• Seattle tops the Arbor-Chandan Opportunity Matrix.

• Phoenix and Austin follow closely behind, benefiting from resilient labor markets.

• Texas metros, led by Dallas and Houston, continue to capture an outsized share of large multifamily investment activity.

OVERVIEW

The U.S. economy was gliding into 2020 along a path of consistent yet unspectacular growth. After more than a decade of expansion, multifamily asset pricing remained exceptionally tight, with investors searching for yield in secondary and tertiary markets. When the full magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in March, it became readily apparent that the multifamily sector would see a recessionary reshuffling of fundamentals, in a pace unrivaled in recent history.

This report develops an analytical framework to predict where large multifamily investment opportunities will be most abundant in the year ahead. Through the use of an opportunity matrix, the top 50 U.S. metros are ranked based on a composite blend of performance metrics. The analysis pays specific attention to how local economies have fared during the pandemic and how multifamily investment activity performed. The top 50 metros are based on population estimates. All metros are reported at the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) level.

For the full analysis, visit the Arbor Research Page on the Arbor Realty Trust website.