Driven by investor confidence in multifamily housing’s long-term fundamentals, the volume of debt outstanding in the sector has grown by nearly 150% since the end of the Great Recession. As this piece will detail, where investment dollars have flowed, housing demand has followed. Through an analysis of newly released U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data, our research teams pinpoint the growing size and scope of the largest rental housing property type.
Even as the single-family rental (SFR) sector has attracted increased investor activity, the total number of SFR households has moderated due to the influence of overarching housing trends.
In this video, Dr. Sam Chandan, Founding Director of the C.H. Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance at the NYU Stern School of Business and non-executive chairman of Chandan Economics, discusses key takeaways from Arbor’s Affordable Housing Trends Report Fall 2023.
The pandemic-era federal and state eviction moratoriums put extreme financial pressure on many in the affordable housing sector. With that issue stabilized and with the recent drop in rates, “many borrowers are now finding that the time is now right to recapitalize or close new affordable housing loans that many borrowers had understandably delayed,” said Arthanais Williams, Managing Director of Affordable Housing at Arbor Realty Trust.
A nationwide housing shortage of rental homes, coupled with the rising costs of homeownership, has fueled the popularity of high-quality, affordable single-family rental (SFR)/build-to-rent (BTR) homes. In recent years, SFR/BTR construction starts have consistently reached new highs. In today’s economic environment, where mortgage payments are more expensive than rent payments in many markets, build-to-rent loans are a forward-thinking investment strategy.
The SFR sector is well-positioned to limit distress through the challenges of the current moment while advancing its standing within the single-family housing market for the long term.
Following a banner year in 2022, the U.S. multifamily market held steady during 2023. Arbor provided research and insights into our markets throughout the year. Here’s a look at our top Arbor research articles from 2023, in case you missed them.
Miami — a market with an attractive climate, urban amenities, and quality transportation options — has seen intense post-pandemic population growth. While its resurgence has been celebrated by many, Miami’s success has come at the cost of weakening rental affordability in the city.
In the last quarter of 2022, the multifamily sector continues to thrive despite ongoing economic uncertainty. As the investment community looks ahead to 2023, Arbor’s Managing Director, Senior Production Officer Jean-Laurent Pouliot discusses what’s in store for multifamily and how Arbor is positioned to help investors continue to exceed expectations next year.
With the latest release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), policymakers and consumers alike found signs of inflation relief for the first time in a long time. Despite the CPI’s overall improvement in October, one notable price category is still seeing rising inflation: rent of primary residence. The annual growth rate for the rent component of the CPI has now increased for 15 consecutive months.
The single-family rental (SFR) market maintained a favorable outlook in the third quarter of 2022 as the national housing market began cooling. Amid economic headwinds, SFR is well-positioned as a primary alternative for would-be homebuyers priced out of ownership in today’s high-interest-rate housing market.
With investors now seeking inflation protection, the small multifamily sector continues to see gains. Arbor’s new quarterly Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report, published in partnership with Chandan Economics, sheds light on key trends, including firm cap rates, climbing valuations, and elevated originations, despite tightening underwriting standards.
When Americans go to the ballot box on November 8, the congressional map will look slightly different than it has for the past decade. Six states picked up seats in the House of Representatives: Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, Texas, and Oregon. The results of the last five years (2018-2022) of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey ASEC explore the reasons households provided for moving to those states that will be gaining more representation in Washington, D.C.
All of the top 50 metropolitan areas in the U.S. registered unemployment rate improvements during the 12 months ending in August 2022. Los Angeles led the country with the largest decline in its unemployment rate, shaving off 3.7 percentage points from one year ago. Riverside (-3.3%), Detroit (-3.2%), San Diego (-3.1%), and Sacramento (-2.8%) all followed closely behind with sizable declines.
The increased frequency of major hurricanes brings into question whether robust in-migration patterns will hold in the face of growing climate risks. While there is a growing concern that the increase in extreme weather events could dampen housing demand in at-risk or effected areas, history displays a different pattern.
Arbor’s Affordable Housing Trends Report Fall 2022, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, examines the affordable housing market’s growth trajectory in a challenging economic climate. It examines key programs, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), likely to influence the market’s performance in the coming year.
In this video, Sam Chandan, Founder of Chandan Economics, provides a top-level overview of Arbor’s latest report, Top Opportunities in Large Multifamily Investment 2022. He explains how this report measured and ranked U.S. markets’ strengths and weaknesses in a turbulent economic environment.
Single-family rental starts reached an all-time high in 2022. But with homebuilding prices climbing this year, curbing construction costs has become increasingly important. By utilizing strategies, such as market site selection and smaller property buildouts, SFR developers have identified efficiencies to better manage construction costs.