By Ann Atkinson, Regions Real Estate Capital Markets Finance options for owner/operators of multifamily properties are consistently available via Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Both government-sponsored entities (GSEs), are governed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and share a clear mission to support the health of the country’s housing market and its existing multifamily supply by providing financing options to borrowers. Loans Accessible for Affordable, Workforce Properties The support provided by both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to multifamily housing notably extends beyond market-rate rental properties, with both agencies dedicated to the availability of affordable and workforce housing units to low-income renters. Thus, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offer good loan options to consider for owner/operators active in these multifamily subsets. Let’s compare their offerings specific to small balance loans, as these are often the appropriate solutions for this range of multifamily properties. Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac programs offer financing for the acquisition or refinance of stabilized multifamily properties. The properties must include five or more residential units and be stabilized. The agencies define stabilized as 90 percent occupancy for 90 days. In addition, both programs offer the following product features for small loans: Let’s now …
Texas
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EL PASO, TEXAS — Saxum Real Estate, a New Jersey-based investment and development firm, has broken ground on a 754,000-square-foot industrial project in El Paso that represents Phase I of a larger, 1.7 million-square-foot park. The site spans 120 acres along I-10, and the development will be known as Eastwind El Paso. Phase I will comprise a 407,000-square-foot cross-dock building and 347,000-square-foot rear-load building that will have 36-foot clear heights. Building designs and features will be able to support warehouse, distribution and manufacturing uses. Completion of Phase I is slated for the second quarter of next year. Phase II of Eastwind El Paso will add 930,000 square feet of industrial space to the local supply across an unspecified number of buildings.
HOUSTON — The NHP Foundation has opened RoseMary’s Place, a $45 million supportive housing complex in Midtown Houston. The four-story, 149-unit building is dedicated to supporting individuals or families who are currently or were recently experiencing homelessness. The NHP Foundation has partnered with nonprofit social services provider Magnificat Houses Inc. to operate RoseMary’s Place, which also offers three multipurpose rooms, two gathering areas, a warming kitchen and a 24-hour staffed entry desk. The City of Houston Housing & Community Development Department provided $18.7 million in financing for the project, while the Harris County Community Services Department contributed $10.2 million. Hudson Housing is the tax credit investor whose purchase of those securities generated $13.6 million in equity financing for the project.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Atlanta-based owner-operator RangeWater Real Estate will develop a 240-unit apartment complex in South Austin. The site spans 7.9 acres at 11800 Menchaca Road, and the property will house a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units that will range in size from 549 to 1,264 square feet. Amenities will include a pool, clubhouse, fitness center, dog park, a speakeasy-inspired garden room, library, flexible office spaces, courtyards and outdoor grilling and dining stations. RangeWater is developing the project in a joint venture with a subsidiary of Dallas-based investment firm The Meridian Group. Construction is set to begin in the coming weeks and to be complete in early 2027.
LUBBOCK, TEXAS — Senior Living Investment Brokerage (SLIB), has negotiated the sale of Bender Terrace, a skilled nursing facility located in the West Texas city of Lubbock. Situated on 2.7 acres, the property comprises roughly 45,000 square feet and 120 beds. A local independent owner sold the facility to a national owner-operator. A regional operator was leasing the property at the time of sale. Matthew Alley and Ryan Saul of SLIB arranged the transaction.
SAN ANTONIO — The Sembler Co. and Forge Capital Partners have acquired Lone Oak Shopping Center, a 104,485-square-foot retail center in San Antonio. The center was fully leased at the time of sale, with grocer H-E-B serving as the anchor. Additional tenants include Citi Trends, Hibbett Sports, The Smile Center, H&R Block, Metro by T-Mobile, Little Caesars and Ace Cash Express. Sembler Co. will also manage and lease the property. The seller and sales price were not disclosed.
Despite fresh injections of geopolitical chaos and renewed fears of tariff-induced inflation, the new year has brought an elevated sense of positivity among Texas industrial investors and the brokers who represent them. Although the sector is hardly flying as high as it was three years ago, the strong underlying fundamentals of Texas markets represent a story that has yet to see an unhappy ending. In addition, there is an understanding that with all setbacks and disruptions comes new opportunities. Between that highly specific Texas real estate dynamic and that generic fortune cookie wisdom is the framework for industrial growth on both the supply and demand sides. “We are huge believers in the Texas growth story and have conviction that the existing tailwinds will continue to propel our markets here to the forefront of the industrial investment landscape,” says Will Cronin, vice president of acquisitions at Dallas-based investment firm CanTex Capital. “The capital flows continuing to come here bear that out.” Cronin’s perspective on industrial is both nuanced and appropriate. He says that since its inception, CanTex has primarily pursued off-market deals that were available not because of outstanding market fundamentals, but due to external factors like estate planning, changing tenant …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Austin Convention Center Department (ACCD) has broken ground on the expansion of the state capital’s marquee entertainment and event destination, a project that is known as Unconventional ATX and is valued at $1.6 billion. The expansion will increase the existing facility’s rentable square footage from 365,000 to 620,000 square feet. The design, led by LMN Architects and Page Southerland Page, reimagines traditional event spaces, prioritizing accessibility, flexibility, sustainability and maximization of natural light. Key architectural highlights include expansive outdoor features such as open-air terraces, public plazas and seamless indoor-outdoor connections. A joint venture between JE Dunn Construction and Turner Construction Co. is acting as general contractor and construction manager. Funding for Unconventional ATX, which is expected to be complete in late 2028 in time for the spring 2029 festival season, stems from the city’s hotel occupancy tax and other convention center revenue.
MCKINNEY, TEXAS — A partnership between regional developer Creation, Horizon Capital Holdings and Arizona-based investment firm Vaulter will develop Long Branch, a $1.3 billion mixed-use project that will be located about 30 miles north of Dallas in McKinney. The site, which spans 155 acres and is situated just north of the downtown area, will be developed in phases over the next decade. Plans currently call for 1,600 multifamily units; 135,000 square feet of retail space that will be anchored by a 65,000-square-foot grocery store; a 318,600-square-foot office campus with two six-story buildings; a 100-room hotel and a five-story, 910-space structured parking garage. Dallas-based GFF is leading design of the project, and LGE Design Build, which is also based in Dallas, is leading construction. Infrastructural work on the site is expected to kick off later this year, with the first phase of vertical development to follow shortly thereafter.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — A partnership between SGI Ventures and the Austin Affordable Housing Corp. has completed Cady Lofts, a 100-unit supportive housing project in Austin’s Hancock neighborhood. Cady Lofts offers fully furnished studio apartments for renters earning between 40 to 60 percent of the area median income and/or are overcoming homelessness, dealing with physical and developmental disabilities or recovering from addiction. Units feature modern appliances and eco-friendly utility systems, and residents have access to a communal computer lab, health and wellness center, case management offices and central laundry facilities. Three Bar Architecture designed the project, and Skybeck Construction served as the primary contractor. Cady Lofts was financed in part by $18.5 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits ($16.5 million in federal and $2 million in state) that were issued by the Texas Department of Community Affairs and syndicated by Hunt Capital Partners.