Analysis" by Angelica Valentine

1/12/2015
No matter what market you are in, competitive market knowledge is essential to success.

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"Apartment Construction Boom Slowing Rent Increases as Market Shifts Into Expansion Phase" by Randyl Drummer at CoStar

12/9/2014
Wave of New Construction Expected to Peak Next Year, Pushing Up Vacancy and Increasing Competition for Renters Even as Conditions Continue To Favor Strong Demand for Apts.

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"Construction spending rises more than expected in Oct" from Reuters

12/4/2014

"Apts., Industrial Benefit As Economy Rallies" by Paul Bubny

11/25/2014

"MBA: Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Originations Increase 16 Percent in Q3" by Jay Nelson

11/7/2014

"Economy Watch: Residential Price Increase Still Slowing " by Dees Stribling, MHNOnline

10/13/2014

"Economy Watch: Residential Prices Continue to Moderate" by Dees Stribling at MHNOnline

9/15/2014

"Red Wings arena project would add hundreds of new market-rate apartments downtown (Detroit)" by JC Reindl, Observer & Eccentric

7/29/2014

"MARKET SNAPSHOT: NYC Vacancy Rates Still Tight as High-Tech and Hospitality Companies Fuel Job Growth" by Veronica Grecu

6/17/2014

"15 Cities Where Renting Rules" by Catherine Sherman

6/6/2014

"Knowing Your Competition Inside and Out" by Anneke Steenkamp

6/4/2014

APARTMENT MARKET STATISTICS: May 2014 from MHNOnline

5/7/2014

"Economy Watch: Home Prices Still Rising, But Not as Fast" By Dees Stribling, MHNOnline

5/1/2014
The National Multifamily Housing Council said on Tuesday that its Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions for the first quarter of 2014 indicated renewed strength in U.S. apartment markets.

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Atlanta Market Report from Colliers International

4/7/2014
Over-Supply Concerns Eased by Strong Demand

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"Manhattan Is The Worst Place In The U.S. To Be A Landlord" by Hana R. Alberts in CURBED

4/4/2014

"How Concentrated is Search Click Activity?" from MarketingCharts

3/18/2014
"Experian’s latest Digital Marketer Report suggests that clicks are more highly concentrated for organic than paid search."

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10 Major Cities Where It's Cheaper To Buy Than Rent by Samantha Toscano | The Huffington Post

3/10/2014

"Developer Confidence Slides in Fourth Quarter 2013" By Joshua Ayers, Senior Editor, MHNOnline

3/4/2014

"Big increase in Nashville's apartment supply projected for 2014" by Matt Batcheldor

2/4/2014

"Holy Heatmap Batman: A Look At Rising Rent Prices In Chicago" by AJ LaTrace

1/28/2014

Aging Boomers to Boost Demand for Apartments, Condos and Townhouses

1/14/2014

By Ben Leubsdorf

The single-family home isn’t obsolete, yet. But the aging of the baby boomers could reshape the U.S. housing market and economy in the coming years.

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"Manhattan Apartment Rents Drop for a Third Straight Month" by Oshrat Carmiel

1/8/2014
Manhattan Apartment Rents Fall as Vacancies Hit 7-Year High

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Rent Growth Expected in U.S. Multi-Housing from World Property Channel

12/20/2013

Trulia: 2014 Will Be The Year Of Repeat Home Buyer

12/17/2013

Understanding Your Customer: Who Is the Silent Generation by EOMSonline

12/11/2013

Economy Watch: 200k+ Jobs Created in November

12/9/2013
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor, Multi-Housing News

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"US home permits rise at 5-year high on apartments" by Josh Boak

12/2/2013

Spherexx.com® will be Exhibiting at the National Multi Housing Council® OpTech 2013 Conference in Dallas, November 11 – 13 at the Dallas Anatole. Please

11/6/2013

Economy Watch: Apartment Market Weakens a Little, According to NMHC By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor

11/1/2013

Home construction nudges up in August

9/25/2013
Construction on new U.S. homes nudged up in August, boosted by starts for single-family homes. Permits, a sign of future demand, also rose for single-family homes.

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Industry Report: Multifamily Maintains Momentum

9/11/2013
Demand for rental housing should remain high as the economy improves and young people who have been living with their parents can finally afford to move out. According to Obrinsky, the percentage of people under 34 living with their parents is still higher than ever.

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Hip, Urban, Middle-Aged

8/23/2013
A new wave of older people are moving into hip, high-end downtown condo developments that are marketed mainly to younger buyers.

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Economy Watch: Home Prices Rise Everywhere

7/31/2013
“Two cities set new highs, surpassing their pre-crisis levels and five cities—Atlanta, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle—posted monthly gains of over 3 percent, also a first time event.”
Does it add up to a new bubble?

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Ellis Shopping Report Multifamily Industry Benchmark 2nd Quarter 2013

7/16/2013
Did you know that mystery shopping has been used as a tool for measuring employee performance since the 1940s? Back then, it was used primarily in banks and retail stores to assess the integrity of the employees working there.

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Multifamily Occupancy Gains Grind to a Halt

7/10/2013
As the market gets tighter and tighter, it becomes increasingly difficult for vacancy to continue falling at a high rate as vacant units, or at least palatable vacant units, disappear from the market.

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Economy Watch: The Economy Creates 195k Jobs in June

7/8/2013
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that the U.S. economy created 195,000 jobs in June, a bit more than the average increase for the last 12 months, which is 182,000.

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Economy Watch: More Evidence of Residential Strength

7/3/2013
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor Multi-housing News

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Get the Most out of Shopping Your Competition

7/1/2013
I still remember my first day as a leasing consultant as if it were yesterday. While I didn’t receive any formal training, my new boss did greet me at the clubhouse entry with the Apartment Guide (several pages already tabbed) and a yellow notepad. She said, “Go shop your competition!”

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ApartmentRatings.com: Critical for Marketing?

6/27/2013
There are many different opinions about the value of social media in multi-family housing.

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The Second Law of Marketing: All Prices are Contextual May 31, 2013 | Ron Baker, Founder of VeraSage Institute

6/1/2013
In my prior post I outlined The First Law of Marketing: That all value is subjective. The Second Law of Marketing is just as critical to help your organization communicate value, and help convince your customers to pay for that value.

One of the most customer-centric strategies your company can deploy is to offer an array options to your customers. It is very “outer-directed,” rather than just offering a one-size-fits-all, take-it or leave-it option.

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The First Law of Marketing: All Value is Subjective May 12, 2013 | Ron Baker, Founder of VeraSage Institute

5/31/2013
Now that we have examined the difference between the labor and subjective theories of value, we are ready to see how these two valuation techniques affect companies' pricing policies.

For all of the economic evidence assembled on why costs do not “add up” to equate to value, it is amazing how many businesses still cling to the cost-plus pricing method, a direct cousin to the Labor Theory of Value. Doing something stupid once is just stupid. Doing it twice is a philosophy.

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Special Report: Across the Generations

5/21/2013
While Baby Boomers and Gen Y sit at opposite poles, that doesn’t make it necessary to choose between them as targets for housing or retail.

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Altos: No sign of single family rental weakness -- yet

4/15/2013
Rents in major investor markets are showing no sign of weakness despite expectations that the housing recovery will put pressure on single family vacancy rates, according to a report by the CEO of Altos Research.

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Multifamily Demographics: 5 Big, Easy Patterns

3/26/2013
Article by John Wilhoit, Jr.

This discussion relates directly to the acquisition of multifamily property and methods for gaining information about an acquisition candidate.

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Top National Multifamily Markets

3/25/2013
When RealEstateDealSheet.com had the privilege of interviewing expert investors and developers in the multifamily sector, we asked the question: What are the best markets for multifamily?

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Using competitor mystery shopping to evaluate your own SWOTs

3/16/2013
Article ID: 20130113 | Published: January 2013, page 58
Author: Judith Ann Hess is president of Customer Perspectives, Hooksett, N.H.

Article Abstract
The author discusses how mystery shopping competitors can help determine a company's own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

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Identifying Your Target Market Through Market Analysis

3/8/2013
Posted by Kathie Ellzey on Mar 08, 2013 in Commercial, Corporate, Multifamily

Every successful apartment community is supported by a well thought out business plan with a strategic focus on market analysis. The development of a market analysis involves a thorough evaluation of your target market – those who will most likely lease your product.

The process of identifying a target market is called Market Segmentation. Comprehensive research is essential when adopting this strategy and the end result, if done correctly, will provide you with a thorough understanding of important characteristics of your future tenants.

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US Housing Market Conditions Fourth Quarter 2012 Report

3/8/2013
Annual Report from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

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Five Characteristics Define the Nation's Top Multifamily Markets

2/18/2013
What makes an apartment market a "top" market?

Is it single-digit vacancy rates and double-digit rental rate growth? Can investors simply look at the most recent data from industry researcher Axiometrics Inc. and make their decisions based on numbers alone? If they do, they might end up investing in markets that are performing well today but lack any future growth prospects.

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NMHC and NAA Study: Apartment Industry and Residents Contributed $1.1 Trillion to the Economy

2/14/2013
Despite the worst economy in a generation, apartments and their residents contributed $1.1 trillion to the national economy in 2011, supporting 25.4 million jobs, according to a new report released today by the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and the National Apartment Association (NAA).

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NAHB: Multifamily Industry to Lead Market in 2013

2/1/2013
The multifamily sector has led the way in the recovery of the overall housing market and will continue to do so over the next several years, said panelists during a press conference at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders' Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. The multifamily market has recovered substantially since the end of 2010 and now stands at about 70 percent of the way back to a sustainable level.

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Demographics Update: The Growing Majority-Minority Population

1/24/2013
By Gregory Fisher, Contributing Writer MHN News

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NeighborhoodScout's Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S.

1/10/2013
NeighborhoodScout's research reveals the 100 most dangerous cities in America with 25,000 or more people, based on the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents. Data used in this research includes 1) the number of violent crimes reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and 2) the population of each city.

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Small Housing Inventory May Push Rental Demand for Years

1/8/2013
The next 10 years may bring five to six million new renter households. Or at least that's what a recent infographic by the Bipartisan Policy Center is saying. So in the midst of a recovering housing market, why the shift toward a rise in rentals?

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One Way to Keep "Secret" Shops Secret

1/2/2013
I'll let you in on a little secret-your experienced leasing associates probably know when they're being shopped.

I'll let you in on another little secret-even your inexperienced associates may know when they're being shopped too! And if your associates know it's happening, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of a secret shopper?

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MarketSurveyTools.com Expands Services to Clients

12/20/2012
Apartment Survey Software DIV of Spherexx.com Adds Research and Forecasting Features to Popular Market Survey Application.

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Mystery Shopping During The Holidays?

12/14/2012
It's interesting to see how companies use mystery shopping programs, and how they adjust their schedule of shops during certain times. We are into one very interesting period of the year - the holiday season - where companies are mixed on ideas for their mystery shopping programs.

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Mystery Shopping Your Competition Is Valuable

12/12/2012
Mystery shopping doesn't apply only to retail stores. Companies in all business sectors engage in the practice because they need to know what their competition is doing.

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