Finance & Investment

When people think of tech hubs, they often imagine a familiar mix of standards such as Silicon Valley, Boston, and New York, or recent-growth markets like Austin and Miami. However, Northern Virginia is quickly becoming a bona fide technology hub in its own right.

With constantly changing market conditions, investors sometimes need access to capital with flexible terms to improve or secure an asset. Commercial bridge loans are a popular financing tool that provides borrowers with short-term capital for renovations and purchases. They are often the perfect first step in the door to the beginning of a long-term financial partnership.

On the heels of a strong 2023, the single-family rental (SFR) sector is positioned to expand even more in 2024. Build-to-rent (BTR) starts ticked up in the third quarter to reach 7.8%, another record high. With occupancy rates stable and lease renewal rent growth above historical averages, SFR has healthy fundamentals that will continue to support growth amid headwinds, Arbor’s Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report Q1 2024, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, shows.

Arbor’s platform of diverse multifamily financing solutions and our strong industry relationships drive us to the top of the multifamily lender rankings year after year. Through decades-long partnerships with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA, our best-in-class team delivered results for our borrowers in 2023, propelling Arbor to the top of the partner rankings.

Small multifamily starts the year from a position of strength with normalizing expense ratios and healthy occupancy rates. After demonstrating resiliency amid headwinds, this subsector is ready to capitalize on any positive momentum in the financial markets. Arbor’s Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q1 2024, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, examines and explains the key developments every investor needs to know.

As part of its focus on mission-driven lending, Fannie Mae recently introduced a new loan product designed to expand affordability and increase accessibility in communities across the country. The government-sponsored agency’s new Sponsor-Dedicated Workforce (SDW) Housing product provides financing for the creation and preservation of affordable workforce housing in underserved communities without the necessity of government subsidy.

As borrowing costs rose and rent growth slowed, multifamily developers pulled back the reins in 2023. Nationally, the number of multifamily building permits sank 20.3% last year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. However, there are many metropolitan markets where activity has not slowed. In this deep dive, our research teams show which metros led the nation in multifamily permitting activity in 2023.

Now as old as 26, Generation Z is on the cusp of reshaping the rental market as they leave the nest in increasing numbers. In fact, it is the only generation adding rental households, while the amount of millennial renters has already peaked. Gen Z, the first digital natives, is poised to become the most influential demographic in the multifamily rental market.

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.