Industry Voices

What Multifamily Owners Need to Know About Choosing the Right Internet Infrastructure

by Lynn Peisner March 2, 2026

By Taylor Jones I have been building bulk internet networks for more than 20 years. One thing has become clear to me over time: Owners are being asked to make infrastructure decisions that are perceived as technical, expensive and challenging when it comes to price-comparing in the marketplace. It is easy to feel like the only “safe” choice is fiber-optic cable throughout the building. While fiber is excellent technology and belongs in many projects, it is not the only path to a strong, modern, future-ready property. What follows is the …

March 2, 2026

Affordable Housing Architecture & Design Development Industry Voices Operations

Lemon Juice, Bank Robbers and an Affordable Housing Cautionary Tale

by Lynn Peisner February 23, 2026

By Mark English One of the most famous illustrations of the Dunning–Kruger effect dates back to 1995 in Pittsburgh where two men robbed a bank in broad daylight without wearing masks, sunglasses, fake mustaches or any form of disguise. Unsurprisingly, they were quickly identified on closed-circuit television and arrested. What stunned law enforcement — and later the academic community — was the explanation the suspects offered. They genuinely believed that by rubbing lemon juice on their faces, they would be invisible to security cameras. Their reasoning was that lemon juice …

February 23, 2026

Affordable Housing Architecture & Design Industry Voices

How Smart Design Can Deliver Quality and Savings in Affordable Multifamily Projects

by Lynn Peisner February 16, 2026

By Myles Brown It’s no secret that building affordable housing comes at a premium. In the Northeast, where I work, and across the country, development costs for affordable units typically run 20 percent to 30 percent higher than those for market-rate apartments. Why? The answer lies in a combination of factors, but the primary reason is that complex funding structures often bring specific regulations, design requirements and labor mandates that drive up both soft and hard costs. Yet, in our experience designing multifamily projects, affordability doesn’t have to come at …

February 16, 2026

Industry Voices Leasing & Marketing Operations Technology

The Housing System Keeps Saying No to the Wrong People

by Lynn Peisner February 9, 2026

I grew up around real estate. That meant summers power washing roofs in brutal heat, ripping out old carpet, painting benches and learning early that nothing about buildings is abstract. Someone pays for every decision. Someone lives with every mistake. My father and uncle ran a real estate company started by their father. From a young age, the rules were simple: work hard, study hard, be grateful. If you do those things, the system will reward you. For a long time, I believed housing worked the same way. As a …

February 9, 2026

Development Industry Voices Leasing & Marketing Operations

Q&A: ‘Slowing Labor Market’ Could Hamper Apartment Demand in 2026, Says RealPage Economist Carl Whitaker

by Lynn Peisner February 3, 2026

The multifamily sector closed 2025 with clear signs of transition. National occupancy dipped to 94.6 percent, effective rents stalled or fell in several markets year over year, and absorption slowed alongside cooling job growth, according to RealPage. As of December 2025, national effective rents grew by 0.4 percent year over year. The supply story is shifting just as quickly. Developers delivered about 409,000 units last year — roughly 30 percent less than in 2024 — setting the stage for a very different leasing environment in 2026. To unpack what with …

February 3, 2026

Development Florida Industry Voices Investment Sales Operations Southeast

South Florida Is Safe Harbor for Latin American Real Estate Investors

by Lynn Peisner February 2, 2026

The recent arrest and extradition of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has once again put political instability in Latin America back in the headlines. For many people in the U.S., it’s just another international news story. For Latin American investors, it’s a reminder of something they’ve lived with for years: Political and economic conditions can change quickly, and when they do, the impact on currency, regulation and personal wealth can be immediate. That reality has long shaped how and where capital moves. When uncertainty rises, investors tend to look for places …

February 2, 2026

California Finance Industry Voices Investment Sales Operations Western

Why Renter Demand Is Surging Across the San Francisco Bay Area

by Lynn Peisner January 19, 2026

After several years of uncertainty, the San Francisco metro area multifamily housing market is showing clear signs of recovery. The first half of 2025 brought the largest expansion in multifamily demand in years. The 12-month trailing absorption surged to 3,700 units as of the third quarter, one of the highest levels in a decade. Vacancy rates have dropped to 5.1 percent, the lowest since 2014, and apartment rents are up 5.6 percent, placing San Francisco among the top metros in the nation for rent growth. Although sale prices had remained …

January 19, 2026

Development Industry Voices Investment Sales Operations

Will Strong Net Absorption Continue in 2026?

by Lynn Peisner January 19, 2026

As 2025 ended, net absorption of multifamily units was on track for its third strongest year since 2000. More than 102,000 units were absorbed in the third quarter, marking the third straight quarter of more than 100,000 net units absorbed. Fourth quarter estimates are coming in around 55,000 units. Multifamily absorption measures the net change in occupied apartment units over a given period, indicating whether demand is keeping pace with new supply. As experts review the final numbers of how many apartment units were newly occupied or leased in 2025 …

January 19, 2026

Architecture & Design Industry Voices Sustainable/LEED

Designing for Low-Carbon, High-Density Living — Lessons for Sustainable Multifamily Development

by Lynn Peisner January 12, 2026

Developers today are under mounting pressure to meet energy codes, achieve carbon reduction goals and deliver housing that is healthy, comfortable and affordable. Whether market-rate or affordable housing, the reality is that people want homes that are not only well-designed but also economical to operate. That’s why attention to energy efficiency and utility costs has become such a critical factor in leasing and retention. In some cases, this pressure has even pushed developers toward more ambitious approaches such as Passive House strategies or other high-performance design measures. At the same …

January 12, 2026

Architecture & Design Development Industry Voices

Rethinking Design in an Age of Smaller Households and Shifting Generational Financial Priorities

by Lynn Peisner January 6, 2026

The conversation around housing affordability has never been more urgent or nuanced. The dominant development narrative often centers on rising costs and supply constraints. But zoom out, and the story becomes one of shifting household demographics, evolving expectations around wellness and a changing definition of what “home” really means. For multifamily developers, investors and architects, these trends demand fresh thinking and bold solutions that can answer the definition of home beyond the traditional meaning. The fourth and latest wave of the America at Home Study, conducted in spring 2025, is …

January 6, 2026

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