The mood was optimistic as multifamily executives assembled at the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) Apartment Strategies Conference for a look ahead at what’s next for the industry in 2012 and beyond. The pace of rent growth is expected to ease in 2012 but still maintain levels above the trend. “The recovery that was predicted a couple of years ago has come to pass. Now the question is whether it will be as good as we predicted,” said Mark Obrinsky, vice president of research and chief economist, NMHC, who moderated “Looking Ahead: What’s Next for the Apartment Recovery?”

The US apartment sector powered through last summer’s economic doldrums to record strong absorption gains and higher occupancy rates. So says a 2012 National Apartment Report, which was released by Marcus & Millichap. Tight supply conditions exist, especially in metros with high barriers to entry, says the report. “Foreclosures in the single-family market, the inability of most Americans to meet mortgage financing requirements and households choosing rental housing for lifestyle reasons or employment mobility contributed to a net rise in apartments.”

Do your apartment communities have a targeted marketing theme for 2012? Once you create that message, you’ll want to push it across all your marketing channels and obtain widespread buy-in. “Marketing plans that don’t succeed are typically ones that don’t think ‘big picture’ by taking into account the other departments that will be required to implement the plan. For example, if your theme revolves around customer service (“we will not rest until we’ve done our best”), it will impact corporate policy and even human resources,” says multifamily marketing consultant Kate Good, who recently shared a number of tips during a webcast “Essential Elements of a Successful Marketing Plan” produced by Multifamily Insiders and sponsored by VaultWare.

2011 proved to be a good year for multifamily, according to the 2012 National Apartment Report, released by Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services. According to the report, foreclosures in the single-family market and the inability for many Americans to pay their mortgages yielded a net rise in apartments. And this is predicted to continue for 2012.

Public Utilities Commission of Nevada staff recently discovered an issue regarding excavation-related damage to underground water irrigation lines that run along public roadways near Homeowner Association and apartment complex-landscaped areas.