Wisconsin Apartment Building Loans
WIMultifamily Loans

Wisconsin Apartment Loan Rates - Rates updated September 27th, 2023

Wisconsin Apartment Loan Rates Over $6,000,000	Rates (start as low as)	LTV
Multifamily 5 Year Fixed Loan Rates	6.00%	Up to 80%	Get Free Quote
Multifamily 7 Year Fixed Loan Rates	5.90%	Up to 80%	Get Free Quote
Multifamily 10 Year Fixed Loan Rates	5.84%	Up to 80%	Get Free Quote
Wisconsin Apartment Loan Rates Under $6,000,000	Rates (start as low as)	LTV
Multifamily 5 Year Fixed Loan Rates	6.31%	Up to 80%	Get Free Quote
Multifamily 7 Year Fixed Loan Rates	6.21%	Up to 80%	Get Free Quote
Multifamily 10 Year Fixed Loan Rates	6.10%	Up to 80%	Get Free Quote

Wisconsin Apartment Loan FAQs

Is multi-family real estate a good investment in 2023?

Inflation fears, high interest rates, and the prospect of recession have slowed the pace of the commercial real estate market considerably. Some property types are outperforming others. Apartment buildings in desirable neighborhoods are performing well, as owners have been able to raise rents and keep up with rising interest rates. Multifamily properties in smaller and less desirable areas, or areas where unemployment is rising, are not performing as well, as rent increases are harder to implement. In the office sector, only medical office buildings are generating lender interest. General office properties have underperformed the market as a result of the work from home policies established during the Covid-19 pandemic. Office demand is unlikely to return to pre-Covid levels making the office sector extremely hard to navigate right now. In the retail sector, essential service businesses, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, are performing well, while traditional brick and mortar retailers are still feeling the effects of Covid-19 and the competition from online retailers. Many malls are experiencing record high vacancy levels, and some are being repositioned for other purposes. In the industrial sector, we are seeing strong demand for warehouse and distribution space to accommodate the online retailers. Industrial space in urban markets and close to transportation are performing very well. We expect to see sales prices for underperforming properties to drop in 2023 as investors gravitate to better positioned properties.

 

Recent Banking Failures Likely To Impact Wisconsin Multifamily Lending

The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank has sent shockwaves through the business and real estate lending sectors. As a leading WI commercial mortgage broker with over 30+ years of experience, Select Commercial knows that the multifamily sector is not immune to these developments. Here's how these banking failures could impact multifamily lending:

Regional Banks Under Pressure

Regional banks, which provide significant liquidity to the apartment sector, are likely to face increased pressure. The collapse of SVB and Signature Bank has raised concerns about the stability of smaller banks. This could lead to a pullback from regional banks providing loans to the multifamily sector, making it more challenging for developers and investors to secure financing.

Development Challenges

Developers could face significant challenges, particularly in securing construction loans and value-add renovation dollars. The current environment is leading to a slowdown in construction lending and a return to traditional underwriting and banker skepticism. This could particularly impact the affordable housing sector, where developers need their financing lined up to secure tax credits.

Volatility in the CMBS Market

CMBS loans have experienced turbulence following the bank failures. This volatility could impact a new crop of lenders that have emerged over the past half-decade, many of which are capital markets-dependent. If the securitization market stabilizes, some of the CMBS and bridge lenders may re-enter the market to fill the liquidity gaps left by regional lenders.

Interest Rate Uncertainty

The bank failures could also contribute to uncertainty around commercial mortgage rates. If these failures lead to a slowdown in rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, this could potentially benefit the commercial real estate market in the long run. However, it's too early to predict the exact impact on apartment transaction volume.

In summary, the recent banking failures have the potential to significantly impact how banks handle multifamily loans. We will closely monitoring these developments to provide the best advice and service to my clients during these uncertain times.

How do we help our Wisconsin apartment loan clients get the best rate and terms?

Select Commercial has excellent apartment building loan and multifamily loan products and options available for owners and purchasers of multi-family and apartment properties throughout the state of Wisconsin. Whether you are looking to finance a small apartment building, a complex with hundreds of units, or a co-operative, we can help you find the optimal financing solution to meet your apartment mortgage loan needs. While we lend across the entire continental US, we are able to give our best rates and loan programs to certain areas that we feel are strong markets. Wisconsin is one of the states that we consider to be a premium market for apartment building loans and we actively look to originate good quality loans here for our clients. We have a diverse array of many available loan products to help qualified WI borrowers looking to purchase or refinance an apartment property. We offer apartment loans with terms and amortizations up to 30 years, recourse and non-recourse, and many options for prepayment. We typically approve apartment building loans within 1 day and usually close within 45 days of application. Our clients love our simplified application process, 24-hour pre-approvals with no-cost and no-obligation, great rates and terms, fast closings and personalized service.

Wisconsin Apartment Loan Benefits

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Wisconsin Apartment Loan Types We Serve

If you are looking to purchase or refinance a Wisconsin apartment building, don't hesitate to contact us. We arrange financing in the state of Wisconsin for the following:

• Large urban high-rise apartment buildings
• Suburban garden apartment complexes
• Small apartment buildings containing 5+ units
• Underlying cooperative apartment building loans
• Portfolios of small apartment properties and/or single-family rental properties
• Other multi-family and mixed-use properties

Apartment Rental Statistics that could Effect Wisconsin Multifamily Loans in 2023

The rental rates for multifamily properties in Wisconsin varied widely depending on location. According to rentcafe.com, the average rent in the U.S. is $1,702 (updated May, 2023) with an average apartment size of 897 sq. ft. The average rent for an apartment in the state of Wisconsin was $1,421 with an average size of 903 sq. ft. According to US Census Bureau, the apartment rental vacancy rate for Wisconsin is 4.9%.

Overall, we expect the rise in borrowing costs to continue putting pressure on people to rent for longer periods. This supports the case that there will be strong demand for apartment building loans in 2023.

What are the market conditions expected for Wisconsin Apartment Loans in 2023?

Experts anticipate above average performance for the multifamily sector in 2023. Occupancy rates are expected to remain above 95% and rental rates are expected to grow by 4%. These figures are not as robust as the past couple of years, however, which saw vacancy rates under 3% and rent growth in the double digits. During the second and third quarters of 2022, leasing activity for apartment buildings was slow. This coincided with a solid pace of new multifamily deliveries to the market. The combination of slower leasing activity and heightened supply caused the overall vacancy rate to increase by 150 basis points in the middle portion of 2022. Throughout 2023, vacancy rates will likely continue to rise at a slower pace and move toward the 20-year average of 5%.

The overall multifamily housing demand is expected to remain strong in 2023. With inflation continuing to impact consumer spending, more and more renters are determining whether to renew their leases. While new leasing activity stalled throughout the middle portion of 2022, the overall multifamily demand remained pretty strong. The rise in home prices and residential mortgage rates is also helping to increase multifamily demand. Monthly payments for homes purchased in the third quarter of 2022 were, on average, 57% more than monthly apartment rents. That difference is the widest gap on record. Even if home values and mortgage rates decrease in 2023, the relatively lower cost of renting will support multifamily demand.

Rapidly rising interest rates on multifamily loans caused multifamily investment activity to slow down in the second half of 2022. Many buyers not willing to pay higher rates for apartment loans stepped out of the market. As apartment loan rates stabilize in 2023, many buyers will return to the market and look to finance apartment building investments with multifamily loans. The multifamily sector has historically been one of the most attractive sectors to investors. Over the past decade, the multifamily sector has seen average annual total returns of 9.3%. Additionally, this sector offers multifamily loan options from both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These apartment loan options are not available for other asset classes. As the market stabilizes in 2023, more and more investors will look to acquire apartment buildings and finance them with agency apartment loans.

One other factor that caused the multifamily sector to stall in 2022 is that buyers expected cap rates to increase commensurate with the rise in interest rates, but sellers still expected higher prices.  This caused many deals to simply not cash flow. Cap rates are expected to increase in 2023. With this increase, many buyers will have the option to finance acquisitions with apartment loans at more attractive prices.

Wisconsin Apartment Loan 2022
National Apartment Loan Outlook

As we enter 2022, apartment loan activity is very strong but facing a potential slowdown as the Federal Reserve begins increasing rates to slow the rate of inflation. Wisconsin apartment loans might be affected, along with the rest of the country, depending on what happens this year with the Federal Reserve. The following is a national summary of the apartment loan market at the beginning of 2022. We expect Wisconsin apartment loans to follow national economic trends.

Apartments Show Record Strength as Household Growth Performs at Record Levels In 2022 we expect strong housing demand to surpass existing supply. 2021 was a very strong year for apartment owners. After the difficulties of 2020 due to the pandemic caused much disruption, rapid job creation and a strong economic reopening led to a surge in apartment rentals. A record number of units were rented in 2021, driving the national apartment vacancy rate down to the lowest year-end level in more than twenty years. Average multifamily rental rates increased by record setting margins, as well. Apartment profitability is expected to increase even further in 2022, although probably at a slower pace following the uncertainty observed in 2020 and 2021, as the economy often started up and slowed down quickly with each new strain of the Coronavirus pandemic. As the economy continues its stabilized recovery, apartment demand will continue to grow. Strong household formation will drive rental increases above the record 400,000 apartments expected to hit the market in 2022. Apartment availability among top-of-the-line Class A units began 2022 at one of the lowest rates in over twenty years. Rental demand for Class B and C units, will also strengthen in 2022 as increasing prices prompt some apartment renters to give up more expensive apartments. Raw material and labor shortages also raise risks of construction delays in the home buying market, keeping many would be buyers in apartment rentals. As such, all multifamily properties will perform well in 2022.

Urban areas continue to recover even as suburban demand gets stronger. The Coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdowns caused a movement, or transition, of households from densely populated urban areas and large urban cities to more suburban and rural settings and secondary market locations. Vacancy rates in the densely populated business districts of the country’s large markets rose 230 basis points in 2020, versus a 10 basis point vacancy rate increase in smaller suburban submarkets in smaller cities. Apartment availability has continued to decrease in these secondary market locations even though the worst of the pandemic has passed. Not including immigration, an estimated 44 million people will enter their 30s over the next 10 years, a stage of life associated with the beginning of families, which is the main driver of apartment demand. Increasing household size causes renters to look for larger accommodations, which are more affordable in suburban and rural locations. While this demographic change will continue in 2022 and beyond, urban areas are also recovering quickly as offices in downtown areas continue to reopen. The 2020 shock to downtown markets changed course by the third quarter of 2021, with further improvement anticipated in 2022. The reopening of retail establishments such as bars, restaurants and entertainment venues, the continuing return to offices, and a new group of college graduates all point to strong demand for the downtown apartments in urban locations.

Wisconsin Apartment Loan Options

Wisconsin Freddie Mac Apartment loans

Wisconsin Freddie Mac Multifamily Loans provide mortgage capital in the secondary market for apartment building loans. Together, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac control a very large portion of the multifamily loan market. Freddie Mac has a very aggressive program for small balance apartment loans (from $1,500,000 to $25,000,000+). Some features of this program include:

• Market size driven. Freddie Mac classifies loans by the size of the overall market: Top, Standard, Small, and Very Small. Rates are best in top market locations (major metropolitan areas).
• Capped costs. Freddie Mac lenders often cap the closing costs at a fixed dollar amount, thereby lowering the overall cost to borrow money.
• Flexible pre-pay penalties. Freddie Mac offers many options for pre-payment penalties, from yield maintenance to step-down to “soft” step-down.
• Interest-Only (I/O) loans. Freddie Mac will allow payments consisting of only interest and no amortization of principal.
• Fixed rate terms. Freddie Mac offers fixed rates of 5, 7, and 10 years, followed by an adjustable period. These loans are called Hybrid/Adjustables. Loans have a 20 year term and a 30 year amortization schedule.

Freddie Mac Loan and Rate Information

Freddie Mac is a government sponsored agency that offers incredible financing solutions to investors looking for apartment loans. They provide both fixed rate and floating rate multifamily loans to acquire or refinance a wide variety of multifamily properties.  These apartment building loans are used to finance properties such as market-rate apartments, student housing, senior housing, and affordable housing.  While Freddie Mac has always been one of the industry's most aggressive financing source for larger apartment loans, Fannie Mae used to really dominate the smaller balance market. However, in 2014, Freddie Mac launched their Freddie Mac Small Balance Multifamily Loan program to compete with Fannie Mae in the small balance market. For eligible borrowers, Madison Freddie Mac Multifamily loans offer some of the best terms and rates in the market. However, qualifying for Freddie Mac loans requires that the borrower and property both meet a high standard set by Freddie Mac. Borrowers must typically meet a threshold for net worth and liquidity and properties must be cash flowing with at least 90% occupancy for 90 days.

Freddie Mac’s Wisconsin Multifamily Loan Programs offer many unique and beneficial features for apartment purchases and refinances, with a minimum loan size of $1,500,000. The loan application process is simple and streamlined. As an example, tax returns for the borrower and the property are not required. Loans typically close in 45 days and the program has much lower costs than other government or agency programs. These apartment building loans are non-recourse, which means that the borrower is not required to guarantee payments personally. Prepayment penalties are flexible, ranging from yield maintenance to soft stepdown. Perhaps the best feature of these multifamily loans is that Freddie Mac offers a free rate hold for 45 days from application. If rates change during the processing period, the loan rate is automatically held from the date of application.

Freddie Mac has a publicly stated mission to help maintain stability in the American housing-mortgage markets. Additionally, their goal is to both keep the housing market well-financed and to promote affordable housing. Freddie Mac accomplishes this goal by helping investors to purchase, refinance, preserve, and renovate existing multifamily and apartment buildings. A large portion of the properties financed by Freddie Mac are more than 10 years old, need significant improvements and have a hard time procuring financing with other lenders. Freddie Mac’s main focus in the multifamily arena is affordable housing. Around 90 percent of their apartment loans are written for properties with affordable rents (based on local area median income). Over the years the number of renters has continued to grow leading to a short supply of available affordable apartment units. Many of Freddie Mac’s programs were designed with this challenge in mind. They focus on financing apartment buildings that are affordable to renters with lower annual incomes. They also write apartment building loans for subsidized housing that assists individuals with very low (below average) incomes. Through these programs, Freddie Mac’s multifamily loan programs are playing a crucial role in ensuring that Americans have access to affordable housing throughout the country.

One potential complication with Wisconsin Freddie Mac multifamily loans is that Freddie Mac does not directly originate their loans. Rather they rely on authorized lenders from within their Optigo network to underwrite and service their loans. While these apartment loans may be financed by outside lenders, they all must conform to Freddie Mac guidelines. While Freddie Mac offers loans in varying markets for many different situations, each Optigo lender may have their own limitations on eligible deals they are willing to finance. At Select Commercial Funding, we have access to a wide array of Freddie Mac funding solutions so we can help to connect you with the right Freddie Mac lenders for your specific needs.

Wisconsin Fannie Mae Apartment loans

The Wisconsin Fannie Mae multifamily loan platform is one the leading sources of capital for apartment building loans in the US. Fannie Mae is a leader in the secondary market – meaning they purchase qualifying apartment loans from leading lenders who originate these loans for their borrowers. Fannie Mae purchases loans secured by conventional apartments, affordable housing properties, underlying cooperative apartment loans, senior housing, student housing, manufactured housing communities and mobile home parks on a nationwide basis. The Fannie Mae platform has many benefits, including:

• Long term fixed rates and amortizations. Fannie Mae allows terms and amortizations of up to 30 years. Most banks offer only 5 or 10 year fixed rates and 25 year amortizations.
• Non-recourse options. Most banks will require the borrower to sign personally for the loan. Fannie Mae offers non-recourse apartment loans.
• Lending in smaller markets. Many national lenders do not like to lend in rural or tertiary markets. Fannie Mae is a good option for these loans.
• Assumability and Supplemental Financing. Fannie Mae allows their loans to be assumed by a qualified borrower. They also have a program which allows borrowers the ability to come back and borrow additional funds during the life of the loan (subordinate financing).

Fannie Mae Loan and Rate Information

Fannie Mae is one of the nation’s leading secondary market sources of capital for apartment building financing. Fannie Mae provides mortgage capital for conventional, affordable housing, cooperatives, senior housing, student housing, manufactured housing communities and mobile home parks nationwide. Fannie Mae's apartment loan program offers many distinct advantages over traditional bank programs, including long-term fixed rates up to 30 years, high LTV ratios up to 80%, and nonrecourse financing (no personal guarantee to the principals). Fannie Mae Multifamily provides long term permanent mortgage loans for the purchase or refinance (cash-out OK) of apartment properties nationwide.

Fannie Mae Multifamily loans can be used to finance apartment buildings with at least 5 residential units. No more than 20 percent of net rentable area can be leased out to commercial tenants. Fannie Mae Multifamily is an industry leader in apartment building loans and there terms are incredibly difficult to beat. This program offers loan terms between 5 and 30 years with amortization schedules up to 30 years. They offer flexible prepayment penalties and interest-only options. In addition, loans are typically assumable and allow for secondary financing.

While Madison Fannie Mae Multifamily loans are a terrific option for investors in the multifamily space, this program does have some very specific underwriting guidelines. Typically, these loans are only eligible for apartment buildings in primary or secondary MSAs (with some exceptions for tertiary markets). These properties must be stabilized with 90% occupancy for at least 90 days. Standard multifamily properties must have at least 5 units and manufactured housing communities must have at least 50 pad sites. Borrowers must have strong financials with net worth equal to the loan amount and liquidity of 9 to 12 months of debt service. Typically, borrowers must have a credit score of at least 680 with no recent delinquencies.

If you are looking for a multifamily loan, Fannie Mae Multifamily may be the perfect option for you. The professionals at Select Commercial Funding are excited to help you find the perfect Fannie Mae product for your multifamily loan. Give us a call today to take the next step in financing your apartment building with a Fannie Mae Multifamily loan.

Wisconsin FHA HUD Multifamily Loans

HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) and FHA (Federal Housing Administration) insured multifamily loans are some of the best financing options for real estate investors and developers. While HUD does not directly make these loans, they do insure multifamily loans made by third party lenders to real estate investors. The third party lender will process the loan in accordance with the FHA HUD guidelines and HUD will underwrite the loan in order to provide the insurance. There are two primary types of HUD insured loans that multifamily investors can take advantage of.

The FHA HUD 223(f) multifamily loan program was instituted to help investors purchase and refinance multifamily properties. While many people think that HUD will only insure affordable and Section 8 housing the truth is that the HUD 223(f) loan program is a great option for investors looking to finance all kinds of multifamily properties across the United States. The FHA HUD 223(f) multifamily loan insurance program is one of the best financing options in the market for multifamily investors.

The FHA HUD 221(d)(4) Multifamily loan program was instituted to finance developments and substantial rehabilitations of multifamily properties. Through these multifamily loan programs, FHA and HUD are able to fulfill the essential mandate of its insurance programs: to make sure that there is an ongoing availability of capital for the acquisition, rehabilitation, development and refinancing of all apartment properties.

HUD insured multifamily loans offer investors some of the longest terms and amortizations on the market. The HUD 223(f) loan program offers fully amortizing terms of up to 35 years while the HUD 221(d)(4) loan program offers up to 43 year loan terms! This multifamily construction loan offers up to 3 years of interest only financing for the construction period followed by an additional fully amortizing term of up to 40 years. Monthly payments on multifamily HUD loans are much lower than with a typical lender because of the program’s longer amortization periods. Another huge benefit of these programs is that HUD is not able to discriminate based on geographical locations and markets. While many lenders may choose to not lend in a small and rural markets, HUD will insure loans in these markets. The biggest drawbacks of HUD insured multifamily loans are the timing it takes to close the loan and the red tape the borrower has to navigate. These loans can take anywhere from 5-10 months depending on the location of the property and HUD’s current pipeline. HUD insured loans require annual financial audits and they are generally more expensive than traditional multifamily loans.

Mortgage Insurance Premium - A common misconception in the multifamily industry is that FHA HUD directly makes multifamily loans to developers and real estate investors. The truth is that these loans are actually made by third party lenders and HUD only underwrites and insures the loans. This is where the mortgage insurance premium comes in. All HUD borrowers have to pay mortgage insurance premium at time of closing and on an annual basis. Typically, borrowers will pay 1% due to HUD at closing and 0.6% annually thereafter. However, affordable properties and green properties are eligible for MIP discounts (0.25%-0.35% for affordable and subsidized properties, 0.25% for Green/Energy Star certified properties). HUD pools up this money and uses it to insure the loans made by third party lenders. If a borrower defaults on a loan, HUD will use this money to pay the third-party lender. In essence, the mortgage insurance premium paid to HUD is what allows these loans to be offered at such attractive rates with incredibly long terms and amortizations.

2021 HUD Multifamily Loan Data - In 2021, HUD insured about 1,800 loans (worth over $29 billion) made to commercial real estate investors and developers. These loans were made on multifamily and healthcare properties all across the United States. HUD put a few new policies into place that made their loan insurance programs even more desirable for investors. HUD used to require developers of newly constructed apartment buildings to wait at least three years in order to be eligible to refinance their property into a HUD insured loan. In 2020, HUD did away with this rule- allowing developers to refinance right at stabilization. Many developers took advantage of this rule change in 2021, helping HUD achieve record loan volume year over year. In addition, HUD also began to allow investors looking to acquire multifamily properties through bridge loans and still qualify for up to 85% LTV through the 223(f) program. This was very beneficial for investors because the HUD process can easily take over half a year. Most sellers will not wait around that long to wait for their sale to close. This policy allowed investors to purchase multifamily properties with short term bridge loans and to flip into HUD loans after the initial acquisition. Many real estate investors took advantage of this policy change in 2021, another factor that helped HUD to produce record volumes year over year.

Due to historically low rates and the above policy changes, HUD was incredibly busy throughout 2021. Many loans took upwards of 10 months to close as HUD offices across the country were backlogged with billions of dollars’ worth of deals. Many investors were able to take advantage of the low-rate climate by locking into long term fixed rates below 3%. Due to all these factors, HUD was able to claim a very large share of the multifamily loan market in 2021.

Apartment Lending with Banks and Other Programs

While the agencies (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD) offer some excellent programs, not every apartment loan applicant qualifies for these programs. We have many excellent choices for these loans with our correspondent banks, credit unions, insurance companies and private lenders. Some examples of these loans include:

• Multifamily loans that require flexible underwriting or those that don’t meet standardized criteria.
• Properties in less than desirable markets, or those that require repairs or updating.
• Properties that don’t cash flow according to industry guidelines or lack stabilized cash flow.
• Borrowers with past credit issues, including foreclosures, short sales, or judgements.
• Borrowers who are not US citizens.

Whether you are purchasing or refinancing, we have the right solutions available for your multifamily mortgage loans. We will entertain apartment loan requests of all sizes, beginning at $1,500,000. Get started with a Free Commercial Mortgage Loan Quote.

Select Commercial provides Apartment Loans and commercial mortgages throughout the state of Wisconsin including but not limited to the areas below.

• Milwaukee • Madison