Some news purporting the strength of multifamily in the next phase of the cycle.

Housing experts predict that multi-family rental properties and apartments will recover fastest from the current downturn, followed by housing in cities that didn’t overbuild.

The market is likely to hit bottom in the next few months, says Bernard Markstein, senior economist and director of forecasting for the National Association of Home Builders.

“Next year will see slow but steady improvement, as home builders are controlling their inventory,” Markstein says.

Apartments and other multi-family residences will snap back quickly once businesses start hiring again, predicts Victor Calanog, director of research at Reis.

Baby boomers looking for retirement homes and first-time home buyers also will lead the way out of the decline, predicts Bill Singer, a securities attorney and trader who is a member of Forbes.com’s panel of financial gurus.

In Greater Phoenix we did overbuild but in certain sub-markets we did not. While there is plenty of hosing, land and lots with pipes sticking out of the ground ready to be built once the demand picks up, not everyone will be as eager to live on the outskirts: it will take a while if ever for people to get comfortable, en mass, with the idea again.

The central location, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tempe don’t have much room to grow except infill plus the population is increasing naturally plus the draw of a reviving urban city. These will help sustain and grow the demand for multi-family housing in Phoenix.

While rents in many areas have decreased they are holding steady in the urban areas. Once the market picks up, higher prices will keep people from being able to buy a home or condo. Plus as the economy becomes more mobile and agile there is no need for a growing population to even own real estate. Owning is not fore everyone and this maybe a realization that finally takes hold: for many it’s better to rent and there is nothing wrong with that.