Articles

Top Markets for Multifamily Building Permits

Multifamily permitting trends indicate continued national stability amid local recalibration. Across the country, issuances were steady, rising just 2.6% in 2025. At the metropolitan level, trends diverged sharply, with some markets accelerating and others pulling back. Per-capita leaders continued to cluster around high-growth Sun Belt and regional hubs, while year-over-year market-level fluctuations suggest that more pipelines have become increasingly selective and, in some cases, more concentrated in large-scale projects.

Analysis

Small Multifamily Investment Snapshot — March 2026

The small multifamily sector entered 2026 on a strong note, even as lending conditions remained shaped by persistently high interest rates and regulatory uncertainties.

Articles

Seven Facts About FHA Multifamily Loans

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), a part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is one of the largest mortgage insurers in the world. The agency insures mortgages on affordable housing, multifamily properties, single-family homes, and healthcare facilities. Since 1934, FHA has financed over 50,000 multifamily mortgages nationwide. Whether you’re interested in acquiring, refinancing, or rehabilitating an affordable housing property, FHA multifamily loans are a financing route you need to know about.

FHA 232/223(f)

FHA® 232/223(f): Healthcare Refinance, Acquisition or Mod Rehab

Articles

Top States for Population Growth

Despite a national slowdown, population growth remained concentrated in a small group of states in 2025, where strong net domestic migration inflows, economic opportunity, and in some cases elevated birth rates drove the annual increases. Overall, 14 states had an annual population growth rate above 0.75%, while 12 states had less than 0.1%, according to a Chandan Economics analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey.

Articles

Arbor’s Build-to-Rent Financing: 10 Reasons to Choose a Premier Lender

Build-to-rent (BTR), a compelling solution to the U.S. housing market’s evolving needs, is experiencing record growth. BTR accounted for 8% of all single-family rental (SFR) construction starts in the 12 months that ended in the first quarter of 2024, according to Arbor’s Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report Q2 2024. As the need for quality rental units remains high, borrowers have much to gain from partnering with an experienced lender who specializes in build-to-rent financing.

Articles

Rental Markets with the Fastest Growth and Tightest Occupancy

Out of the 75 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, occupancy rates for all types of rental properties, including multifamily and single-family rentals (SFR), remained exceptionally high in 2025.

Articles

Nearly All Metros Post Positive Rent Gains

National rent growth in the single-family rental (SFR) sector remained strong and consistent in 2025 as market-level pricing momentum was broad-based and robust, according to an analysis of newly released data from the Zillow Observed Rent Index. Year-end annual rent gains averaged 2.9%, down from 4.1% in 2024, marking the most modest increase since 2015. But even as the intensity of SFR rent growth abated last year, its reach was extensive, with 98 of the 100 largest markets posting year-over-year gains.

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Home | Management Team | James Kresl

James Kresl

Managing Director, SFR Underwriting

James Kresl is responsible for growing and managing the underwriting pipeline for Arbor’s Single-Family Rental (SFR) Portfolio loan products.

Mr. Kresl has more than a decade of experience working in different facets of the commercial banking and real estate fields. He comes to Arbor from 5 Arch Funding Corp, where he served as Vice President of Underwriting, and Senior Credit Officer for bridge loan programs. During his tenure, he developed multifamily, mixed-use and ground-up construction loan platforms for the company. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Commercial Banking at Pacific Mercantile Bank, where he managed a multimillion-dollar portfolio of commercial real estate and business loans.

Mr. Kresl received his Master of Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from University of California, Santa Barbara.