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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Units
Knoxville
Year Built
Haven Realty Capital needed end-to-end financing for a 54-unit built-to-rent (BTR) community in Knoxville, TN. The property was unique in that its individually parceled homes did not have the types of amenities, such as a pool, gym, or clubhouse, commonly found in multifamily real estate. Haven Realty Capital was looking for an innovative and experienced lending partner who could develop a creative solution to secure permanent funding through a Government Sponsored Enterprise (GSE).
On behalf of the borrower, Arbor engaged in extensive conversations with Freddie Mac to develop an out-of-the-box solution to refinance this dedicated rental community with permanent financing. Our team had the pleasure of accompanying several senior representatives of Freddie Mac to Knoxville on a full-day tour of the property. We were delighted to see them determine that this community was a good fit for Freddie Mac multifamily financing because many of its features, including two-car garages, upscale interior design, and premium rental packages, would help attract and retain tenants.
Arbor was uniquely positioned to handle the complexities of this type of BTR transaction from start to finish. Our team was instrumental in helping Freddie Mac understand that this asset was consistent with traditional multifamily deals because it has the potential to attract quality, long-term tenants with wide-ranging amenities. Arbor created a new financing structure that allowed our borrower to purchase and lease up this community of two-story, four-bedroom, paving the way for similarly unique deals in the future. Over the years, Arbor has become one of Haven Realty Capital’s lenders of choice.