Articles

Where Multifamily Permitting is Intensifying and Accelerating

While national multifamily permitting stabilizes, the authorization of new apartment buildings with five or more units has become more heavily concentrated in smaller, rapidly growing metropolitan areas. From Durham, NC, to Fayetteville, AR, and Raleigh, NC, new U.S. Census Bureau data reveal where multifamily permitting was most concentrated and where it was accelerating fastest in the first half of 2026.

Articles

Small Multifamily Lending Volume Moves Steadily Higher

Small multifamily lending activity rose during the first half of 2026. According to the latest Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report from Arbor Realty Trust and Chandan Economics, originations on loans with original balances between $1 million and $9 million reached an annualized pace of $71.6 billion through the second quarter. At this pace, originations are running 2.8% above the $69.6 billion total for 2025, placing small multifamily on pace for a third consecutive annual increase.

Current Reports

Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q3 2026

Arbor Realty Trust’s latest Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, evaluates what’s driving this sector’s ongoing stability as macroeconomic conditions remain mixed. Loan originations rose last quarter, and valuations are rebounding, signaling that normalization is taking hold.

Articles

SFR Rent Growth Accelerated and Expanded in First Half of 2026

Single-family rental (SFR) conditions strengthened during the first half of 2026, with rents rising across all 50 of the nation’s largest metros between December 2025 and June 2026. Growth was broad-based but uneven, with many Northeast and Midwest markets outperforming major Sun Belt metros.

Articles

Multifamily Completions Shift to Larger, Lower-Rise Properties

This year’s data show that while multifamily completions moderated from 2024’s elevated pace, the sector’s shift toward larger properties continued. At the same time, larger has not necessarily meant taller, as lower-rise buildings continue to account for most new multifamily completions.

General: 800.ARBOR.10

Ivan Kaufman Talks Housing’s Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels on Yahoo Finance Live

Arbor on Yahoo Finance

Arbor Realty Trust’s CEO discusses the for-sale and for-rent markets, seeing rents returning to pre-pandemic levels

All sectors of the housing market are seeing price appreciation, “whether it be for-sale, for-rent…multifamily or single-family,” noted Ivan Kaufman, founder, chairman and CEO of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR), in an interview on Yahoo Finance Live with Seana Smith and Brian Cheung.

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index saw an 18.6% increase in June, a level not seen in more than 30 years. Kaufman attributes this boom to pent-up demand meeting limited inventory.

“There’s just not enough supply and with the pandemic having happened, everyone wanted to go out and buy a home and move out to the suburbs,” Kaufman said.

The Sun Belt markets have certainly been the top performers during the pandemic, benefitting from significant in-migration of those looking for more space and a lower cost of living.

The biggest surprise so far this year, however, has been the strength of the urban areas, he noted, with rents returning to pre-pandemic levels in several markets. As many companies delay their return-to-office plans, people are putting a bigger emphasis on their accommodations, Kaufman said.

Even with the rise of the Delta variant, renters are returning to cities as schools, restaurants, retail and other entertainment options reopen.

“Let’s face it, people want to get back to the city. They enjoy the city…So, I think there was a time out, that time out is coming to an end,” Kaufman said. “There’s a transition period of time, but make no mistake about it, people are running back to the city.”

Watch the full interview here.