Articles

Video: Dr. Sam Chandan Discusses Investment Opportunities in Multifamily

As the interest rate outlook brightens, unique opportunities for outsized returns abound, Dr. Sam Chandan, Founding Director of the C.H. Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance at the NYU Stern School of Business and the Non-Executive Chairman of Chandan Economics, explains in this top-level overview of Arbor’s latest Special Report.

Current Reports

Affordable Housing Trends Report Winter 2024/2025

Continually challenged by low inventory, affordable housing sits at a crossroads following the 2024 election. Incoming leadership plans to introduce market-based principles to an agenda that may also include an expanded Housing Choice Voucher program. Arbor’s Affordable Housing Trends Report Winter 2024/2025, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, provides insight into a pivotal multifamily sector about to embark in a new direction.

Articles

Investors Upbeat on Multifamily as Rate Cuts Stimulate Deal Activity

The skies surrounding commercial real estate markets are clearing, suggest the Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2025 (ETRE 2025) findings. As pandemic-related structural changes settle into place, cyclical economic trends, such as interest rates, demand, and construction levels, are now the key drivers to watch.

Articles

Annual Build-to-Rent Starts Hit Another High in Q3 2024

As more single-family rental (SFR) operators rely on build-to-rent (BTR) development to supply new inventory, construction starts have steadily risen, reaching another record high in the third quarter of 2024. SFR/BTR construction has eclipsed 92,000 units in the last four quarters — an all-time high and an annual increase of 31.4%.

Articles

LIHTC Program: An Impactful Affordable Housing Financing Resource

As renters face a national shortage of 7 million low-income rental homes, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is pivotal in helping to close the affordability gap for renters. It is the nation’s most significant resource for affordable apartment housing construction, which gives state and local agencies approximately $10 billion in annual budget authority to issue tax credits for affordable housing development.

Articles

FHFA Loan Caps for 2025: What Multifamily Borrowers Need to Know

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a $3 billion boost to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s volume cap for loan purchases in 2025 to $146 billion ($73 billion for each agency). This increase in FHFA loan caps for 2025 aligns with industry expectations, given the anticipation of improving market conditions and lending activity expected in a lower interest rate environment. Next year’s cap for the Government-Sponsored Entities (GSEs) is an increase of approximately 4% from the $140 billion limit set for 2024.

Analysis

U.S. Multifamily Market Snapshot — November 2024

The U.S. multifamily market held steady in a more normalized cycle through the first three quarters of 2024, following its skyrocketing recovery from the pandemic-related contraction. Rental demand remained strong, driven by the continued nationwide housing shortage and strong wage growth, while the high levels of new construction seen over the last two years appears to have peaked.

Current Reports

Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q4 2024

Small multifamily’s normalization pushed forward last quarter as the Federal Reserve made a long-awaited reduction to the target federal funds rate. Arbor’s Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q4 2024, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, shows signs of stability have multiplied. Robust rental demand, a limited supply of quality affordable housing, and several other promising developments should support the subsector’s strength heading into 2025.

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Arbor Co-Funds Emerald Empire’s Acquisition of Pangea Properties’ Chicago Portfolio

UNIONDALE, NY (December 23, 2022) – Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR), a leading multifamily and commercial mortgage lender, recently co-funded one of the largest Fannie Mae Structured Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (SARM) loans of 2022 in support of New York-based Emerald Empire’s acquisition of Pangea Properties’ Chicago portfolio.

The deal was primarily financed by Arbor Realty Trust. NewPoint Real Estate Capital also participated in the transaction.

The sale spans several hundred properties and thousands of units, of which 97% are considered “affordable” at 60% of Area Median Income (AMI). The deal also provides career continuity for Pangea Properties’ Chicago-area employees, who will be kept on to manage the properties for Emerald.

“The transaction is representative of the strong social commitment to the provision and preservation of affordable housing shared by both Fannie Mae and Arbor Realty Trust, as well as by Emerald Empire,” said Ivan Kaufman, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Arbor Realty Trust. “We have been a Top 10 Fannie Mae DUS® Multifamily Lender for more than a decade, and the longstanding relationships across our teams equip us to close major transactions in support of housing affordability for urban families.”

To support the mission-driven goal of creating equitable financial opportunities for renters by sharing their on-time rent payments with the three major credit bureaus for incorporation in the renters’ credit profiles, this portfolio of properties will become participants in Fannie Mae’s innovative Multifamily Positive Rent Payment Reporting pilot program.

“Fannie Mae is proud to have worked with Arbor Realty Trust on this impactful transaction” said Michele Evans, Executive Vice president and Head of Multifamily, Fannie Mae. “In addition to providing affordable housing in Chicago, this deal also provides positive rent payment reporting, offering residents opportunities to build credit.”

About Us
Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR) is a nationwide real estate investment trust and direct lender, providing loan origination and servicing for multifamily, single-family rental (SFR) portfolios, and other diverse commercial real estate assets. Headquartered in Uniondale, New York, Arbor manages a multibillion-dollar servicing portfolio, specializing in government-sponsored enterprise products. Arbor is a leading Fannie Mae DUS® lender, Freddie Mac Optigo® Seller/Servicer, and an approved FHA Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) lender. Arbor’s product platform also includes bridge, CMBS, mezzanine, and preferred equity loans. Rated by Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Ratings, Arbor is committed to building on its reputation for service, quality and customized solutions with an unparalleled dedication to providing our clients excellence over the entire life of a loan.