Articles

Top Multifamily Markets for Eco-Friendly Commutes

In many urban areas, densely concentrated housing, strong transit networks, and walkable neighborhoods offer residents viable environmentally friendly commuting alternatives. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, Arbor Realty Trust and Chandan Economics examined commuting patterns of workers living in multifamily rental housing in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas to identify where renters rely least on private cars to travel to the office.

Articles

Arbor Expands Mentorship Initiative with Two Spring Project Destined Programs

Arbor Realty Trust, a long-term partner of Project Destined, is once again reaffirming our commitment to the next generation of commercial real estate leaders by participating in two new programs this spring that will provide students with invaluable insight into multifamily real estate and single-family rental (SFR) financing.

Investment

Special Report Spring 2026: The State of Rental Housing

Arbor Realty Trust and Chandan Economics’ latest Special Report leverages industry-leading data analysis to interpret key multifamily real estate trends as the sector moves from recalibration to stabilization. With occupancy levels remaining strong and loan originations rebounding sharply, this biannual report outlines why now is an opportune time to deploy capital.

Articles

America’s Aging Rental Stock is Driving Demand for Smarter Capital Solutions

The nation’s rental housing is older than at any point on record, with a median age of 45 years, according to the 2026 America’s Rental Housing report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS). America’s aging housing stock has created unique opportunities as the need for capital investments to rehabilitate and preserve affordable housing units rapidly rises.

Current Reports

Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report Q1 2026

Arbor’s Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report Q1 2026, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, spotlights how market shifts, including the rising cost of living and historically high build-to-rent activity, have fueled record rental household growth.

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.

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.

General: 800.ARBOR.10

Arbor 360º

Success Story: Large Multifamily Acquisition

A panoramic view of how Arbor grows financial partnerships through successful

product executions that deliver results for our clients

Share:

$19.3M First-Mortgage Bridge Loan

266

Units

TX

Sherman

'08 & '18

Year Built

Situation

Experienced multifamily owner-operators were seeking financing to acquire and reposition a multifamily community in Sherman, TX. The property was built in two phases, and the borrower was looking to renovate 112 units in the phase 1 portion of the property in order to improve their quality and capture higher rents. The phase 2 units were also achieving below-market rents, and the borrowers’ goal was to raise rents for those units to increase property cash flow. Borrowers also planned to bring in a new, experienced property manager.

Arbor Action

Arbor was tasked with evaluating the borrowers’ business plan to ensure it would adequately increase property value and generate additional cash flow. The clients are repeat Arbor borrowers and large owner-operators who are local to the property, which assured Arbor that the repositioning could be successfully completed on time and on budget, resulting in increased rental income.

Result

Arbor was able to execute a $19.3 million first-mortgage bridge loan to fund the acquisition and renovation of the property. Since the acquisition, the borrowers were able to successfully upgrade interior units, amenities and exteriors, resulting in a 17% increase in gross potential rent and a 98% occupancy rate in just two years. Upon loan maturity, the borrowers were able to refinance to a permanent agency loan. Arbor executed a 12-year, $22.9 million Fannie Mae DUS® Standard Loan, allowing the borrower to retire the existing Arbor bridge loan, fund immediate repairs and other costs, and operate the property for the long term.