Industry Voices

Sandy-Jack-ASSA-ABLOY
Industry VoicesOperations

How Access Control and Energy Management Systems Can Unlock Multifamily Housing ROI

by Lynn Peisner

In today’s rental housing market, owners and operators share the same dilemma of how to boost property value and operational efficiency. The goal is to simplify business functions without passing on additional costs to residents. Rents have plateaued in many markets and neighborhoods, and new regulations keep piling on the pressure. That is where technology steps in and has become the backbone of smart operations and one of the most effective ways to drive returns on investment (ROI). Some of the more impactful tools are access control systems and energy …

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Jerrob-Duffy
FinanceIndustry Voices

With Agencies Cracking Down on Mortgage Fraud, CRE Lenders Face a New Era of Accountability

by Lynn Peisner

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), government sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and criminal authorities are cracking down on fraud in commercial mortgage lending. They have more motivation than ever because the increased incidence of fraud has impacted the agencies’ balance sheets — Fannie Mae reported earlier this year a $752 million charge to cover losses related to multifamily lending fraud. Moreover, the Trump administration’s desire to conduct a public share offering for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has encouraged the agencies to shift losses from non-performing loans …

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Butler-Brad
Affordable HousingFinanceIndustry Voices

OBBBA’s Impacts on the LIHTC Program

by Lynn Peisner

For years, our country has been faced with a housing affordability crisis that has seemed to worsen each year. In fact, as of the end of last year, nearly 50 percent of all renters are considered cost-burdened by their monthly rent payments. While the low-income tax credit (LIHTC) program has historically been very successful in creating affordable housing across the country, there are certain constraints that limit the total number of units that can be created each year. However, recent changes arising from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) …

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Keely-Downs
Affordable HousingFinanceIndustry Voices

How HUD Borrowers Can Bring Additional Financing to Their Capital Stack

by Lynn Peisner

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has long provided a great option for multifamily borrowers: long-term, fixed-rate mortgage insurance programs such as the 221(d)(4) program for new construction and substantial rehabilitation and the 223(f) program for acquisition or refinancing of existing assets, both of which offer up to 40-year amortization, non-recourse debt and competitive interest rates. HUD loans have traditionally been thought of as protecting borrowers from high-interest-rate risk and other volatility experienced in conventional real estate finance markets. Yet even with the stability of HUD-insured loans, …

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Joy-Silver
Affordable HousingIndustry Voices

Affordable Housing Remains Key to Homelessness Prevention

by Lynn Peisner

As California faces soaring numbers of unhoused residents, building affordable housing must remain atop the state’s homelessness-prevention plan. More than 187,000 Californians experienced homelessness in 2024 — a stunning 24 percent of the entire nation’s homeless population. The state is at risk of adding even more families to this alarming figure. Among those at risk are working families, often holding one or two jobs, who are just one setback — such as a job loss, major illness, natural disaster, domestic violence incident or childcare crisis — away from housing instability. …

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Danielle-Katz
Affordable HousingDevelopmentFinanceIndustry Voices

Affordable Housing Developers Are Undeterred by New Funding Challenges Ahead in 2026

by Lynn Peisner

The affordable housing industry is entering its cautious momentum era. On one hand, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) significantly enhanced the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), making more credits available and making the credits easier to qualify for. On the other hand, the parallel cuts to federal funding, general uncertainty in the market and a decline in investor interest keep the industry outlook guarded. The tax credit is a powerful tool used by developers to aid in the construction and development of affordable housing projects across the country. …

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Daniel-Wennogle-Womble-Bond-Dickinson
DevelopmentIndustry Voices

To Prevent Legal Disputes Down the Road, Developers Need to Avoid the ‘Johnny Cash Contract’ 

by Lynn Peisner

Multifamily housing developers and property owners invest significant time and money into site selection, entitlements and financing, but they often give construction contracts far less attention and time than they deserve. Despite the high stakes, it’s not uncommon for developers to hand over a “Frankenstein-ed” AIA contract (a legal agreement issued by the American Institute of Architects covering areas such as costs, timelines and responsibilities) that is stitched together from old deals, then ask their legal counsel for a “quick review” with minimal edits that won’t “kill the deal.” As …

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Pamela-Wilkes-Northmarq
Affordable HousingFinanceIndustry Voices

Affordable Housing Tax Changes: Understanding LIHTC, Bonds and Opportunity Zones

by Lynn Peisner

With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) on July 4, 2025, Congress enacted the most significant expansion of housing incentives in more than two decades. For developers, investors and capital providers, this means new tools, more flexibility and a broader opportunity set.  At the heart of the legislation are updates to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, alongside permanent extensions to the Opportunity Zone (OZ) and New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) incentives. Analysts estimate these changes could support the creation of up to 1.2 million …

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austin-walker
Affordable HousingIndustry Voices

Pathways Through the Clutter: There are More Opportunities to Create Affordable Housing Than Local Leaders Realize

by Lynn Peisner

By Austin Walker Headlines involving affordable housing are often demoralizing, and for good reason. Keeping a roof over one’s head can be a complex problem with no easy answers, especially if your earnings are not at the upper end of the median. Most policymakers I meet genuinely want to help their constituents, but finding the right political and economic resources to do so can be challenging because the tools to create or preserve affordable housing can depend on a variety of policies, which typically are designed to meet the goals …

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Kyle-Nelson
Industry VoicesOperationsTechnology

TikTok is Fueling a New Era of Real Estate Fraud — Here’s What Operators Can Do About It

by Lynn Peisner

By Kyle Nelson Fraud is no longer hiding in the shadows. It’s being taught and sold in plain sight — sometimes with hashtags and tutorial videos. Across the multifamily housing industry, operators are seeing the effects firsthand: Fake documents are slipping through and unqualified tenants are being approved, resulting in rising eviction rates.  On TikTok, an unexpected market has emerged where users trade tips and tools for falsifying income, employment and identity to gain access to rental housing. This trend is not limited to individual bad actors offering a forged …

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