Is Multifamily Truly Recession Resistant?

Pat Jackson

Multifamily is undoubtedly tremendously popular among investors—and for many reasons. Renter demand is up, and more young people want to live in urban, walkable markets, but the trend has led to a flood of class-A development and repositioning projects, which has taken away affordable housing supply. In a downturn, class-A apartments will be the first to see a dip in demand and rents. However, even with that in mind, multifamily remains the best asset to survive a downturn.

“If you look at multifamily, ultimately, it is a utility. People have to have a place to live, so buy the very nature of the asset class, it fills an essential need rather than a an inessential need, like a shopping center,” Pat Jackson, founder and CEO of Sabal Capital, tells GlobeSt.com. “For that reason, it is the most recession resistant asset class. That is why investors continue to like multifamily. Even regulators in the bank sector treat multifamily differently than other CRE assets, and that is because it has an inherent risk aversion to a market cycle.”