Articles

SFR Rent Growth: Top Markets and Leading Regions

Elevated mortgage interest rates and high home prices boosted demand for single-family rentals (SFR) last year, supporting the growth of rents in almost all of the 100 largest metropolitan areas. Pricing momentum, which averaged 4.5% nationally, was concentrated in affordable markets in the Northeast and Midwest, an analysis of Zillow’s Observed Rent Index data shows.

Articles

Build-to-Rent’s Robust Activity Settles into Stable Pattern

Increasingly, single-family rental (SFR) operators have been relying on build-to-rent (BTR) development to satisfy their inventory needs. The popularity of BTR communities made economies of scale possible for the SFR sector in the recovery after the 2007 housing crisis and continues to fill a housing need nationwide. Now, newly released U.S. Census Bureau data shows that SFR development activity remained robust even as its momentum slowed, moving the sector into a more stable equilibrium.

Articles

Advancing Sustainability in CRE Finance in a Shifting Landscape

With political headwinds reshaping the corporate responsibility landscape, commercial real estate (CRE) leaders, policymakers, and academics recently gathered in New York City for the NYU Stern Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance’s 3rd Annual Symposium on Innovation & Sustainable Real Estate to discuss the future of sustainable real estate finance, investment, operations, and technology. In a series of panel discussions, industry leaders offered their perspectives on how sustainability is evolving in a new political environment and why green policies still make business sense.

Articles

Dr. Sam Chandan Sees an Opportune Moment Emerging for Multifamily Buyers

Rental housing remains uniquely positioned for continued growth in an environment of economic volatility and political uncertainty, Dr. Sam Chandan, founding director of the C.H. Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance at the NYU Stern School of Business and founder of Chandan Economics, asserts in his video overview of Arbor’s Special Report Spring 2025.

Current Reports

Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q1 2025

Arbor’s Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q1 2025, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, examines a key commercial real estate sector that consistently shows stability amid ongoing economic volatility. Small multifamily continues to show positive trends in key indicators, such as asset valuations, originations volume, and construction, signaling that the sector should continue to overpower headwinds as it builds on its ongoing momentum.

Articles

Top Markets for Multifamily Permitting Per Capita

With construction activity continuing to vary according to market, newly released U.S. Census Bureau data reveals emerging trends in multifamily building permits issued and how supply dynamics are poised to impact rent pricing patterns in the nation’s top 100 markets.

Articles

FHA Loan Changes Boost Access to Affordable and Market-Rate Multifamily Financing

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced that new Federal Housing Administration (FHA) rules designed to boost housing production are now in effect. The new rules bring more favorable debt service coverage ratios (DSCRs), loan-to-cost ratios (LTC), and loan-to-value (LTV) ratios on certain types of FHA multifamily loans, unlocking more proceeds to borrowers.

Analysis

U.S. Multifamily Market Snapshot — February 2025

The U.S. multifamily sector finished 2024 with the wind at its sails, as the market settled into a more normalized cycle. Rental demand continued to be driven by solid wage growth and household formation, as well as high home prices leading many would-be-homebuyers to consider lifestyle renting.

General: 800.ARBOR.10

FREDDIE MAC®

Lease-Up Loan

Arbor’s Freddie Mac Lease-Up Loan product allows newly constructed properties to lock in a rate and fund a loan before the collateral is fully stabilized.

Description Refinance Lease-Up – Refinancing for newly constructed properties
Acquisition Lease-Up – Acquisition financing for newly constructed properties
Loan Amount Typically $10M and up
Loan Terms 5-10 years
Loan Types Fixed- and floating-rate loans; Interest-only (I/O) available during lease-up period
Eligible Property Types
  • Well-constructed properties exhibiting strong lease-up trends in good locations and strong markets
  • Student housing and manufactured housing community transactions are not eligible
  • Stabilization expected within 12 months of closing
Eligible Borrowers Borrowers must have experience with new construction or lease-up properties and generally have strong financial capacity and real estate management expertise with good performance and credit history
Amortization 30 years
Minimum DCR
  • 1.30x (Conventional and Targeted Affordable)
  • 1.35x (Seniors Housing with Independent Living)
  • 1.45x (Seniors Housing with Assisted Living)
Maximum LTV (as-stabilized)
  • 75% for Refinance Lease-Up (Conventional and Targeted Affordable)
  • 70% for Refinance Lease-Up (Seniors Housing with Independent Living or Assisted Living
  • 70% for Acquisition Lease-Up (Conventional, Targeted Affordable Seniors Housing with Independent Living or Assisted Living)
Minimum Cash Equity Requirement
  • 15% for Refinance Lease-Up (Conventional and Targeted Affordable)
  • 20% for Refinance Lease-Up (Seniors Housing with Independent Living or Assisted Living)
  • 25% for Acquisition Lease-Up (Conventional, Targeted Affordable and Seniors Housing with Independent Living or Assisted Living)
Lease-Up Credit Enhancement Requirements
  • Lease-Up Credit Enhancement is required for all Lease-Up transactions
  • The form of the Lease-Up Credit Enhancement will be determined by Freddie Mac
  • The Lease-Up Credit Enhancement must be at least 5% of the unpaid principal balance (10% if the Lease-Up Credit Enhancement is a guaranty, subject to additional conditions)
  • Release of Lease-Up Credit Enhancement will occur once the property has achieved the required amortizing DCR based on average performance of the past 3 months, net rental income for the past 1 month meets or exceeds the level necessary to reach the required amortization DCR, and met other standard conditions as set forth by Freddie Mac
  • If the required DCR is not reached within 12 months, the Lease-Up Credit Enhancement will be used to resize the loan and recast the payments
Appraisal Report Must provide the “as-is” and “as-stabilized” value for the property
Closing Debt Service Escrow An additional 3-month debt service escrow may be required based on the property’s actual operations at underwriting
Rate Lock
  • 50% occupied
  • 60% leased
  • 60% or more Certificates of Occupancy issued
Premier Sponsors & Markets Except for Seniors Housing, additional flexibility is available on a case-by-case basis through an assessment of the sponsor and market as determined by Freddie Mac
Closing
  • 1.05x DCR (Refinance Lease-Up) and 1.0x DCR (Acquisition Lease-Up)
  • 65% occupied
  • 75% leased
  • 100% of Certificates of Occupancy issued (Conventional and Targeted Affordable)
  • 90% of Certificates of Occupancy issued (Seniors Housing with Independent Living or Assisted Living)
  • Assisted Living properties must have all required licenses authorizing operations

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