WASHINGTON, DC-The housing industry received good news in theform of two separate reports from the National Associationof Home Builders. In one, the MultifamilyProduction Index held steady with a score of 52, making itthe third straight quarter with a reading over 50. In the other,NAHB reported that the number of housing markets considered to be"improving" has jumped by 76 to reach 201 in December.

The MPI measures builder and developer sentiment about currentconditions in the apartment and condominium market on a scale of 0to 100. In the third quarter of 2012, the MPI component trackingbuilder and developer perceptions of market-rate rental propertiesreached a record score of 69. In addition it has been over 60 forfive consecutive quarters, which is the longest sustained period ofstrength since the inception of the index in 2003. For-sale unitshad its highest reading since the fourth quarter of 2005, of 44,while low-rent units dropped 15 points to 46.

"Our baseline forecast calls for further steady growth in therate of multifamily production," says NAHB chief economistDavid Crowe, in a prepared statement. That said,he noted that areas of concern still exist, especially at theaffordable end of the rental apartment market, where builderconfidence dropped dramatically in the third quarter.