Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville Apartment Loans in 2026
Two renter pools drive Fayetteville apartment loans: University of Arkansas students living off campus, and the employees of the corporate headquarters spread across Northwest Arkansas. Requests from $1,500,000 up qualify, leverage can reach 80% LTV and pricing starts at 6.14%; before recommending a lender, we send the rent roll to banks and agency lenders as well as HUD, CMBS and bridge sources, and charge no application or processing fees. For bigger communities see our multifamily financing page; for other cities, Arkansas apartment loans; and pricing on each program is listed with our current commercial mortgage rates.
Get a Free QuoteHiring, Enrollment and a Deep Pipeline Shape Fayetteville in 2026
Payrolls in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro reached 311,600 in September 2026, up 2.2% over twelve months in preliminary, not seasonally adjusted BLS data. Leisure and hospitality grew 7.4% and mining, logging and construction 4.3%. HUD estimated 617,900 residents in its three-county market in April 2025, up about 2.5% a year since 2020, and the Census Bureau puts the city at 106,623 in July 2025, 13.1% above its 2020 base.
The University of Arkansas Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) found that Fayetteville's vacancy rate rose to 6.2% for January through June 2026, from 4.7% in the second half of 2025, with more than 5,100 rental units under construction and over 7,500 more announced, together equal to 47.8% of current inventory. The same Skyline Report put Northwest Arkansas vacancy at 7.3%, against 3.7% a year earlier, and counted 1,710 newly opened units in 14 complexes.
Fayetteville Rents, Campus Beds and Corporate Payrolls
RentCafe's October 1, 2026 update puts the average Fayetteville rent at $1,442 across its 50-unit-and-larger buildings, up 2.14% from $1,412 twelve months earlier. One-bedroom units average $1,073 and two-bedroom units $1,237, and 58% of city households rent. CBER's survey found an average Fayetteville lease price of $1,032.27 in the second half of 2025, and in August 2026 its director said many newer complexes offer incentives case by case, while the survey data usually reflects standard lease rates.
HUD's April 2025 analysis lists three Fortune 500 headquarters in the area: Walmart, with 15,000 of its 29,600 local employees in Bentonville; Tyson Foods, with 2,000 of 7,500 at its Springdale headquarters; and J.B. Hunt in Lowell. The University of Arkansas employs 5,400 on its Fayetteville campus, fall 2025 enrollment of 34,175 was its fifth straight record, and its 6,232 beds were 98.0% occupied in the second half of 2025. Underwriters read those payrolls and that campus occupancy as the demand behind a Fayetteville rent roll.
Fayetteville Apartment Loan Rates
Rates updated as of October 29, 2026
Rates in the table assume a Fayetteville apartment loan on a stabilized building with conventional twelve-month leases. For properties near campus leased by the bedroom, we quote after reviewing pre-leasing for the coming fall.
| Loan Type | Rate* | Max LTV |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Year Fixed | 6.54% | Up to 80% |
| 7 Year Fixed | 6.57% | Up to 80% |
| 10 Year Fixed | 6.61% | Up to 80% |
- Cash-out refinances are acceptable
- Interest-only and non-recourse options
- Minimum 1.25x debt-service-coverage ratio
See Fayetteville Multifamily Rates Over $6 Million, Starting at 6.14%
Rates last updated October 29, 2026. Rates and maximum LTV shown represent our best-case pricing scenarios. Actual rates, LTV, and loan terms are subject to underwriting approval and may vary.
Historic Districts, Campus Edges and Planned Corridors in Fayetteville
Eleven Fayetteville districts are on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2026 the City Council added two local districts: Oak Grove, its first residential historic district, inside the Wilson Park district, and the Fayetteville Black Historic District southeast of downtown. Downtown's 50-acre Cultural Arts Corridor was finished in 2024 and is now known as The Ramble. Markham Hill, west of campus, drew rezoning requests covering about 140 acres in 2018.
We consider apartment loans in these areas within the city limits:
- Downtown
- Dickson Street
- Washington Willow
- Wilson Park
- Oak Grove
- Mount Nord
- Mount Sequoyah
- Meadow Spring
- Walker Park
- Fayette Junction
- Parksdale
- Center Addition
- Wedington Corridor
- Markham Hill
- Gulley Park
Fayetteville Apartment Loans by Lender Type
Bedroom-leased student buildings and conventional complexes can suit different lenders, so we run Fayetteville apartment loans through every program in this table:
| Program | Typical rate* | Max leverage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fannie Mae Small Loan | 6.54% | Up to 80% | Non-recourse, fixed to 30 yrs |
| Freddie Mac SBL | 6.60% | Up to 80% | $2M to $10M small balance |
| FHA / HUD | 6.74% | Up to 85% | Highest leverage, longest term |
| Bank / portfolio | 6.50% | Up to 75% | Flexible, value-add |
| Bridge | 9.00% | Up to 80% LTC | Reposition, lease-up |
With first-half 2026 vacancy at 6.2% in Fayetteville and 7.3% across the region, we test the usual 1.25x minimum for debt-service coverage on current occupancy and concessions. Bigger Fayetteville balances go through our multifamily loans page.
Rates last updated October 29, 2026. Rates and maximum LTV shown represent our best-case pricing scenarios. Actual rates, LTV, and loan terms are subject to underwriting approval and may vary.
Registry, Millage and Storm Records: Local Checks in Fayetteville
A landlord registry since 2021. Short-term rental owners and landlords who own more than two residential rental properties within the city must list a point of contact on Fayetteville's registry, someone who lives or works in Washington, Benton, Crawford or Madison County, and post changes within seven days. Ordinance 6670 (June 2023) added voucher acceptance to the listing, and owners who fail to register face fines. A July 6, 2023 amendment capped Type 2 short-term rentals, those with no permanent resident, at 475 licenses.
Washington County tax math. Arkansas assesses real estate at one-fifth of market value, and each mill is $1 per $1,000 of assessed value. At Washington County's 2025 average overall levy of 51.54 mills (state millage report, 2026 collections), that is about $10,308 a year per $1,000,000 of market value. Rates vary by school district and city; Fayetteville School District voters extended the district's millage for six more years in March 2026.
Reappraisal and the Amendment 79 cap. The county assessor says real estate is reappraised every four years, and the county finished a countywide reappraisal in 2023. Amendment 79 caps yearly growth in the assessed value of real estate other than homesteads at 10%, but new construction and substantial improvements fall outside that limit, so a newly built complex gets no phase-in on its first assessment.
State law in brief. Arkansas Code section 14-54-1409, as amended in 2025 (Act 459), bars cities from controlling rents, application fees or deposit amounts on private rentals, except on property a city has an interest in, and leases dated after November 1, 2021, new or renewed, carry implied residential quality standards (section 18-17-502). Deeds pay $3.30 in transfer tax per $1,000 of price. Foreclosure runs through the courts or, under the Statutory Foreclosure Act, by power of sale at least 60 days after a recorded default notice, with no redemption afterward.
Storm declarations on record. FEMA's database lists emergency declarations covering Washington County for the storms, tornadoes and flooding that began April 2, 2025, and the January 23 to 27, 2026 winter storm, plus a major disaster declaration for June 2019 flooding. For Fayetteville buildings, underwriters will want roof age, wind and hail coverage and the flood zone of any property near a creek.
Financing Options in Fayetteville
Student building, large community or commercial property, each has its own page:
Properties outside Fayetteville and Washington County are covered through our Arkansas apartment loans page.
Fayetteville Refinancing as New Complexes Lease Up
With over 5,100 units being built in the Fayetteville market and regional vacancy reaching 7.3% in the first half of 2026, a refinance appraisal will compare your occupancy, concessions and amenities with complexes still filling up. For a Fayetteville refinance we gather twelve months of rent rolls and concession history first, so proceeds rest on actual rents.
Taxes move too. A recently completed building's first assessment is not phased in under Amendment 79, and later countywide reappraisals can lift assessed values on older buildings by up to 10% a year. We model the tax escrow at your parcel's actual millage, and for student properties we time the application so the lender sees this school year's rent roll.
Fayetteville Apartment Building Loans for Student and Conventional Rentals
Of 25 multifamily projects permitted across Northwest Arkansas over the twelve months to mid-2026, the top value, $115.41 million, went to Juniper, a seven-story, 294-unit student development near the University of Arkansas. We finance Fayetteville properties such as:
- Purpose-built student housing close to campus
- Garden-style apartment complexes across Fayetteville
- Walk-up buildings of five units or more
- Mixed-use buildings with apartments over retail
- Newer properties still in lease-up
- Rental portfolios spread across Northwest Arkansas
Agency, HUD and CMBS: Fayetteville Multifamily Choices
For bigger, stabilized Fayetteville communities, we start with the agencies. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will lend up to 80% LTV, offer loan terms reaching 30 years and limit recourse to standard carve-outs. HUD-insured loans run the longest amortization: Fannie Mae's published terms for FHA Risk Share deals stretch full amortization out to 40 years. CMBS offers another non-recourse execution, and banks stay flexible, often with recourse. HUD's April 2025 analysis put regional rental demand at 6,850 units for its three-year forecast period, against 5,100 already under construction.
Larger balances are covered on our multifamily loans page, and program details sit on our pages for Fannie Mae multifamily lending and Freddie Mac multifamily lending.
Multifamily Loan Rates
For larger balances, over $6 million
Fayetteville Loans for Office, Retail, Hotel and Industrial Property
If your Fayetteville holdings include commercial buildings, we shop those loans across lenders too:
Nearby Apartment Loan Markets
Buying beyond Fayetteville? Continue with Little Rock, the statewide Arkansas page or other U.S. markets:
Recent Apartment Loan Closings
Six closings from other states appear below; each was priced with several lenders, as a Fayetteville request would be.
What Our Clients Say
“I am a veterinarian who purchased an existing practice. I was surprised to find a company that offered 100% financing at a good rate, with great terms and rates for medical office financing.”
Carol K. · Chicago, IL“I spoke to several commercial lenders before finding Select Commercial. They got me a lower rate and their service was exceptional. If you need a multifamily loan, you need to talk to Stephen.”
Nathan B. · Philadelphia, PA“Select Commercial was very helpful with my multifamily mortgage. Stephen went over several options and we came up with the best lender to meet my needs. I got the funds and also lowered my payments.”
Gary M. · Portland, OR“Select Commercial offered 100% financing for my medical practice when my bank would have required 20% down. They delivered something my bank could not, and handled everything professionally.”
John C. · Boston, MAGet Your Fayetteville Apartment Loan Quote
Send the rent roll (marking any by-the-bedroom leases), pre-leasing for the coming school year, trailing twelve-month operating statements, the latest Washington County tax statement and your insurance declarations, and we will return lender terms you can compare line by line.
- No application or processing fees
- Written answers within 48 hours
- For 5+ unit and commercial properties, $1.5M and up