Where Science Meets Art In Multifamily Investing: RealPage Market Analytics

Traditional ways to forecast the multifamily housing market are taking a back seat to a fine blend of artificial intelligence and the expertise of market researchers and analysts. Job growth, new supply and apartment permitting have been key indicators of a market’s economic health, but they are only a few pieces of what makes the quintessential national multifamily forecast. In a Dallas suburb, heavy computational and statistical power is hard at work around the clock for 365 days a year, dissecting market data and creating accurate forecasts. Whatever market performance data that can be measured is run through a gamut of computations. Because any good forecast, analysts argue,  be anchored with solid statistical power. Just look at the accuracy of local weather forecasting. Proven atmospheric modeling practices based on decades of data yield successful rain, sleet, snow and other weather predictions more often than not. With frightening precision, in some cases. Yet deciphering the statistical data requires a helping hand. That’s where the weather forecaster enters the picture. Variable-rich market forecasts more important than ever The same can be said for multifamily market forecasting. Behind a digital artificial intelligence, forecasting engine is a team of analysts and economists at RealPage® who make sense of the data. Metro-specific models calibrated with market-level expertise arrive at projections to help property investors make decisions in markets everywhere. The intersection of statistics and human interpretation is where knowledge bands together with virtuosity. Variable-rich forecasts, tailored to specific markets based on the blend of AI and market expertise, are more important now than ever. “Making sure forecast variables are tailored to individual markets is a big differentiator,” RealPage Senior Market Analytics Manager Carl Whitaker said. “We want to make sure we are capturing all sorts of drivers...