Articles

Why Multifamily Finance Demands an Active Mindset

In commercial real estate, an active mindset is invaluable. At Arbor Realty Trust, it helps us anticipate market changes, identify multifamily opportunities, and act decisively when the time is right. But in multifamily finance, being active is about more than moving quickly. It is understanding where the markets are heading, maintaining close relationships, anticipating challenges, and being positioned to respond promptly when opportunities emerge.

Articles

How CRE CLOs Work in 2026 and Where Arbor Fits in the Market

Commercial Real Estate Collateralized Loan Obligation (CRE CLO) issuance reached $39.05 billion in 2026, on pace to be the highest annual volume in five years, according to the Commercial Mortgage Alert. CRE CLOs have become an established funding source for floating-rate bridge loan books, and Arbor Realty Trust continues to be a leader in this type of securitization.

Current Reports

Top Markets for Multifamily Investment Report Fall 2026

Arbor Realty Trust’s latest Top Markets for Multifamily Investment Report, a data-driven analysis of the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, finds that multifamily performance has become less geographically uniform as strong local market fundamentals point investors to opportunities found within pockets of the country.

Research Sources

Arbor Realty Trust’s research articles and reports, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, refer to and cite credible third-party sources, including: American Real Estate Society CoStar Fannie Mae Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank of New York Federal Reserve Board FINSIGHT Freddie Mac Moody’s CRE Morningstar DBRS MSCI Real Capital Analytics Nareit National Apartment Association National Association of Home Builders National Low Income Housing Coalition National Multifamily Home Council Novogradac Trepp U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Census Bureau U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Zillow

Current Reports

Affordable Housing Trends Report 2026

Arbor Realty Trust’s Affordable Housing Trends Report, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, explores a year marked by one of the most significant policy shifts in decades, with consequential developments in both the marketplace and the political arena. Our annual report finds that although affordability continues to present challenges, this year’s new initiatives are set to rebuild tomorrow’s pipeline.

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.

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Dustin Smith

Senior Vice President, Structured Asset Management
Dustin Smith

Dustin Smith is a team leader within the Structured Asset Management department that oversees Arbor’s single-family rental and build-to-rent construction loan portfolios as well as its real estate-owned (REO) assets.

Prior to joining Arbor, Mr. Smith served as Vice President of Asset Management at LNR Partners, LLC where he managed a national portfolio of loans and REO assets. He also previously worked at Commercial Florida, a commercial real estate company where he was responsible for managing and leasing a portfolio of office properties.

Mr. Smith holds a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Science in Real Estate, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida.

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