Dylan Simon -- Colliers International

"High occupancy rates are helping keep apartment rents high and rising. 'Rent growth—while below the cycle’s peaks—has outperformed many investors’ expectations,' says Willett. Same-property rents for new leases climbed 2.6 percent in first quarter compared to the year before. That’s about the same as the rate of rent growth has been over the last four quarters, according to RealPage."

"Both cities will see costs rise by 5 percent, outpacing the expected 4.3 percent increase in the top 46 global markets, according to the company's annual International Construction Market Survey. The expected rate of cost escalation for San Francisco is unchanged from 2017, when it also rose 5 percent."

"According to their newest report, the U.S. apartment market is larger than office, industrial and retail combined, with multifamily accounting for $2 trillion of that total."

“The national average rent in a high-end building is around $1,640 per month, about $490 more than an apartment in a low-end building. However, these broad-based averages do not mean much, as prices can vary by thousands of dollars from one city to another.”

Seattle Statistics:

Average rent in a high-end apartment: $2,261

Price range: $1,723 (studio) to $3,595 (3-bed)

Change in high-end rents in the last 3 years: +13.2%

Price difference compared to a low-end apartment: $644

"After stumbling out of the gate in 2017, the apartment investment market posted a strong Q1, according to Real Capital Analytics (RCA), deal volume growing by 55 percent, year-over-year. Of the sectors tracked by RCA, the apartment sector, which saw 27 percent more activity than office, was the 'largest, most liquid' commercial group in Q1, RCA reports."