Increasingly, single-family rental (SFR) operators have been relying on build-to-rent (BTR) development to bridge the housing gap, accelerating the momentum of SFR construction through 2024’s halfway point. Both total SFR/BTR housing starts and BTR’s share of all single-family housing starts reached new record highs in the second quarter, setting the stage for another banner year.
The small multifamily outlook continues to brighten as more signs indicate a normalization has already begun. In the second quarter, originations activity and borrowing conditions improved as completions sat at a five-decade high, Arbor’s Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q3 2024, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, shows. While the subsector’s fundamentals are trending up, it still has room for growth when interest rate relief arrives.
While the overall pace of new multifamily permitting per capita in the U.S. slowed recently, it has picked up momentum in pockets of the country, especially the Midwest. In the first two quarters of 2024, Madison, WI, Columbus, OH, and Omaha, NE, were among the major metropolitan markets posting solid permitting gains, another sign of multifamily’s strength in all cycles.
The U.S. multifamily market followed the quick pandemic contraction with a strong recovery, and has now normalized into a more stable cycle. Demand remained strong across the country, with a wide variety of markets among the leaders for rent growth.
Did you know that more U.S. renters now spend over 30% of their income on housing and utilities than at any other time on record? Limited affordable housing options not only increase the rent burdens of low-income tenants but disrupt physical and mental health, underscoring the need for the creation and preservation of more affordable housing units nationwide. Quality affordable housing adds stability to communities and supports healthier environments that can significantly improve well-being.
After skyrocketing through a boom cycle over the past two years, the U.S. multifamily market settled into a cycle of stabilization in the first half of 2024. Rents held steady, occupancy increased, and vacancy rates remained in line with historical averages, while investor sentiment remained positive.
Single-family rental (SFR) CMBS issuance saw a sizeable pickup through the first half of 2024, with $4.2 billion in new issuance, placing it on pace to at least triple last year’s annual total.
Whether you are just beginning your investing journey or are looking to take your portfolio to the next level, Arbor stands ready with our talented team and decades of expertise. Given our vast experience and national footprint of successful deals, we are familiar with many common commercial real estate investor questions, such as the ones answered in this article.
Freddie Mac multifamily loans provide customized, innovative multifamily financing solutions for use in the purchasing and refinancing of properties with rentable housing units. From Small Balance Loans to Floating-Rate, commercial real estate borrowers can benefit from excellent terms and conditions. Among a wide range of Freddie Mac options available through Arbor, these five loan programs have key advantages worth considering.
A new update to Freddie Mac Green Advantage®, an attractive loan program in a rising interest rate environment, has added new incentives to going green to more multifamily borrowers than ever before. Freddie Mac recently announced a 15 bps pricing benefit to borrowers on top of any affordability benefits currently offered. At the same time, all previous affordability requirements were lifted, opening to door to more investors seeking to improve the sustainability of our communities.
Arbor Senior Vice President, Special Projects, Governance and Risk, Leah Fisher was the 2023 sole honoree at the second annual Family & Children’s Association (FCA) Long Island Women in Philanthropy breakfast and fashion show on March 30 at The Mansion at Oyster Bay in Woodbury, New York. Ms. Fisher gave a keynote speech at the event that encouraged attendees to get involved in their communities.
While the 2008 financial crisis prompted a cyclical shift in U.S. housing — impacting everything from home prices to who can qualify for a mortgage — an equally impactful demographic change was just taking shape. The unprecedented wave of Baby Boomers that began retiring would disrupt the balance of the housing market.
As secondary and tertiary markets continue to gain parity with larger primary cities around the nation, they offer investors a significant potential for return on investment, even as the U.S. and global economic landscapes face notable headwinds.
Arbor Senior Vice President, Special Projects, Governance and Risk, Leah Fisher recently spoke on a thought-provoking panel discussion at InnovateESG 2023, a conference focused on environmental, social, and governance missions, hosted by NYU Stern’s Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance.
From Standard DUS® to Small Loans to Structured ARMs, Fannie Mae multifamily loans provide excellent terms and competitive, tiered pricing that enable investors to generate steady and reliable income streams in all economic cycles.
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s CREF23 conference in San Diego in mid-February included comprehensive and insightful panel discussions led by some of the brightest minds in multifamily. During the four-day event, key themes and takeaways emerged that will likely shape the conversation on multifamily financing throughout the year.
Arbor is grateful for our long-time partnerships with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that have allowed us to achieve top lender status across multiple loan products year in and year out. Our best-in-class multifamily financing solutions have once again propelled Arbor to the top of 2022’s partner rankings.
Even as some developers have pumped the brakes on single-family construction, construction starts of single-family rental (SFR) units soared to a new record high in 2022 — a signal that demographic and structural tailwinds continue to outweigh cyclic recessionary headwinds.