A survey of multi-family builders and property managers by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) indicates an improvement in housing starts and a decline in vacancies compared with the previous quarter, both of which spell positive news for apartment and condo builders across the United States.

The NAHB Multifamily Production Index (MPI) increased to a value of 35.6 for the third quarter of 2010, up from the 26.6 level reported for the second quarter. This is the highest the MPI has been since 2007.