"There was concern initially that while office buildings emptied out, multifamily buildings would be crushed by higher occupancy than what operators are used to and systems are designed for," Enertiv said. But New Yorkers had gotten out of town.

unexpected strength in the market is likely the result of pent up demand, and is unlikely to continue through the summer, according to Fannie Mae.

Apple's contribution to support affordable new housing during the pandemic couldn't come at a more critical time.

Landlords have several options to keep current tenants intact or reduce the financial ramifications if the tenant needs to step back from its current office footprint.

With an economic downturn looming, technology and innovation could be the key to attracting and retaining tenants in a buyers' and renters' market.

"For real estate, with long-life fixed assets, there is — literally — a real possibility a building might one day be underwater because of climate change," MSCI Research Executive Director Bryan Reid said.

"Needless to say, there is much more work to be done, both in terms of effective, transparent reporting and community engagement, especially with respect to bringing African Americans and other people of color into the REIT and real estate investment industry," Nareit CEO Steven Wechsler said.

Many companies realize they can get by and do business without the office.