Four in 10 renters in large multifamily apartment communities do not envision homeownership as a part of their American Dream, a survey by Entrata recently found. Instead, lifestyle renters opt for newly constructed, high-quality rental housing with many of the typical amenities of homeownership without its traditional downsides.
The structural strengths of the single-family rentals sector far outweigh cyclical headwinds as it remains well-positioned to build on its momentum in 2025 and beyond.
Multifamily households reached a new high for the third consecutive year in 2023, extending a growth spurt that began after the 2008 housing crisis. With strong tailwinds at its back, multifamily’s latest record may not stand for very long.
The U.S. multifamily market held steady in a more normalized cycle during 2024, following the pandemic-related economic contraction and its rapid recovery. Rental demand remained strong, driven by the ongoing nationwide housing shortage and robust wage growth, as younger generations continued to embrace lifestyle renting.
Unless an 11th-hour agreement is reached, an impasse will trigger the first U.S. government shutdown since 2019. Starting December 21, 2024, many non-essential federal government operations will be limited or suspended, but most multifamily financing activities will not be disrupted.
With home prices nearing all-time highs, single-family rental (SFR) housing is uniquely positioned to capture an even larger slice of the for-sale market. As structured capital markets rebound, SFR will benefit from a set of tailwinds that include robust levels of new construction and favorable trends in cap rates and debt yields. Arbor’s Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, shows why this sector’s prospects are so strong.
Building on an organizational commitment to the inclusion of individuals from all backgrounds, Arbor — in partnership with the Real Estate Pride Council and Dr. Sam Chandan, Founder of Chandan Economics, Founding Director, NYU Stern School of Business C.H. Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance, and Co-Chair of the Real Estate Pride Council — hosted a speed networking event in Manhattan on November 20 for local LGBTQIA+ students and commercial real estate mentors.
Small multifamily continued to moderate through the midpoint of 2024, amid strong demand despite an elevated interest rate environment and rising property-level yields.
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An experienced value-add multifamily owner was looking for financing to acquire a large multifamily property in Virginia Beach, Va. The property is unique in that it’s located near a naval base, and as a result, it has a concentration of tenants in the military. The situation was more complex due to the deal’s borrower structure, which included multiple investors. As the borrower had a previous business relationship with Arbor and the sales broker, the borrower felt comfortable with Arbor’s ability to not only guide them to the right financing for their needs but also provide them with the certainty of execution to deliver.
As a result of Arbor’s strong internal collaboration between its underwriting and originations departments, as well as its strong partnership with Freddie Mac, the deal was able to be financed with competitive terms and on time.
Arbor was able to execute a 10-year, $32.3 million fixed-rate loan under the Freddie Mac Conventional loan program. Despite the complexity of the deal, Arbor was able to secure the best financing possible for the borrower’s business goals while providing the borrower with peace of mind that the transaction would successfully close.