Arbor Realty Trust’s Top Markets for Multifamily Investment Report, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, weighed 25 variables within 10 categories to pinpoint the large metropolitan areas that are this spring’s most attractive locations for commercial real estate investment.
In many urban areas, densely concentrated housing, strong transit networks, and walkable neighborhoods offer residents viable environmentally friendly commuting alternatives. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, Arbor Realty Trust and Chandan Economics examined commuting patterns of workers living in multifamily rental housing in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas to identify where renters rely least on private cars to travel to the office.
Arbor Realty Trust, a long-term partner of Project Destined, is once again reaffirming our commitment to the next generation of commercial real estate leaders by participating in two new programs this spring that will provide students with invaluable insight into multifamily real estate and single-family rental (SFR) financing.
Arbor Realty Trust and Chandan Economics’ latest Special Report leverages industry-leading data analysis to interpret key multifamily real estate trends as the sector moves from recalibration to stabilization. With occupancy levels remaining strong and loan originations rebounding sharply, this biannual report outlines why now is an opportune time to deploy capital.
The nation’s rental housing is older than at any point on record, with a median age of 45 years, according to the 2026 America’s Rental Housing report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS). America’s aging housing stock has created unique opportunities as the need for capital investments to rehabilitate and preserve affordable housing units rapidly rises.
Arbor’s Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report Q1 2026, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, spotlights how market shifts, including the rising cost of living and historically high build-to-rent activity, have fueled record rental household growth.
Multifamily permitting trends indicate continued national stability amid local recalibration. Across the country, issuances were steady, rising just 2.6% in 2025. At the metropolitan level, trends diverged sharply, with some markets accelerating and others pulling back. Per-capita leaders continued to cluster around high-growth Sun Belt and regional hubs, while year-over-year market-level fluctuations suggest that more pipelines have become increasingly selective and, in some cases, more concentrated in large-scale projects.
The small multifamily sector entered 2026 on a strong note, even as lending conditions remained shaped by persistently high interest rates and regulatory uncertainties.
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Units
Tallahassee
Year Built
Inman Equities, a repeat Arbor borrower, was looking for a bridge loan to finance the acquisition and conversion of a student housing property into a market-rate traditional multifamily development. Once the property was stabilized, Inman Equities wanted to pursue permanent financing for a property they felt had tremendous upside potential. The borrower was also interested in making Canyon Park Apartments a “green” community with financing that would reduce energy and water consumption.
First, Arbor’s Eugene Yanovskiy, VP, Sales, worked with Inman Equities to secure an Arbor Bridge Loan to finance the acquisition, conversion, and rehab of a Tallahassee, FL, student housing development. After the property was converted to market-rate multifamily housing, Yanovskiy partnered with Inman Equities again to secure a Fannie Mae Standard DUS® loan to permanently finance the property. Canyon Park Apartments was also enrolled in Fannie Mae Green Rewards, a program that provides more favorable pricing and funds green upgrades that reduce a property’s carbon footprint.
Inman Equities secured $29.5 million in financing to renovate, remodel, and enhance the student housing development, which would become an apartment community with shared amenities, such as a pool, pickleball courts, and outdoor grilling stations. Arbor’s strong industry relationships made the process seamless and timely. After enrolling in Green Rewards, Inman Equities received a lower interest rate and incentives to make environmentally friendly improvements that add value to the property.