April 6, 13, and 20, 2021
Virtual
Watch All Session Recordings
Presentations available to all NMHC members; recordings for 2021 Research Forum registrants only.
Registration closes at 3:00pm ET, Tuesday, April 20
This event is open to NMHC Members only.
Open exclusively to NMHC members, the NMHC Research Forum is targeted to the nation's leading apartment researchers — in-house and third-party — and is designed to address critical issues facing the multifamily housing industry.
The 2021 Research Forum will take place over three weeks on Tuesday April 6, 13, and 20 from 1-4pm ET each day.
Speakers

Kim Betancourt
Director, Economics and Multifamily
Fannie Mae

Carl Whitaker
Manager of Market Analytics
RealPage

Dan McCue
Senior Research Associate
Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies

Len Kiefer
Deputy, Chief Economist
Freddie Mac

Jeanette Rice
Americas Head of Multifamily Research
CBRE

Dana Hamilton
Senior Managing Director
Pretium Partners

Rick Palacios
Principal, Director of Research
John Burns Real Estate Consulting

Dennis McGill
Director of Research
Zelman & Associates

Nick Buss
Senior Director, Research, INVESCO Real Estate

Stephan Whitaker
Policy Economist
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Jeff Adler
Vice President
Yardi Matrix

Jim Costello
Senior Vice President
Real Capital Analytics

Suzanne Mulvee
Senior Vice President, Research and Strategy
GID

Michela Hancock
Managing Director
Greystar Europe

Brian Klinksiek
Head of European Research & Global Portfolio Strategies
LaSalle Investment Management

Caleb Mercer
Managing Director, European Real Estate Investment
Heitman
Registration Information
The NMHC Research Forum is open to NMHC members. Registration to the virtual Research Forum includes all three webinars, plus the optional roundtable discussions. The registration policy is as follows:
- NMHC Executive Committee Members: receive three (3) complimentary registrations and may register additional representatives for a fee of $150 each
- NMHC Board of Directors Members: receive one (1) complimentary registration and may register additional representatives for a fee of $150 each
- NMHC Advisory Committee Members: may register representatives for a fee of $150 each
- 2021 Chair’s Circle Sponsors: receive six (6) complimentary registrations
- 2021 Friends of the Council Sponsors: receive four (4) complimentary registrations
- DEI Founder Sponsors: receive four (4) complimentary registrations
- DEI Investor Sponsors: receive two (2) complimentary registrations
- DEI Supporter Sponsors: receive one (1) complimentary registration
Registration is contingent upon membership dues being current.
Please note that registration may exceed live attendance capacity. A registration does not guarantee you will be able to access the live event. Recordings of the webinars will be available to all registrants within 48 hours of the live event.
Meeting Cancellation Policy
Meeting cancellations must be sent in writing to NMHC (membership@nmhc.org). Refunds for registration cancellations to the 2021 NMHC Research Forum are not available; however, registrations may be transferred to another employee at your firm at any time for no charge (exclusions may apply).
NMHC Research Forum
April 6, 13 & 20, 2021 | 1:00 – 4:00 PM ET | Online
Tuesday, April 6
Unfortunately, due to illness keynote speaker Jenny Schuetz was unable to participate in the 2021 NMHC Research Forum.
Apartment Markets: What Lies Ahead?
People say “real estate is local” and that was certainly true in 2020. Join Kim Betancourt, Director of Economics and Multifamily Market Research at Fannie Mae and Carl Whitaker, Manager of Market Analytics at RealPage as they dig deeper into how specific geographies and asset classes have performed during the COVID crisis and how that may be changing. Will suburban markets continue to outperform? Are secondary or tertiary markets gaining on gateway markets? Are we seeing too much new supply? And how will apartment markets shake out post-pandemic?
View Recording & Presentation >>>
Speakers:
- Kim Betancourt, Director, Economics and Multifamily, Fannie Mae
- Carl Whitaker, Manager of Market Analytics, RealPage
Moderators:
- Mark Obrinsky, Senior Vice President, Research & Chief Economist, NMHC
- Caitlin Sugrue Walter, Vice President, Research, NMHC
Roundtable Discussions
Take advantage of the opportunity to network with other NMHC members in a virtual small group setting. Topics to be discussed in individual meeting rooms will be sent out at a later date.
Tuesday, April 13
Demographics and Homeownership
Household growth slowed markedly during the pandemic both from “doubling up” and from reduced immigration. At the same time, there was renewed interest in homeownership – leading to a record low in inventory in markets across the country. Here Dan McCue, Senior Research Associate at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, and Len Kiefer, Deputy Chief Economist at Freddie Mac, analyze what happened over the last 12 months – and what that tells us about the next few years.
Speakers:
- Len Kiefer, Macro Housing Econ Senior Director and Deputy Chief Economist, Economic and Housing Research, Freddie Mac
- Dan McCue, Senior Research Associate, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Moderator:
- Jeanette Rice, Americas Head of Multifamily Research, CBRE
Boom Times for Single-Family Rentals?
Single-family rental houses are hardly new, but gained much greater visibility in the aftermath of the bursting of the house price bubble with the influx of new institutional players. Hear from a panel of experts on what the industry looks like today, how operations can be made more efficient, and why the prospects for this sector may be very bright in the years ahead.
Speakers:
- Dana Hamilton, Senior Managing Director, Pretium Partners
- Rick Palacios, Principal, Director of Research, John Burns Real Estate Consulting
- Dennis McGill, Director of Research, Zelman & Associates
Moderator:
- Nick Buss, Senior Director, Research, INVESCO Real Estate
Urban Exodus? Migration from Urban Neighborhoods and High Cost Metros During and After the Pandemic
Everyone knows that the pandemic greatly reduced the attractiveness of downtown urban centers, leading to an exodus from these dense areas to less dense suburbs and smaller cities. Except that isn’t actually what happened. Hear Stephan Whitaker, Policy Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland explain his latest research showing what did happen – and what it might mean in a post-pandemic world.
Speaker:
- Stephan Whitaker, Policy Economist, Regional Analysis & Outreach, Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Moderator:
- Mark Obrinsky, Senior Vice President, Research & Chief Economist, NMHC
View Recording & Presentations >>>
Roundtable Discussions
Tuesday, April 20
Apartment Investment: Where Do We Go From Here?
Investment activity in apartments has also been heavily affected by the pandemic. Hear our expert panel discuss overall transaction volumes, the makeup of buyers and sellers, cap rates and property prices, changing geography of activity, and both debt and equity dynamics.
Speakers:
- Jeff Adler, Vice President, Yardi Matrix
- Jim Costello, Senior Vice President, Real Capital Analytics
- Suzanne Mulvee ,Senior Vice President, Research and Strategy, GID
Moderator:
- Dave Borsos, Vice President, Capital Markets, NMHC
International Apartment Markets
In an increasingly global world, more foreign investors have come to be interested in the U.S. apartment market. Is there now interest in investing in apartments in other countries? This panel will explain why investors might want to own apartments in other countries, as well as the role of multifamily assets in portfolios abroad. Institutional differences such as regulation, and financial differences including pricing, will also be discussed.
Speaker:
- Michela Hancock, Managing Director, Greystar Europe
- Brian Klinksiek, Head of European Research & Global Portfolio Strategies, LaSalle Investment Management
- Caleb Mercer, Managing Director, European Real Estate Investment. Heitman
Moderator:
- Kenny Emson, Chief Operating Officer, NMHC
Roundtable Discussions
Note: Updated as of 3/24/2021, Agenda is subject to change.