Rent Affordability; Luxury Slowdown (Outside of Manhattan); CRE Prices at a Historic Peak; Who Pays to Keep the Lights On?

Employment report casts doubts on a Fed rate hike; crowdfunding fills in construction lending gap; CMBS industry preps for pending risk-retention rules. 

With $35.4 billion worth of multifamily investment sales, Q1 2016 was the strongest first quarter ever recorder for the apartment industry. Secondary markets and suburban properties represented much of that growth. 

New Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac multifamily caps should drive sales in 2016; NYC’s zoning code turns 100; rent growth slows in larger markets.

 Millennials and Retirees Drawn to Luxury Rentals, and Developers Respond MarketWatch – May 12, 2016 “If there’s a new apartment building going up in your neighborhood, chances are you can’t afford to live there. Much of the new rental apartment stock that hit the market last year was of the high-end, luxury variety — and that trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down, according to a new report.”

Here are our weekly picks for must-reads relating to the apartment industry, and a few items we think you’ll just find interesting.