Current Reports

Top Markets for Multifamily Investment Report Spring 2025

Arbor’s Top Markets for Multifamily Investment Report Spring 2025, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, is your roadmap to the best locations to deploy capital. Based on the findings of our exclusive Multifamily Opportunity Matrix, this in-depth analysis assesses economic strength and market capabilities to navigate evolving conditions of the top 50 largest U.S. metros.

Research

Arbor’s data-driven articles and research reports empower multifamily and single-family rental investors and developers to make more profitable financial decisions.

Articles

Renters Account for Majority of Household Growth

The number of rental households climbed nearly 2% last year, as 848,000 more households became renters, an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancies and Homeownership Survey shows (Chart 1). Rental households also hit a new high of 45.3 million, accounting for more than half of all U.S. household growth in 2024. Weakening affordability, evolving lifestyle preferences, and a limited supply of quality housing all contributed to surging multifamily and single-family rental (SFR) demand.

Articles

Solar Panel Usage Accelerates in Rental Properties

Solar panel installations, which skyrocketed in the U.S. over the last half-century, are projected to double to 10 million in just six years. While installations soared in all types of residences, owner-occupied properties significantly outpaced rentals. However, the evolving economics of solar power may be approaching a tipping point for single-family rental (SFR) operators looking for a differentiator.

Analysis

Small Multifamily Investment Snapshot — March 2025

Amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty, the small multifamily sector remains favorably positioned for stability as the structural need for affordable housing in the U.S. has supported the strength of the sector’s demand profile.

Articles

Top Markets for Rental Occupancy

Nationally, vacancies have risen, but the performance of rental housing is extremely localized. Out of the 75 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, the occupancy rate for all types of rental properties, including single-family rentals, 2-4 family, multifamily, and mobile homes, increased in 36 markets last year, while exceeding 95% in nearly one-third of all markets, according to an analysis of newly released U.S. Census Bureau data.[1] From Grand Rapids, MI, to Columbia, SC, the top markets for rental occupancy show where conditions are tightest and demand is strongest.

General: 800.ARBOR.10

Ivan Kaufman Reveals Why Arbor Is a Top-Performing REIT on NYSE Floor Talk

Arbor Realty Trust’s CEO discusses what sets Arbor apart and how it has thrived amid the pandemic

Most commercial mortgage REITs focus on one product line, but Arbor’s diverse platform has allowed it to stand out from the competition, noted Ivan Kaufman, the founder, chairman and CEO of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR), in an interview with NYSE Floor Talk’s Judy Shaw.

“In every single climate, we’re very active with different products depending where interest rates are, depending where market demand is, and depending on where the consumer preferences are. So we’re not just relying on one product and we have multiple income streams,” he said.

One business Arbor is particularly active in is single-family build-to-rent. Kaufman used his decades of experience in the single-family residential industry to successfully lead Arbor into the single-family rental (SFR) business and develop its own proprietary Single-Family Rental Portfolio platform in late 2019. Arbor was also one of the first lenders to enter the space and the business has grown significantly over the past few years.

Build-to-rent is a segment of the SFR market that has taken off due to the pandemic and millennials moving to the suburbs as they mature and start families.

“If people can’t afford to buy or home or it doesn’t fit their economic profile, they rent a home. Renting a home has become a very high in demand experience,” he noted.

Developers are capitalizing on this mounting demand for rental homes. They are buying land and building communities with homes specifically for rent, while offering amenities often found in apartment complexes. Kaufman noted that because of the efficiencies that have evolved over the last few years, builders are finding they can develop these communities at a similar cost to a multifamily property.

As build-to-rent gains attention, institutional investors are beginning to enter the space. Builders are seeing the benefits of selling a portion of their single-family communities to larger investors who will turn around and rent out those units, Kaufman explained.

Build-to-rent is “a great asset class to be in and I’m glad Arbor Realty Trust is front and center in that market,” he said. “It’s dominating our platform.”

For more insights, watch the full interview above.