I got a call the other day from a consultant who wanted to tell me about one of his clients—a single developer who would be breaking ground on 900 affordable, green multifamily units this year. My first request: Tell me about the financing. Were these all strictly FHA loans, even as the agency tightens its lending belt? Perhaps this developer was able to find conventional financing in a world that still seems bereft of it. Or was this firm taking advantage of a combination of government subsidies, private funding, and niche green financing products offered by companies such as Enterprise Green Communities to deliver its product?

I’m still waiting for an answer. And I’m not alone. Most folks sitting on land or holding on to a property in need of a facelift are hoping that the spigots of construction financing will finally start to loosen up. In the meantime, they’re studying their construction financing lifecycle—from the upfront debt and equity needs, to the ever-fluctuating costs of construction materials and labor, to the flip side financial burden of either holding or selling their asset—and trying to charter a course forward. How about you? How has your construction financing lifecycle been holding up? What do you think needs to happen for conventional financing—and construction—to build momentum? E-mail me your thoughts.