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.

Finance

10 Items to Have on Hand for the Fastest Financing Possible

In today’s constantly evolving market environment, partnering with a lender that can balance prioritizing speed of execution with tailored solutions makes all the difference in securing the financing you need. Arbor’s experience, expertise, and innovation, combined with our willingness to understand each deal and work to make it successful, set us apart from other multifamily lenders. In our more than three decades of closing deals, we’ve found that having these 10 items on hand at the beginning of your borrowing journey helps prevent roadblocks and streamlines the entire financing process.

Articles

Markets Where the Share of Renters is Highest

The U.S. housing market reflects a patchwork of local needs, preferences, and geographies, creating distinct storylines. Across the country, many significant shifts have occurred over the last five years, an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data shows. More expensive housing markets tend to support higher percentages of rental households, and in fast-growing metros, rentals have become a highly effective and flexible way to house new residents.

General: 800.ARBOR.10

Home | In the News | Ivan Kaufman Discusses Arbor’s Strength and Diversification on The iREIT Podcast with Brad Thomas

Ivan Kaufman Discusses Arbor’s Strength and Diversification on The iREIT Podcast with Brad Thomas

Wednesday, July 12, 2023
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The iREIT Podcast

Arbor Realty Trust’s CEO discusses diversified income streams, stock buybacks, and the state of regional bank CRE lending in this wide-ranging interview.

Arbor’s diverse business model differentiates it from other multifamily lenders, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Ivan Kaufman told Brad Thomas, founder of Wide Moat Research, in an interview on the iREIT Podcast on June 16, 2023.

“We are actually more than a mortgage REIT,” said Kaufman, noting that Arbor has multiple income streams. “Not only are we a leading originator of loans that we hold in our portfolio like most mortgage REITs and create that spread, but we also have a variety of other businesses that work together that create multiple income streams and feed off of one another.”

Thomas pointed out that Kaufman’s belief in the strength of his company prompted him to initiate a stock buyback program this year.

“As everybody’s aware, there was this short report that was written on us … we knew fundamentally it was wrong, and we also knew fundamentally how solid we were as evidenced by the ability to increase our dividend by two cents and still have the lowest payout ratio in the industry.”

Kaufman saw an opportunity in Arbor’s undervalued stock price and had the liquidity and access to capital to purchase more shares.

“Our stock typically trades at an eight dividend,” he added. “An eight dividend is a $20, $21 stock price. So, we’re sitting at $10 and a quarter, and we’re like, ‘Okay, this is a no-brainer for a 50% return.’ When the market normalizes, that’s just incredible.”

Kaufman told Thomas that Arbor is well-positioned to increase its stature in the multifamily lending market following the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March.

“We used to have 10 regionals who would compete with us in that sector, [but today] we don’t have that competition. We’re a leader in that space, and we’re growing that book of business, and it’s a great book of business.”

Looking forward, Kaufman sees Arbor leading from a position of strength.

“I’m excited, and I’m excited because we lost the regional banks,” he said. “I lost a lot of competitors. We have a lot of liquidity, and the market’s going to be ours.”

Listen to the complete podcast.

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