ApartmentIQ’s Explore Pro and Research features combine to form a comprehensive, real-time market intelligence platform designed to mitigate risk and refine investment strategies. This guide demonstrates how to leverage these tools to seamlessly transition from broad market overviews to granular, actionable property data.

Step 1: Market Assessment (Market Insights Section)

Begin by establishing the macro environment and identifying key trends in your target area.

1. Market Selection & Performance

• Log into ApartmentIQ and navigate to Explore Pro.
   
• Search Your Market: Search for your area of interest (Place, MSA, County, Zip Code, or Neighborhood).
   
• Review Core Metrics: Analyze the Market Summary to establish a baseline:
  • 5-Year Rent Forecasts: Utilize daily-updated rent growth forecasts to gain a strategic advantage. This predictive insight helps you spot market shifts 15–30 days earlier than traditional tools.
  • 30-Day Snapshot: Review current Asking Rents, Net Effective Rents (NER), Concessions, and Days on Market.
  • Historical Data: View up to 4 years of historical data for the market or submarket.

2. Supply, Transactions, & Demographics

• Check Competition (New Supply): Review current projects by stage, including “Under Construction” and “Scheduled Construction.” You can track construction pipelines by stage and view deliveries forecasted for the next two years. We source data from public records-building permits, government databases, and news publications. 
   
• Evaluate Transactions: Instantly find market-level Sale Price per Unit, Market Cap Rate, and Sales Volume by Quarter, with data going back 10 years. This information is sourced from Real Capital Analytics (RCA).
   
• Demographics: Explore detailed demographic insights within the market you searched, including population, median income, employment, age, household composition, education, and labor force trends. Data is sourced from the US Census, ACS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other federal agencies. These insights help guide investment strategies, property renovations, and future development planning.

Step 2: Asset-Level Analysis (Properties Section)

Move from the macro view to find and analyze specific acquisition targets.

1. Filter for Opportunity (Acquisition Targeting)

• Navigate to Properties: Select the "Properties" tab in the main navigation.
   
• Apply Strategic Filters: Filter the property list using key metrics to quickly identify underperforming properties:
  • Low Occupancy Percentage: Filter for properties with a low occupancy rate relative to the market average.
  • High Concession Rates: Filter for properties with high concession rates, suggesting difficulty retaining or attracting tenants at current pricing.
  • Property Attributes: Narrow the list by various filters like Year Built or Property Class (e.g., only B/C class assets for value-add).

2. Asset Performance & Underwriting

• Select a Target Property: Choose an asset from the filtered list to open the Property Detail View.
   
• Benchmark Performance: Review Performance Trends comparing the Subject Property (purple line) against its Comps and the MSA Average to confirm underperformance. Review Pricing and Availability for the breakdown performance by bed group and floor plan, for the desired timeframe. You can track available vs. leased units, asking vs. net effective rent, and unit-level activity and pricing. 
   
• Review Ownership: Find the Ownership Group (found only in Explore Pro) and complete Transaction History (powered by RCA) for the specific asset.

3. Deep Dive: Estimated Rent Roll (The Power Section)

The Estimated Rent Roll table is vital for building a proforma and directly quantifying value-add revenue.
 

4. Financial Analysis

Our modeling framework begins with validated actuals and benchmark data to construct operating expense baselines across national, MSA, and submarket levels. Regional economic factors - including taxation, insurance, energy, and labor costs - are incorporated to improve accuracy. We then apply property - specific parameters through ApartmentIQ data, ensuring each estimate reflects the unique characteristics of the asset like vintage, size, location or other critical factors.
 

5. Rent Comps

Explore Pro automatically generates an initial comp set using our advanced comp-matching algorithm, giving you an instant, visual snapshot of comparable properties on the map.

As you scroll, you’ll see a rundown of key metrics for each comp — including ownership group, base prices across bed counts, and property-level pricing. This allows you to quickly understand how your property stacks up within the market.

From this same table, you can instantly generate a detailed Research Report for any property in your comp set. Simply click “Generate Report” to open a full Research Report (Research Market Survey) with deeper insights and data — saving time and helping you move from market overview to in-depth analysis in one click.

6. Transactions

Get a complete view of a property’s sales activity and investment profile — all powered by our partnership with Real Capital Analytics (RCA), the industry leader in multifamily transaction data.

You’ll see the most recent sale price and date, along with details like cap rate, investment type, and a full transaction history if the property has changed hands over time.

7. New Supply

Explore upcoming developments near a property by selecting a radius from 1–10 miles. Each project displays total units, expected completion date, and includes clickable links to detailed project information.

This feature allows you to understand future market supply, anticipate competition, and make informed decisions about acquisitions, leasing, or development. Adjust the radius to focus on your specific market area and quickly identify projects that may impact your property’s performance.

8. Demographics

Understand the local market surrounding a property with demographic insights at a 1–5 mile radius. View trends in population growth, household composition, and median income to see how the area is evolving over time.

These insights help you connect property performance with local demand drivers, evaluate potential tenant bases, and make informed decisions about acquisitions, leasing, or development.

Step 3: Strategic Next Steps

Market Comparison: Use this unique feature to create a functional table comparing MSAs, counties, and cities based on specific property attributes (e.g., properties built in the last 15 years).
 

Export Data: Export any filtered property list or the Market Comparison table directly to CSV or Excel.

Conclusion: Act Faster, Decide Smarter

Explore Pro gives you the full market picture instantly, helping you move seamlessly from market trends to unit-level detail. Use it to identify opportunities quickly, reduce risk, and make confident investment decisions.