Modern times offer exciting opportunities for direct real estate investors. With properties across the spectrum realizing a significant growth trajectory, real estate investments can offer both attractive returns and diversification benefits. Specifically, apartments offer a long track record of favorable risk-adjusted returns, a higher dividend payout ratio and healthy growth of net operating income (NOI) relative to other property types. However, to determine the right strategy for apartment investing, investors have myriad factors to consider before deploying capital. All of the calculations, analysis and forecasting culminate into one overarching goal: to maximize returns and minimize risk.