The Top 10 Fastest Growing US Cities. Own an apartment building investment in each.

Apartment investing is about where and when to buy properties; here’s 10 good ideas for the where part. Nice slide presentation via CNN/Money-

“Despite the housing bust and the recession, these 10 U.S. cities still managed to record population gains of 30% or more in the decade ending in 2010, according to the Census Bureau. The national average was less than 10% during that time.”

Apartment Investing in the 10 fastest growing US cities

See the presentation here: 10 fastest growing U.S. cities

If you can’t Continue reading The Top 10 Fastest Growing US Cities. Own an apartment building investment in each.

Attention apartment investors: An entire generation has lost its interest in homeownership.

When it comes to apartment building investing one has to consider homeownership as competition for ‘our’ residents. But now in a post that’s part of his series on where the housing market stands today, Barry Ritholtz over at The Big Picture blog has this to say:

“There are many good reasons to believe that the 5.5 million foreclosures we have so far brings us only to the 5th inning of this real estate cycle. We are, in my best guess, barely halfway through the full course of foreclosures. By the time this entire unwind is complete, the United States may end up with a total of 8-10 million foreclosures. Apartment Building Investing and Foreclosures

Therein lay the Psychology factor. Once we begin to see an increase in foreclosures, the data is going to be far less accommodating. Monthly prices start falling, fear levels rise, and a viscous cycle could begin. Consider the recent college grads, who typically form each wave of first time buyers. From their perspectives, this whole housing thing must seem absurd. Their observations about home ownership is not the American Dream, but rather, a nightmare. Yale professor Robert Shiller worries that we have lost an entire generation of potential home buyers.” [Emphasis mine] BTW, Shiller is co-author of the Case-Shiller index, a measure of the state of the housing market. Continue reading Attention apartment investors: An entire generation has lost its interest in homeownership.

National Apartment Building Vacancy Plummets, Defies Fourth-Quarter Seasonal Slowdown says report.

Marcus & Millichap’s latest report on Apartment Building Investment called “The Outlook” is just out today. In it they cover the usual national multifamily trends; rents up, vacancy down, economy slowly recovering, jobs growing but could be better. Then they take it a little deeper with these points (bel0w) then flesh it all out with charts demonstrating that things are really picking up for apartment building investors.

Here’s the exec sum:

  • Expanding Production Capacity Signals Stronger Job Creation.
  • Sustained employment growth underscores traction in the economy.
  • Apartment demand surges, completions sink to new lows, and a sweeping recovery matures into an expansion cycle.
  • Vacancy rates tighten across markets and asset classes, moving the sector into expansion.
  • Foreclosed homes and government-sponsored REO-to-Rental program offer rental alternatives to apartments.
  • Cap rate arbitrage and stabilizing operations create a compelling investment thesis for opportunistic and value-add strategies.
  • Stronger job growth and household formation will provide a steady source of new entrants to the multifamily rental market. Continue reading National Apartment Building Vacancy Plummets, Defies Fourth-Quarter Seasonal Slowdown says report.

Can you avoid these apartment building investment due diligence nightmares?

Apartment Building Investing Requires Diligent Due Diligence

Nowhere is getting your ducks in a row more important than in apartment building investing.  See this quick MFE Mag article for tips from seasoned pros: Diligence Gut Check

The article covers topics like these:apartment building investing takes good due diligence

  • How’s the Weather Out There?
  • The Case of Misplaced Ownership
  • Over the Income Threshold
  • Just an Accounting Mishap