This week’s roundup offers a look at small multifamily investment, the hottest housing markets and workforce renter trends. First, Arbor’s Chatter releases the Q4 2019 Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report, which reveals that lending in the $1 million to $7.5 million segment reached record-high volume to end the year. Next, Realtor.com reveals its top 20 housing markets for January, with more than half of the cities seeing elevated sales activity being in California. Another Chatter blog analyzes the size of the workforce renter segment across property types, noting that small apartment properties and single-family rentals are seeing the highest concentrations of these households. Then, Trepp spotlights Denver’s apartment market, which is performing well due to strong employment and population growth. Finally, RealPage observes the widening gap between rents in major metros and smaller metros over the last decade, which is largely due to high-end new supply being added in the larger cities.  

Q4 2019 Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report

Arbor Chatter – February 11

“Year-end 2019 estimates for small multifamily lending volume reached $59.2 billion, beating the prior quarter’s forecast by $1.4 billion.”

January 2020 Hottest Housing Markets

Realtor.com – February 13

“The Phoenix, AZ metro area has seen the largest increase in its hotness ranking among larger metros over the past year.”

Sizing Up America’s Workforce Renter Households

Arbor Chatter – February 13

“Across all housing types, 28% of the nation’s 111.3 million households fall under the ‘workforce housing’ designation.”

MSA Snapshot: A Look at CRE Activity in the Mile High City

Trepp – February 13

“The Mile High City continued its growth within commercial real estate in 2019, particularly within the multifamily sector.”

Rent Divide Widens Between Major and Small Markets

RealPage – February 13

“While major markets have led for total rent growth on a same-store basis over the cycle, the difference is relatively slight. The bigger difference has come in new supply.”