Stratford Capital Group

09/02/2026

Residual income is what's left after rent and utilities — the money for groceries, transportation, medicine, everything else a household needs to function.

For renters earning under $30,000 a year, that number has fallen 48% in five years, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. Rents didn't just rise. They rose faster than the cushion families had to absorb it.

This is the population LIHTC-financed housing exists to serve — rent capped by income, not by the market. It won't fix the residual income problem for every renter in America. But for a family in a Stratford-financed unit, it holds one variable steady while the rest of the economy keeps moving.

Source: Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, State of the Nation's Housing 2026

08/28/2026

Developers thinking about bringing a new affordable housing project to us — here are the five questions we always ask first:

— What's the site, and what makes it the right location for this community?
— What does your capital stack look like, and where are the gaps you need a sponsor to fill?
— What's your track record with the state housing agency, and what's your competitive position in their QAP?
— How are you thinking about the 30-year compliance period — not just closing, but ongoing asset management?
— What does success look like for the families who will live here?

These aren't screening questions designed to filter people out. They're the questions that help us understand whether a partnership makes sense — and whether we can genuinely add value to what you're building.

If you have strong answers to most of these, we want to hear from you.

stratfordcapitalgroup.com

08/24/2026

People ask us what it actually takes to close an affordable housing deal.

The short answer: more than most people expect, and less mystery than it sounds.

A typical LIHTC transaction involves:

— A state housing agency application and competitive allocation process
— A capital stack layering tax credit equity with debt financing (often including tax-exempt bonds, HOME funds, or other soft financing)
— An equity investor (or syndicator) willing to commit capital and take on long-term compliance requirements
— A construction lender, a permanent lender, and often a bridge
— Environmental and market-rate studies, cost certifications, and compliance monitoring that runs for 30+ years
— A development team with the track record to get through all of it

The reason experienced sponsors matter: this process doesn't allow for learning on the job. Each layer has its own requirements, timelines, and failure points.

Stratford's role is to be the equity partner that makes the financing work and the deal close. Twenty-eight years means we've seen almost every combination of the above.

08/17/2026

The research on housing stability and children's outcomes is clear. We pulled it together.

The bottom line: stable housing isn't just a social good. It's one of the most powerful early interventions available for children's educational and economic trajectories.

Every affordable housing unit we help finance is doing more than providing shelter. It's providing the foundation for everything that comes after.

08/04/2026

The OBBBA expanded the LIHTC program in the most significant way in a decade.

But here's what the celebration can obscure: very few affordable housing units get built on LIHTC alone.

The typical affordable housing capital stack layers multiple financing sources — tax credit equity, federal rental assistance vouchers (Section 8 and project-based), state and local grants, HOME funds, and construction financing. Take one layer out, and deals that were penciling suddenly don't.

Right now, Congress is debating a proposed $26.7 billion cut to federal rental assistance programs — roughly a 40% reduction from current levels. That cut isn't part of the OBBBA. It's in the FY2026 appropriations process. And it remains unresolved.

If those cuts go through, the question isn't whether LIHTC will still generate credits. It's whether the deals that need rental assistance to underwrite their operating income will still be feasible at all.

The OBBBA was a historic win. What Congress does next matters just as much.

07/29/2026

07/27/2026

Heading into the second half of 2026, the affordable housing landscape looks different than it did a year ago.

More LIHTC capacity. A lower bond test threshold opening up previously stuck deals. Real urgency around energy credit deadlines reshaping project timelines. Pricing dynamics that require more sophistication to navigate well.

For developers: this is a moment to revisit projects that didn't pencil under the old rules. The math may have changed in your favor.

For investors: this is a moment to work with sponsors who understand both the opportunity and the complexity — who can structure creatively and execute reliably through a more competitive, more nuanced market.

Stratford has spent 28 years doing exactly that. If you're planning for H2, we'd welcome the conversation.

stratfordcapitalgroup.com

07/22/2026

Deal closed! 🏡 Stratford Capital Group is proud to announce the closing of Coit Village Apartments in Florence, SC — 60 affordable homes for families in the community, preserved for years to come.
Partnering with Fitch Irick on this acq/rehab, all 60 units remain restricted to households earning 60% AMI or below.
Grateful for the partners who made this deal possible. This is what community impact looks like.

07/16/2026

Banks don't invest in LIHTC purely out of generosity. They invest because it satisfies a regulatory requirement and generates real returns.

The Community Reinvestment Act requires banks to meet the credit needs of the communities they serve — including low- and moderate-income areas. LIHTC investments are one of the most well-established, well-understood ways banks satisfy that requirement while generating tax-advantaged returns.

This is structural, durable investor demand. It's not contingent on a particular administration, a particular economic cycle, or investor sentiment about social impact. It's baked into how the banking system is regulated.

That structural demand is part of why LIHTC has remained a stable, bipartisan-supported asset class for nearly 40 years — and why we remain confident in its long-term trajectory, even through pricing cycles like the one we're in now.

07/07/2026

There's a quiet deadline running through the affordable housing industry right now.

Projects relying on the 45L New Energy Efficient Home credit or the 179D Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings deduction must begin construction by that date to qualify — both credits are being phased out under the OBBBA.

For developers who've built energy efficiency into their capital stack and project design, this is creating real urgency: get shovels in the ground now, or find alternative funding sources to replace those credits.

It's also a reminder of something important about affordable housing finance: the incentive landscape is always shifting. The developers and sponsors who track these changes closely — and adjust capital stacks accordingly — are the ones who keep projects moving forward without disruption.