Small multifamily rent growth is fueled by the asset class’ proximity to job centers, larger unit sizes and relative affordability to other rental property types.
Small Multifamily Assets Showing Higher Productivity in Secondary Metro Areas

Apartment properties show rent increases across all metro segments; while growing steadily in the largest metros, secondary markets are now experiencing higher rent growth in the small asset space.

Small Apartment Assets Benefit from Outsized Millennial Representation in Regional Markets

As primary markets get increasingly expensive for housing, young adults at the beginning of their careers are moving into regional hubs. This movement is providing new growth opportunities for small asset investments.

Climate Resiliency Can Further Reduce Flood Risk Impacts on Multifamily Rents

With a lower share of inventory located in flood-prone areas, small buildings are more conservative in their risk profile and offer value for investment across the apartment market. Resiliency and Risk Landscape for Small Buildings Recent reports point to a counter-intuitive trend of how home prices and apartment rents are growing faster in flood prone areas. This trend is explained by the premium associated with scenic locations such as beach fronts and waterways, since they are also the most-prone to flooding. This varies across metro areas and asset class. As shown below, based on data obtained from the American Housing Survey (AHS) 2015, around 8% of all small apartment building units in the United States were located within areas assessed with a high risk of flooding. In large buildings the share was slightly larger at 10%. The risk assessment for apartment buildings and their units varies greatly across metro areas. The data indicates that small buildings displayed a tighter spread around the national average compared to large buildings. An indication of the preference for scenic, albeit riskier, locations characterize the Read the full article…

How Apartment Community Size Impacts Unit and Neighborhood Ratings

For their relatively lower rent levels, small apartment properties are surprisingly well-rated by their occupants, both in terms of unit quality and the neighborhoods in which they are located.

Top Reasons Why Renters Move into Small Apartment Buildings

We recently examined trends in how today’s renters are searching for apartments. Let’s now take a look a why renters decide to make the move — though it turns out they are choosing to do so less frequently.

How Do Small Building Renters Find Their Apartments?

Traditional word of mouth referrals and Internet searches are most popular among renters seeking small building rentals. But search modes vary with the end purpose of the move.
