Continually challenged by low inventory, affordable housing sits at a crossroads following the 2024 election. Incoming leadership plans to introduce market-based principles to an agenda that may also include an expanded Housing Choice Voucher program.
A loan closing is only the beginning of the borrower-lender relationship. Partnering with a lifecycle lender that also services its loans gives borrowers continuity from origination through servicing. Throughout the life of the loan, borrowers can benefit from in-house commercial loan servicers’ tailored solutions and superior customer service, which are hallmarks of a strong long-term partnership.
Four in 10 renters in large multifamily apartment communities do not envision homeownership as a part of their American Dream, a survey by Entrata recently found. Instead, lifestyle renters opt for newly constructed, high-quality rental housing with many of the typical amenities of homeownership without its traditional downsides.
The structural strengths of the single-family rentals sector far outweigh cyclical headwinds as it remains well-positioned to build on its momentum in 2025 and beyond.
Multifamily households reached a new high for the third consecutive year in 2023, extending a growth spurt that began after the 2008 housing crisis. With strong tailwinds at its back, multifamily’s latest record may not stand for very long.
The U.S. multifamily market held steady in a more normalized cycle during 2024, following the pandemic-related economic contraction and its rapid recovery. Rental demand remained strong, driven by the ongoing nationwide housing shortage and robust wage growth, as younger generations continued to embrace lifestyle renting.
Unless an 11th-hour agreement is reached, an impasse will trigger the first U.S. government shutdown since 2019. Starting December 21, 2024, many non-essential federal government operations will be limited or suspended, but most multifamily financing activities will not be disrupted.
With home prices nearing all-time highs, single-family rental (SFR) housing is uniquely positioned to capture an even larger slice of the for-sale market. As structured capital markets rebound, SFR will benefit from a set of tailwinds that include robust levels of new construction and favorable trends in cap rates and debt yields. Arbor’s Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, shows why this sector’s prospects are so strong.
From appreciation programs, to branding contests, to employee profiles, Arbor’s Corporate Culture Committee (CCC) is moving the needle forward toward fostering the best possible work environment for our people. Here’s a look at CCC’s achievements to date and what’s on the horizon …
Employee Connectivity
Goal: Connect employees to the business and each other through both internal and external activities
Interaction/Engagement
Goal: Invite employee involvement, participation, feedback and input to make them part of major initiatives
Branding
Goal: Develop a consistent corporate culture brand and use internal and external channels to attract, retain and sustain employees
Our Arbor After Hours employee profiles showcase our people and the unique and interesting ways they spend their time outside Arbor. They highlight the things employees do to give back to their communities, enrich their own lives, recharge and reenergize. From skydiving, to volunteering, to rising up to challenges, the popular articles in this continuing series add a human interest element to our business and connect employees to each other, personally and professionally.
See Who We’ve Featured
Coming up – We’re planning several new initiatives, including Arbor Appreciations, where we’ll celebrate employee milestones like birthdays, service anniversaries and special project completions. An employee recognition program, Who Brings Out the Best in You?, will provide a forum for employees to acknowledge outstanding coworkers. The idea is to recognize and reward employees for their contributions to our business and toward enhancing their work environment. We’ll also promote team-building off-sites, group gatherings and activities, anything that brings our people together.
In our robust Be the Best You Can Be video series, employees across the business get to share their Arbor journeys with their coworkers, and viewers get to learn more about their fellow employees’ careers, insights and accomplishments.
Stay Interviews are part of a recruitment effort where we talk with employees with longer tenures to find out why they chose to come – and stay – at Arbor, then we publish their quotes on both social media and internally on Captivate.
We held grand opening celebrations for our two newest offices in Boston and Atlanta.
Other Happenings
Coming up – More Arbor Meet and Greets will provide employees even greater opportunities to connect with executives, face-to-face, in a casual setting
The CCC is focused on any and all efforts to promote Arbor’s brand internally and externally. The Six-Word Story contest gave all employees across the business a voice, asking them to sum up what Arbor means to them in just six words. We received more than 100 submissions. Winning stories now brand the walls of many of our offices as a reminder of our values and corporate culture. All in Arbor green! Our written and video content further drives home our brand message and provides a glimpse into Arbor’s unique corporate culture.
Coming up – In addition to new initiatives, we’re committed to enhancing existing programs that drive Arbor’s brand in our communities and beyond. Community engagement includes expanding our Corporate Challenge events in cities like Atlanta, Dallas and Cleveland. We’re also developing our corporate social responsibility statement and defining our charitable giving. In the social media realm, we’re kicking off a 10K Follower LinkedIn campaign. And, we will be naming ‘Social Ambassadors’ among our employee base soon.
