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.

Articles

SFR Investing: A Guide to Seizing the Sector’s Momentum

Single-family rental (SFR) investing is surging as this asset class outperforms. With homeownership less attainable and lifestyle renting more popular, the sector’s tailwinds bode well for long-term growth. If you are new to this space, our guide has answers to commonly asked questions.

Current Reports

Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report Q2 2025

Bolstered by robust build-to-rent (BTR) activity, the single-family rental (SFR) sector continued to display strength even as the residential housing market moderated. Arbor’s Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report Q2 2025, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, provides original research and analysis of key performance metrics for investors to take a closer look at a sector on the rise.

Analysis

Small Multifamily Investment Snapshot — June 2025

Amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty, the small multifamily sector remains favorably positioned for stability as the structural need for affordable housing in the U.S. has supported the strength of the sector’s demand profile.

General: 800.ARBOR.10

Research Reports

Special Reports

from Arbor & Chandan Economics
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A biannual economic analysis and accompanying commentary from Arbor’s Chairman and CEO Ivan Kaufman and Chandan Economics Founder Sam Chandan. This special series provides unparalleled insight into the housing market from two of the industry’s foremost thought leaders.

Special Report Archives

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After a year of steady growth, favorable trends put wind in the sector’s sails, giving rise to budding optimism. With the economic landscape shifting, the rental housing market’s resilient performance over the past two years provides a solid foundation for continued growth.
Even with the market in flux, opportunities continue emerging for well-positioned investors. Historically, some of the best multifamily deals were closed in down cycles or during the upswing to normalcy. Arbor’s Special Report Fall 2024 details why the current economic climate is ripe for investment.

Recalibrating Amid Uncertainty By Ivan Kaufman and Sam Chandan Key Findings Despite a slowdown in new investment, the macro economy has outperformed expectations in 2023, indicating a soft landing is more likely. A yield curve normalization could place additional upward pressure on long-term interest rates and cap rates into 2024.

The rental housing sector is well-insulated but not immune to market forces even as the economy edges into correction territory, Arbor Chairman and CEO Ivan Kaufman and Chandan Economics Founder Sam Chandan demonstrate in the findings of Arbor’s Special Report Spring 2023.
As we turn past 2022’s halfway mark, optimism surrounding the U.S. economy’s expansion has dimmed. An erosion of household spending power, spiking financial volatility, declining consumer sentiment, and now consecutive quarters of negative growth are all combining to depress the near-term outlook.
The emergence of the Omicron variant in the last days of 2021 cast a dark cloud over the new year’s global economic outlook. Quickly reintroducing limits on mobility, governments worldwide hope to stem the spread of the new threat. The impacts on international trade and the supply chain are simultaneously