Solar savings: A smarter way to make housing more affordable
BACK TO ALL It’s no secret California faces a housing affordability crisis—but the challenge isn’t just about rent. It’s also about keeping the lights on. Electricity bills across the state have soared, piling an extra burden onto households already stretched thin. For renters, the pain is especially acute. Over the past decade, power prices for […]
Insulating Multifamily Investments from Economic Volatility
BACK TO ALL The multifamily housing sector continues to be under a variety of mounting pressures. Construction costs have gone up 50% since 2019, looming tariffs and labor shortages are driving up expenses, supply chain disruptions persist, and policy uncertainties are all creating financial headaches for developers. As projects become increasingly difficult to financially pencil, […]
Stacking up Savings: The Rise of Smart Battery Storage in Multifamily Solar Projects
BACK TO ALL While California multifamily owners and developers are widely embracing solar power systems, recent changes to the state’s solar Net Energy Metering (NEM) rules are threatening to upend the many financial benefits solar provides for multifamily properties. Thankfully for multifamily stakeholders looking to use solar systems to increase NOI, meet sustainability targets, […]
Clearing the Path for Solar: Why Fannie Mae Must Modernize Multifamily Guidelines
BACK TO ALL For multifamily owners, leasing a portion of the property to a company that provides sustainable energy infrastructure—like solar or EV charging capabilities—creates value, generates additional revenue and improves the tenant experience, all while meeting green building regulations. It’s hard to see the downside, and yet capital providers like Fannie Mae have been […]
Standing with LA: Helping fire-affected communities recover
BACK TO ALL The Palisades and Eaton fires have been among the most destructive wildfires ever to hit Los Angeles County, and among the top five most devastating in California history. While official damage assessments are still underway, these two fires alone damaged or destroyed an estimated 16,200 structures, including at least 234 multifamily properties […]
How Multifamily Developers Can Benefit from Triple Net Energy Leases
BACK TO ALL Multifamily developers face tremendous challenges in the current market. With elevated interest rates, limited capital availability, rising construction costs and increased energy regulations, there are many ways that multifamily developments can stall before they even start. To make the financial equation of a project work, multifamily developers must think outside of the […]
5 Solar Energy Myths, Busted: What Multifamily Owners Need to Know
BACK TO ALL Solar energy adoption is gaining momentum as a cost-effective and sustainable solution for multifamily properties, but for many owners and developers, solar energy feels like a complicated and specialized solution. Even developers and owners who are eager to meet ESG goals or improve their net operating income (NOI) can fall victim to […]
How Multifamily Owners Can Harness the Power of Non-Dilutive Equity
BACK TO ALL Free money is always good—but it’s rarely easy to find. For years, property owners enjoyed a very low-interest rate environment that allowed them abundant access to cheap capital. Those glory days ended in 2022 when interest rates began to rise dramatically. Now, investors have hit the pause button on funding new acquisitions, […]
5 Ways to Invest in your Multifamily Property in a High Interest Rate Environment
BACK TO ALL Over the past two and a half years, PearlX has been in the trenches helping multifamily housing owners and operators as they navigate a higher-for-longer interest rate environment that’s caused both delays in major property investments and kept investor capital sidelined. While high occupancy rates and steady rent growth enabled properties to […]
From costly amenity to revenue asset: Boosting multifamily budgets with energy
BACK TO ALL Solar, batteries, EV chargers and other electrical amenities can be a source of electricity cost savings and potential revenue for multifamily developers, but many are still wondering, “How much is this going to cost?” It’s an appropriate first question for a developer to ask, especially with construction costs increasing at 5% annually, […]