The U.S. apartment sector had a banner year in 2011 as the sector hit the trifecta of improving demand, low supply growth, and cheap and available debt. As investors look into the future, there is reason for continued optimism. This report serves as a deep dive into the supply and demand dynamics affecting the U.S. apartment sector, and provides key insights into how these drivers vary across the top-30 apartment markets.

• Omega is a pure-play nursing home owner
• $3 billion portfolio of mid-quality skilled nursing facilities (SNFs)
• Omega’s tenants have solid coverage statistics (EBITDAR/Rent)
• However, Medicare and Medicaid cuts are a real risk

Fox Business spoke with Michael Knott about the self-storage sector. Michael called self-storage a great business because of the sector’s steady demand profile, low cap-ex requirements, and strong cash flow. While he doesn’t anticipate a repeat of the sector’s outstanding results of 2011, he does expect self-storage to deliver strong returns long-term.

There is considerable evidence that the after-cap-ex growth profiles of some property types are much better than others, and prevailing cap rate relationships often fail to reflect these differences. Systematic mispricing across property sectors appears to be common. Sector-allocation strategies should benefit from improved estimates of long-term growth.

Mike Kirby moderated the General Lunch Session at REITWorld2011: NAREIT’s Annual Convention in Dallas. The topic was lessons learned in 20 years of the Modern REIT Era. The webcast includes a 14 minute introduction by Steve Wechsler, CEO of NAREIT.

Panelists include:

• Hamid Moghadam, Chairman & CEO, Prologis, Inc.
• Keith Pauley, Managing Director & CIO, LaSalle Investment Management Securities
• Robert Taubman, Chairman, President & CEO, Taubman Centers, Inc.

Highlights include:

• Peer Comparison Data for portfolios, development, capital structure, earnings, and real-time valuation
• Comprehensive Hotel Data and Faster Excel Downloads added to our company comparison series
• Print-and-Go Company Updates now available through the research library as well as company analysis page
• Getting Started Page highlights our thought leadership reports and short video tutorials

CNBC spoke with Craig Leupold about the recent decline in REIT stock prices and the outlook for mall and strip center REITs given recent concerns about retailer retrenchment. Craig said that the re-pricing of risk means retail REITs with high quality portfolios should outperform those with lower quality portfolios. He added that the market is sending two signals about REIT pricing, with REITs expensively priced vs. stocks and attractively priced vs. bonds, and the fair market value falling between the two.

CNBC – Fast Money

Barron's recently talked with Green Street's president, Craig Leupold, and its director of research, Mike Kirby, about REIT valuations, leading stocks, popular exchange-traded funds and the merits of REITs versus private real-estate investments.