NEW YORK CITY — Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $204 million loan for the refinancing of The Axel, a 29-story apartment building in Brooklyn. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, The Axel features 284 units in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Amenities include a pool with a sundeck, fitness center with yoga and Pilates studios, a golf simulator, dining and entertainment terrace, conference rooms, game lounge and an executive meeting room. Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Jonathan Schwartz, Adam Schwartz, Michael Diaz and Sean Bastian of Walker & Dunlop arranged the loan through MF1 Capital on behalf of the sponsor, Hope Street Capital.
NEW YORK CITY — Bank OZK and Barings have provided $385 million in construction financing for 470 Kent Avenue, a multifamily project in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood that will add 463 rental units and 90 condos to the local supply. The 22-story building will also include 19,000 square feet of commercial space. Bank OZK supplied a $310 million senior loan, and Barings provided $75 million in mezzanine financing. Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Jonathan Schwartz, Adam Schwartz and Jackson Irwin of Walker & Dunlop arranged the debt on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between Naftali Group and Access Industries. Construction is underway and expected to be complete in 2025.
FORT COLLINS, COLO. — Walker & Dunlop has arranged the sale of Trails at Timberline, an apartment community located in Fort Collins. Terms of the transaction were not released. Trails at Timberline features 314 apartments, with an average unit size of 897 square feet. Dan Woodward, Dave Potarf, Matt Barnett and Jake Young of Walker & Dunlop represented the undisclosed seller in the deal. Mark Grace and Trevor Fase of Walker & Dunlop structured the debt financing on behalf of the undisclosed buyer.
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Walker & Dunlop has negotiated the sale of Park Central, a 200-unit apartment community located at 220 25th Ave. N in Nashville’s Midtown district. Russ Oldham of Walker & Dunlop represented the unnamed seller and the buyer, Houston-based Dinerstein Cos., in the transaction. The sales price was not disclosed. Built in 2013 a couple blocks north of Vanderbilt University, Park Central features studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, as well as a clubroom, fitness center and a sky deck with a heated rooftop pool overlooking Centennial Park. The eight-story apartment community also includes an adjacent parking garage.
Affordable HousingContent PartnerDevelopmentFeaturesLoansMidwestNortheastSoutheastTexasWalker & DunlopWestern
Shortage of Tax Credits, Higher Interest Rates Plague Affordable Housing
Forty-year-high inflation rates that are outpacing wage growth and eating away at personal income are exacerbating already outsized resident demand for affordable housing financed by the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. But it seems that obstacles to supplying new units to meet that demand are only multiplying. Those range from a shortage of housing tax credits needed to fund new supply to resistance to multifamily development at the local level. Meanwhile, higher mortgage rates are making home buying more difficult and expensive. In turn, that is creating more apartment renters, thereby putting upward pressure on rental rates. In September, for example, the average monthly rent price nationwide hit $1,759, an increase of 7.8 percent from the prior year, according to Realtor.com’s monthly rental report. That’s also nearly 25 percent higher than September 2019, the organization reports. What’s more, from 2015 through 2020 — long before mortgage rates spiked — the U.S. lost 4.7 million apartment units with rents less than $1,000 per month, according to U.S. Apartment Demand Through 2035, a report by the National Multifamily Housing Council and National Apartment Association. “Demand for affordable units is only going to become more acute between now and the end of …
Affordable HousingContent PartnerFeaturesLeasing ActivityLoansMidwestMultifamilyNortheastSoutheastTexasWalker & DunlopWestern
Walker & Dunlop: Affordable Housing’s Appeal Grows for Investors
With transaction volume for market-rate housing beginning to ebb, affordable housing investment is poised to play a more central role in the months ahead. Several factors have broadened the allure of affordable housing as an investment vehicle in recent years. When the pandemic began taking a toll on market-rate housing performance, investors saw federal, state and even local governments enact measures to help residents at affordable communities maintain their rent payments and help ensure housing remained available for people struggling financially. We saw the interest level in Section 8 properties, for example, increase significantly during the pandemic, due chiefly to federal guarantees backing those rent streams. From a financing perspective, the strong commitment shown by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration to preserve liquidity for affordable housing has bolstered development and investment in the space. Due to the required hold periods, affordable housing investments are less affected by market cycles, so liquidity should remain strong. Now, changing economic forces promise to drive new equity to the affordable sphere and fuel further investment. The Federal Open Market Committee’s resolve to combat record inflation is exerting upward pressure on mortgage rates and, eventually, cap rates, which could discourage sellers …
AcquisitionsContent PartnerDevelopmentFeaturesLoansMidwestMultifamilyNortheastSoutheastTexasWalker & DunlopWestern
Walker & Dunlop: Small Balance Lending Presents New Financing Option for Turbulent Market
Following a similar move in June and July, the Fed implemented its third consecutive interest rate hike of 75 basis points in mid-September. This is the biggest three-month interest rate swing since 1994. What does this all mean for investors in the small balance lending (SBL) segment of the multifamily sector? The combination of rising interest rates, inflation and market uncertainty tempts borrowers to sit on the sidelines until conditions improve. Turbulent markets also limit financing options, as many lenders and capital sources tend to become cautious and pull back. But the need for capital transcends market cycles and seasoned multifamily investors know that rate hikes are nothing new. We’ve been here before with interest rates of nearly 7 percent in the 2000s and a record high of nearly 20 percent in the 1980s. The business of real estate investing never stops. New acquisition opportunities arise as distressed owners are forced to sell, cap rates settle to more conservative levels and the market shifts in the buyer’s favor. All things considered, now is the time to seek new investment opportunities. In fact, Warren Buffett once offered the timeless advice that it is wise for investors to be “fearful when others …
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Walker & Dunlop has arranged an $85.4 million bridge loan for the refinancing of City Line East and City Line West, two adjacent apartment complexes totaling 342 units in Jersey City. Both properties are located within the University Place mixed-use development and feature studio, one- and two-bedroom units and Class A amenities. John Banas, Kris Wood, Christopher Philipps, John Wilson, Rhett Saltiel and Erik DiGirolamo of Walker & Dunlop arranged the two-year, fixed-rate loan through an undisclosed debt fund on behalf of the New Jersey-based borrower.
AcquisitionsCaliforniaContent PartnerDevelopmentFeaturesLeasing ActivityMultifamilyWalker & DunlopWestern
LA Multifamily Investment Deals See Volume Normalization, Pricing Resets for Select Assets
Multifamily investment transaction volume had an unprecedented year in 2021, and the first six months of 2022 were quite robust. Now, economic uncertainty in the form of rising interest rates and a cooling economy has created some hesitancy on the part of investors. “Some normalization is occurring in the market now, in addition to a pullback because of what is going on in the capital markets and economy,” says Paul Darrow, a managing director of Walker & Dunlop’s investment sales team based out of Los Angeles. Walker & Dunlop is one of the largest providers of capital to commercial real estate industry in the United States. Darrow sat down with REBusinessOnline to talk about multifamily investment sales trends in the Los Angeles area and the opportunities he sees for investors down the road. REBusiness: Investor interests have shifted in the past few months. What kinds of properties are investors most interested in now? Darrow: It’s a mixed bag when it comes to investor appetite. Those who raised money to buy specific types of buildings are obviously guided by what they’ve promised their investors in the form of return profiles and risk. Core funds, for example, can’t just switch to value-add or …
ILLINOIS — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has structured $57.6 million in HUD-insured loans for the refinancing of three skilled nursing facilities in Illinois. Joshua Rosen of Walker & Dunlop led the origination team. The first transaction consisted of a $15.6 million loan for Avantara Park Ridge, a 154-bed community in Park Ridge. Walker & Dunlop also arranged a $28.7 million loan for Moraine Court Supportive Living, a 185-bed community in Bridgeview, and a $13.3 million loan for Aperion Care Elgin, a 101-bed property in Elgin. The borrower was undisclosed.