The multifamily sector is under general disruption from a variety of factors, such as falling valuations, financing difficulties, questions about forward net operating income, shifts in regulations and more. Chris Town, who works in commercial sales and leasing at NAI Latter & Blum in Baton Rouge, La., is an expert in single-family rental (SFR) and built-to-rent (BTR) investment sales. Town says that there are challenges, but a solid future ahead for the sector. The overarching challenges take the form of the Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. “It’s the major factor behind the immediate slowdown of home construction and home buying,” Town explains. “Another factor, of course, is land. These are true whether you’re talking true multifamily or the submarkets of BTR and SFR.” A combination of factors has created a tug-of-war among incentives. High interest rates, with home prices at or near historical highs, mean millions of people need places to live. Many of these potential homeowners have families and want the ameliorations and amenities of a detached single-family housing. “Depending on the metric and organization’s research used, you could say the country is five to six million units short on single-family homes,” Town says. The Larger Economy’s Impact on …
Single-Family Rental
AcquisitionsBuild-to-RentContent PartnerDevelopmentFeaturesLeasing ActivityMidwestNAINortheastSingle-Family RentalSoutheastTexasWestern
AcquisitionsBuild-to-RentContent PartnerFeaturesLoansMidwestMultifamilyNortheastSingle-Family RentalSoutheastTexasWalker & DunlopWestern
Multifamily Owners Navigate Challenges, Opportunities Arising from Capital Markets
When Zelman & Associates’ 2023 Virtual Housing Summit opens in September, Alex Virtue will take the stage as a newly appointed managing director who has been charged with expanding the firm’s investment banking coverage of multifamily and other commercial real estate property sectors. Virtue joined the institutional research advisory and investment firm in May with over two decades of experience in mergers and acquisition transactions and capital raising across real estate sectors in both the public and private capital markets. His resume includes senior positions with Merrill Lynch, Eastdil Secured/Wells Fargo Securities, CBRE Capital Advisors and Xebec, an industrial developer and asset manager. Zelman & Associates, founded in 2007, was acquired by Bethesda, Md.-based commercial real estate finance and advisory firm Walker & Dunlop in 2021. “My focus at Zelman and Walker & Dunlop is broadening the firm’s reach on entity-level transactions in multifamily and related housing sectors such as single-family rentals, built-for-rent, student housing, affordable housing and manufactured housing communities, as well as other commercial real estate sectors,” says Virtue “I would characterize my concentration as bringing traditional banking investment expertise, knowledge and services across the Walker & Dunlop platform and working with my colleagues to bring these advisory …
ASHBURN, VA. — A partnership between American Real Estate Partners (AREP) and GreenBarn Investment Group has acquired a development site in Ashburn, located in Northern Virginia’s Loudoun County approximately 30 miles west of Washington, D.C. The site is fully approved for the construction of 200 build-to-rent homes. The price was $120 million. National homebuilder Dream Finders Homes originally acquired and entitled the site before selling it to the partnership. Genesis Capital, a subsidiary of New York City-based REIT Rithm Capital Corp., provided an $86.4 million loan to the partnership to fund both acquisition and construction costs. Rithm Capital is also an equity partner on the project. According to the property website, CityHouse Ashburn Station will consist entirely of three-bedroom units with an average size of 2,000 square feet. Preleasing for Phase I of the project is currently underway, and the development team expects to fully complete the community within the next 15 months. Residences will offer attached private garages, large island kitchens, full-size washers and dryers and various pieces of smart home technology. Residents will also have access to sports courts, communal green spaces, pet-friendly facilities and indoor/outdoor entertainment areas. Rents start at around $4,000 per month. “With this acquisition, …
SUN PRAIRIE, WIS. — Heyday has opened the first phase of Heyday Sun Prairie, a 170-unit build-to-rent community in the Madison suburb of Sun Prairie. Homes feature attached garages with electric vehicle charging outlets, private patios, keyless entry and green spaces. Monthly rents range from $1,700 for one-bedroom homes to $2,800 for three-bedroom homes. New leases include a six-month membership to nearby Sun Prairie Athletic Club. Daniel Management Group is the property manager.
Cushman & Wakefield Arranges $62M Construction Financing for Multifamily Development in Leland, North Carolina
by John Nelson
LELAND, N.C. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged $62 million in construction financing for The Village at Compass Pointe, a 268-unit multifamily development coming to a 25-acre site in Leland, about 10 miles west of Wilmington, N.C. The property will feature 140 single-family rental townhomes and 128 traditional apartments in two four-story, elevator-serviced buildings. Gideon Gil, Zachary Kraft, Sebastian Sanchez and Dale Braverman of Cushman & Wakefield originated the loan through Dwight Mortgage Trust on behalf of the borrowers, SR Real Estate Partners and Circle Squared Alternative Investments. Upon completion, Village at Compass Pointe will feature two clubhouses, cabana pools and pickleball courts. The first units are expected to be delivered in January 2025.
By Andrew Welker, founder and CEO, Welker Properties Institutional investment in the single-family housing market is waning as high interest rates show no sign of letting up. For the first time in years, corporate investors looking to borrow money are having difficulty finding cash flow with current interest rates. As a result, some institutional investment firms are hitting pause on real estate portfolios or pivoting to all-cash deals on low-priced housing stock. This shift makes it more difficult for individual first-time homebuyers to get in on the game. With buyers and sellers holding out for better returns, a shrinking debt market isn’t helping with the supply shortage. According to data supplied by Freddie Mac and analyzed by Axios, the country needs nearly 4 million units — both for rent and for sale — to meet demand based on current rates of household formation. There simply isn’t enough housing being built to meet demand. Enter build-to-rent (BTR), an asset class that’s skyrocketed in popularity in recent years as COVID-19 pushed people out of cities and affordable homeownership further from their reach. Offering the four-walled privacy of a single-family unit and the conveniences of multifamily construction, BTR is community-style living for …
CELINA, TEXAS — Mill Creek Residential has completed construction of Amavi Celina, a 271-unit build-to-rent residential community located about 40 miles north of downtown Dallas. The 45-acre site houses cottage- and townhome-style residences as well as single-family detached homes. Residences come in one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts. Amenities include a clubhouse with a fitness center, pool, dog park, playground, green space and onsite walking trails. Preleasing is underway, and the first move-ins are scheduled for later this month.
Forman Capital Provides $22.5M Financing for Build-to-Rent Residential Community in South Georgia
by John Nelson
CENTERVILLE, GA. — Forman Capital has provided a $22.5 million loan for the lot acquisition and construction of a build-to-rent (BTR) residential community located at 3930 US Highway 41 in Centerville, about 21 miles south of Macon, Ga. Upon completion, the first phase of the development will comprise 109 single-family rental homes in two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts, with monthly rents expected to range from $1,900 to $2,400. Parkland Homebuilders, an affiliate of Alpharetta, Ga.-based Parkland Communities, is the borrower and developer. Plans for the community include four phases and a total of 317 homes.
PHOENIX — CBRE has arranged the sale of Proximity Baseline, a build-to-rent residential property located at 1700 E. Baseline Road in Phoenix. Avenue North sold the asset to CVG Properties for $27.2 million. The buyer plans to rename the asset The Linq @ South Mountain. The Linq @ South Mountain features 80 detached and duplex single-family residences in one-, two- or three-bedroom floor plans. The units offer 10- to 14-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances, vinyl flooring and smart home technology. Additionally, each unit has a private backyard with a patio. Griffen Tymins, Sean Cunningham, Asher Gunter, Matt Pesch and Austin Groen of CBRE represented the seller in the off-market deal.
MELISSA, TEXAS — Dallas-based Welker Properties will develop a 343-unit build-to-rent residential project in Melissa, located north of Dallas in Collin County. The project, known as Wolf Creek Farms Melissa BTR, has a total price tag of $95 million. Homes will come in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans and will be situated on a 32-acre site. Residents will have access to amenities such as a pool, fitness center, dog park, courtyards and lounges. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall and to be complete by the end of 2025.