Articles

HUD Expands FHA Financing Eligibility to Qualifying BTR Projects

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced a significant policy change that expands Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance eligibility to qualifying build-to-rent (BTR) communities. Effective immediately, professionally managed rental developments consisting of detached single-family homes, duplexes, and triplexes are eligible for FHA-insured financing under the same general framework as traditional multifamily properties.

Articles

Financing a Build-to-Rent Community Through Construction, Lease-Up, and Stabilization

Single-family rentals (SFR) now house 41% of the U.S. renter population, according to Rentometer Mid-Year Report 2025: National Trends in Single-Family Rental Markets. Arbor provides investors with short-term and long-term SFR financing to meet this growing demand. Whether a sponsor is developing a build-to-rent (BTR) community, holding an SFR portfolio long-term, or acquiring assets to rehab, Arbor finances build-to-rent (BTR) communities across construction, lease-up, and stabilization under one lender relationship, backed by the strength of an $802 million BTR collateralized loan obligation Arbor closed in May 2025.

Articles

Why Top Multifamily Lenders Practice Disciplined Underwriting

Every multifamily lender says it underwrites conservatively, but few follow a truly disciplined approach. Arbor Realty Trust’s own record is a case in point, with 19 consecutive years in the Top 10 Fannie Mae Multifamily DUS Lenders, a top-three ranking in Freddie Mac’s Conventional Small program, and an upgraded Commercial Special Servicer rating from Fitch Ratings in January 2026.

Investment

Special Report Fall 2026

Arbor Realty Trust’s Special Report Fall 2026, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, leverages data-driven research to detail the state of the rental housing market. Amid headwinds, multifamily remained resilient in a selective investment environment favoring disciplined underwriting and market selection. Attractive entry points for well-positioned investors continue to populate the road ahead.

Analysis

U.S. Multifamily Market Snapshot — September 2026

The U.S. multifamily market remains on stable footing in a mixed macroeconomic climate. Rent growth continued to trend upward through the second quarter, while apartment fundamentals remained resilient amid slowing employment growth and elevated vacancies.

Current Reports

Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report Q3 2026

Arbor’s latest Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report highlights how this commercial real estate sector performed resiliently in the face of adversity last quarter. Even as policy uncertainty created new headwinds, firm operating fundamentals drove SFR forward.

Articles

Build-to-Rent Activity Remained Elevated Amid Policy Uncertainty

Build-to-rent (BTR) development remained resilient in a complicated operating environment last quarter as production continued to normalize, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data. Despite political uncertainty, higher capital costs, and other headwinds, BTR maintained a historically high share of new single-family construction.

General: 800.ARBOR.10

Commercial/Multifamily Briefs From Arbor, Cushman & Wakefield

Commercial and Multifamily Briefs From Arbor and Cushman and Wakefield

Eastern Union Offering 20 Paid Internships in Data Analytics, Research; Zoom Information Session June 7

Eastern Union, New York, is offering paid internships in data analytics and research, one of the most in-demand skills in today’s business marketplace.

Under the hands-on tutelage of company president and co-founder Ira Zlotowitz and the company’s team of data researchers, 20 paid interns will take part in a 36-hour remote training course in data analytics. The company will then hire at least one graduating intern on a full-time basis, in addition to up to fifteen on a commission basis.

The worldwide data analytics marketplace is on pace to nearly triple by 2027, a March 2020 report from ResearchAndMarkets.com found. The analysis found that demand, which stood at $37.34 billion in 2018, would increase by 281 percent to $105.08 billion within nine years.

The growth of the big data analytics research market is being driven by “the rapidly increasing volume and complexity of data…due to growing mobile data traffic, cloud-computing traffic, and burgeoning development and adoption of technologies including IoT [the internet of things] and AI [artificial intelligence],” ResearchAndMarkets.com said.

Businesses use data analytics to think more strategically — and to analyze and solve a wide spectrum of business problems. There are four primary types of data analytics: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive analytics.

The 36-hour remote internship program begins on Monday, June 14. Eastern Union is hosting an obligation-free “open house” via Zoom on Monday, June 7 from 12:00-12:30 PM ET.

For more information about the paid internship initiative, visit this link. This opportunity is open to all U.S. citizens.

CREtelligent Launches Automated Valuation Model for Commercial Properties

CREtelligent.com and Black Knight subsidiary Collateral Analytics launched a Commercial Automated Valuation Model.

CREtelligent said it can now deliver an estimated property value to a commercial real estate professional in less than 30 seconds.

“In the business of commercial real estate, knowing the value of your assets at any point in time gives you an advantage and can be instrumental in managing risk and maximizing returns,” said Anthony Romano, CEO of CREtelligent. “In some situations, speed is important, and the time and cost of a full appraisal is not an option.”

Romano noted the CAVM is not Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice-compliant or intended to replace an appraisal but can be used to make or support value assumptions. Automated valuation models have been used for decades in the residential market and have grown in popularity in commercial market in recent years.

The CREtelligent CAVM provides an instant estimated property value or probable price and includes comparables used with low, high, mean and median ranges. Property information includes loan, tax, sales history, market statistics, rental prices, net operating incomes, rent rolls and more. A CAVM can be generated for a single property or a portfolio and can be used on any property type: multifamily, industrial, retail or office.

Romano said the company plans to further its offerings in the valuation space, noting that commercial evaluations and broker price opinions are valuation reports the company currently provides on its RADIUS platform.

REIT Earnings Recovery Slows in First Quarter
After two consecutive quarters of double-digit growth, real estate investment trust earnings recovery slowed in the first quarter of 2021.

The Nareit Total REIT Industry Tracker Series report found funds from operations for all equity REITS rose 2.0 percent to $14.0 billion.

“Different parts of the economy are reopening at different speeds, and REIT performance by property sector reflects this variation,” said Calvin Schnure, Nareit Senior Economist. “The recovery is broadening with the vaccine rollout, however, and prospects for improvement have gone from ‘if’ to ‘when’.”

FFO for industrial REITs rose 15.7 percent to $1.5 billion, a record high. The retail sector–one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic–reported a 5.5 percent rise in FFO, and has recovered more than a third of the decline in FFO that occurred during the 2020 spring economic shutdowns.

Regional malls saw the greatest increase in FFO, up 14.5 percent, Nareit reported. FFO for shopping centers rose 7.8 percent while FFO for free-standing retail fell 9.9 percent. The office sector showed continued declines in the first quarter while lodging/resorts reported negative FFO for the fourth consecutive quarter.