LOS ANGELES—A longtime advocate of the multifamily market, Sharon Dworkin Bell has one foot in the industry and the other in Washington, DC. Bell, the senior staff vice president of the National Association of Home Builders, shared her views on one of the lead panels at the RealShare Apartments 2013 Conference, held here last month. She also took some time to sit down with GlobeSt.com for a frank discussion on the economy and how it's impacting the apartment industry.

Specifically, she discussed how the many issues in Washington, DC—especially the government shutdown—are impacting the multifamily market, and how the lack of decision-making in Congress is making industry participants take pause in their own dealings. Bell also spoke about we are in today's cycle, where the market is headed, concern over bubbles forming in terms of supply and pricing and whether developers are pricing themselves out of some markets, given rising rents in the face of stagnant income growth.

And, in the face of voting season, she gave one important piece of advice to all listeners out there. Watch the video for more.