Articles

The Most Active Markets for New Multifamily Development in 2025

After the volume of multifamily permits fell nationally in 2023 and 2024, this year is on pace to be a year of stabilization for multifamily development. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, out of the top 100 largest U.S. metros by population, 47 had more multifamily permits through the first six months of 2025 than they did over the same period last year. Driven by strong underlying multifamily demand, attractive investment opportunities are leading to rebounding construction pipelines. As multifamily permitting rises, we explore the markets where new permits issued are most concentrated and where construction activity is gaining momentum.

Current Reports

Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q3 2025

Arbor’s Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q3 2025, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, examines the factors behind the continued upward trajectory of the sector amid an ongoing capital markets recalibration. Several of its core performance metrics, including valuations, originations, and credit standards, have shown measurable improvement as a multifamily market-wide normalization takes shape. Supported by strong fundamentals, small multifamily stands tall despite economic uncertainty.

Analysis

U.S. Multifamily Market Snapshot — August 2025

The U.S. multifamily market stood on the cusp of a new cycle at the halfway point of 2025, as demand continued to be driven by favorable demographic trends and a structural need for housing.

Articles

Small Multifamily Continues Steady Price Growth

Small multifamily valuations realized positive year-over-year growth in the second quarter of 2025, demonstrating the sector’s ongoing resilience in an unsettled economic environment. Steady rent growth, improving operating expense ratios, and stable cap rates helped move price growth into positive territory.

Articles

Metro-Level SFR Rent Growth Trends in the First Half of 2025

Albany, NY, and many other affordable mid-sized metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) outpaced the national rent growth average for single-family rental (SFR) properties in the first half of 2025, according to an analysis of Zillow’s Observed Rent Index, which tracks the 100 largest markets in the U.S.

Articles

Larger Buildings and Smaller Units: How New Multifamily Completions Continue to Evolve

Driven by high construction costs, land constraints, and rental affordability, developers are increasingly prioritizing smaller units in higher-density multifamily properties. Utilizing data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual Survey of Construction, the research teams at Chandan Economics and Arbor Realty Trust have analyzed how the characteristics of new multifamily properties continue to evolve.

General: 800.ARBOR.10

Ivan Kaufman on Bloomberg TV’s “What’d You Miss?”: The Housing Market is Booming

Ivan Kaufman on Bloomberg TV

Arbor Realty Trust’s CEO explains why 2021 will be another phenomenal year for the housing market

Despite pandemic-related concerns, the housing industry had an extraordinary year in 2020. While 2021 may not see as robust price appreciation, low supply and pent-up demand will support another strong year for the housing market, noted Ivan Kaufman, the founder, chairman and CEO of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR), in an interview on Bloomberg TV’s “What’d You Miss?” with Caroline Hyde, Joe Weisenthal and Romaine Bostick.

Even with the recent rise in interest rates, homeowners and consumers have been benefitting from low interest rates while creating “an enormous amount of wealth, almost $4 trillion of savings for homeowners,” Kaufman noted. “The bump up in interest rates has had a nominal effect but rates are still at historic lows.”

Getting into specific sectors of the housing market, Kaufman noted he’s extremely bullish on multifamily, which has “outperformed almost every other sector consistently and even through dislocations and recessions,” and the single-family market due to the rising homeownership rate and home price appreciation.

He noted, however, that the asset class he’s most excited about is the single-family build-for-rent community sector.

“It’s a new asset class, it’s being done very efficiently with a lot of demand and desire. And I think people have a hybrid between renting in a multifamily unit versus buying in a single-family community and that’s the sector I like the most in this investment cycle,” Kaufman said.

In the interview, Kaufman also shared his insights on the returning to cities. He noted that while there was a fear of a mass exodus, people will begin to return to the urban areas, especially younger people who want to live and work where there’s a lot of action.

He added that New York City is already beginning to see a resurgence.

“Over the last 30 days, you’ve had a rent adjustment in New York City. The number of apartments being rents are at record numbers, albeit at lower rates, but people are renting and renting quickly. There’s huge demand and concessions are disappearing.”

Looking at other commercial real estate sectors, Kaufman noted that the retail sector will face the most challenges, given that it was already going through a reconfiguration pre-COVID. On the other hand, he expects hard-hit sectors like restaurants and hospitality to begin to recover due to people’s pent-up desire to travel and dine out once they are vaccinated and places open up more capacity.

Watch the full interview here.