Articles

Build-to-Rent Activity Stabilizes Above Historical Highs

As the single-family rental (SFR) sector has matured, build-to-rent (BTR) has become a key source of new supply. Purpose-built rental communities are absorbing demand from households seeking the space and privacy of single-family living without the financial or lifestyle commitments of homeownership. Newly released U.S. Census Bureau data show that while SFR/BTR construction continued to decline from its 2024 peak through year-end 2025, development activity remains elevated compared to historical norms.

Articles

Why Leading with Authenticity in CRE is a Competitive Advantage

In commercial real estate, long-term financial partnerships drive deals. At the recent Real Estate Pride Roundtable in New York City, CRE leaders shared how living openly with their LGBTQ+ identities has allowed them to lead with authenticity in the boardroom and in life. This Pride Month, Arbor celebrates authenticity in the workplace.

Articles

Dr. Sam Chandan’s State of Rental Housing Spring 2026

In a new video, Dr. Sam Chandan, a leading commercial real estate scholar, expands on the findings of Arbor Realty Trust’s latest Special Report, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics. He shares his expert insight into the state of rental housing in spring 2026. Chandan notes that multifamily is moving toward a state of balance as supply pressures ease and growth trends turn positive. The result, he said, is that selective opportunities are emerging for well-positioned investors in a climate “defined less by dislocation” and “more by normalization.”

Articles

Renters Reassess Homeownership as Affordability Challenges Persist

Homeownership has been an aspiration of generations of Americans, but elevated prices, mortgage rates, and financing hurdles are complicating the typical path to owning a home. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s 2026 Survey of Consumer Expectations Housing Survey, renters are continuing to experience difficulty with mortgage financing and have more measured views about homeownership’s current investment potential. As households reassess the housing market, rental housing demand is the beneficiary.

Current Reports

Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q2 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

Where Labor Market Momentum Outpaces the National Average

Labor market conditions are a foundational driver of rental housing demand, influencing tenant stability and household growth. While the national pace of hiring has moderated, the economies of many metropolitan areas continue to outperform. Expanding on Arbor’s latest Top Markets for Multifamily Investment Report, our research teams highlight the local dynamics supporting growth in several of the country’s strongest-performing multifamily markets.

General: 800.ARBOR.10

Elliot Schwartz

Director
Headshot of Elliot Schwartz, Director
Elliot Schwartz joined Arbor Realty Trust’s Board of Directors in June 2018 and serves as a member of the Corporate Governance Committee and Compensation Committee.

Mr. Schwartz is the Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel of Debt Recovery Solutions, LLC, a national accounts receivable management agency. Founded in 2002, the organization purchases and manages distressed consumer receivables in the financial, education, telecommunication and medical sectors. Mr. Schwartz manages all aspects of the company’s operation as well as its compliance with City, State and Federal rules and regulations that govern the industry, including the following: The Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, The Fair Credit Reporting Act, Telephone Consumer Practices Act, Graham Leach Bliley Act, as well as the mandates imposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Prior to founding Debt Recovery Solutions, LLC, Mr. Schwartz served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Principal at Coldata, Inc., for more than a decade. The debt management company provided accounts receivable management services to various financial institutions as well as City, State and Federal governmental agencies throughout the United States. After Coldata was sold in 1999, Mr. Schwartz continued his responsibilities under the acquisition until 2002.

Mr. Schwartz is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, Receivables Management Association and the American Collectors Association. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University and a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University, Maurice A. Deane School of Law.

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