Refinance of 30 Unit Apartment Building in Koreatown Los Angeles with $2,300,000 Cash Out to Borrower

Transaction Description: 

George Smith Partners successfully arranged a $13.5 million refinancing on behalf of the owners of The Glen Centre, an irreplaceable 44,000 square-foot boutique retail center located in the heart of the Beverly Hills/Bel Air area.

Originally financed 10 years ago by GSP, the new 5-year loan was used to refinance existing CMBS debt on the property that was coming due in February 2024. Serving the surrounding Bel-Air/Beverly Hills community since 1978, this irreplaceable asset was one of L.A.’s first true community shopping centers, designed to meet the needs of surrounding residents by offering one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants and convenient services in a beautiful park-like setting.

Transaction Description: 

George Smith Partners has arranged approximately $27,000,000 of Preferred Equity and $70,000,000 of Permanent Debt financing for the refinance of a 1,000+ bed student housing property. The purpose of the loan was to replace the maturing mezzanine debt and preferred equity. 

GSP worked extensively with the client and their team to find the optimal structure to replace their existing lender, subordinate lender and preferred equity investors. The GSP team marketed three separate capitalizations including a ground-lease bifurcation, bridge debt, and preferred equity behind an agency loan with the goal of maximizing proceeds for the client.  

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully closed a refinance of a single-tenant industrial building in Downtown Los Angeles with a life insurance company. Given the strong market and property type, GSP arranged very attractive financing that required no on-going reserves of any kind. This was important as the Sponsor did not want the lender to reserve for the lease roll which occurs the same year as the loan maturity. The lender also locked their interest rate at application signing which saved the Sponsor over 65 basis points as rates climbed significantly during processing and closing of the loan.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners has successfully facilitated a recent cash-out refinance of $4,000,000 for our Sponsor’s multifamily portfolio. This financial arrangement was designed to suit two distinct multifamily properties nestled within the city of Charleston, South Carolina.

The team collaborated with a local bank that demonstrated a keen understanding of these multifamily properties. The negotiations resulted in an arrangement where the lending institution allowed 70% of the appraised value of the Properties for a cash-out refinance. This mutually beneficial agreement showcased the confidence both parties had in the assets’ value and future prospects. The Lender showcased their capacity to offer flexible fixed-rate financing, granting the choice to adjust the fixed rate to market conditions in favor of the borrower throughout the loan’s duration without incurring any expenses.

The Sponsor, represented by the GSP team, was relatively new to the Charleston market and operated from a non-local base, which presented a significant hurdle in the current real estate landscape. The properties were purchased outright with cash in late 2022 and mid-2023.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully secured $4,500,000 to refinance a mixed-use office and industrial property in Los Angeles, CA. Our Sponsor had contacted one of his relationship banks to refinance his headquarters building. With the current crisis in lending, they were not able to provide a satisfactory refinance. The Sponsor then engaged GSP to secure financing. In reviewing the Sponsor’s financials, GSP identified significant growth and was able to secure a much larger cash-out refinance of the sponsor’s facility.

Using our relationships and experience, GSP identified an international bank that was able to provide a more aggressive rate and larger proceeds than the other lenders in the market. In 35 days, GSP was able to close this cash-out refinance at a fixed rate of 5.61% for 5 years, with 12 months of interest-only payments.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully secured a cash neutral permanent refinance loan for a 12-unit multifamily property in Los Angeles. Due to current market conditions, in which many regional banks are not lending, GSP had to expand its list of capital sources. A national bank was found that provided enough proceeds to pay off the in-place loan plus fees. The loan has 5 years of Interest Only payments on a 7 year fixed rate term. The lender provided non-recourse financing without charging any rate premium compared to a recourse loan. The loan closed in 26 days from application, which may be a record for a bank loan.