Walker & Dunlop Survey Charts Bullish Outlook for Affordable Housing

Walker & Dunlop, Inc.’s third annual survey of affordable housing executives, conducted at the Affordable Housing Finance (AHF) Live conference, signaled a bullish outlook for continued growth in 2026. Ninety percent of respondents believe the appetite for investments in affordable housing will increase in the next year, compared to 70% who held this view a year ago.

65% of respondents this year cited an increase in affordable housing investments (debt and equity) in the past year, up from 52% who reported an increase in 2024. This momentum is not only anticipated but already occurring across many markets, according to Walker & Dunlop.

“This survey offers us a real-time pulse and reflection of industry sentiment,” said Sheri Thompson, EVP and head of affordable housing at Walker & Dunlop. “We held over 100 meetings at AHF Live and spoke with more than 300 clients. The survey results truly reflect what we’re hearing in those conversations.”

Read More News Stories About: Walker & Dunlop

Connect

Inside The Story

Walker & Dunlop's Thompson

About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

Order Reprints