multifamily

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners has successfully renegotiated the construction debt on a $10,000,000 construction loan on a 15-Unit multifamily property in West Los Angeles.

Challenge:

GSP arranged the original fixed-rate construction loan with a debt fund in 1Q-2020, prior to the Covid moratoria. However, due to the uncertainty of the supply of labor and materials during the pandemic, the Sponsor decided to delay vertical construction for about one year which delayed the lease-up and stabilization thereby reducing the remaining term which reached maturity in May 2023.

Despite the Sponsor’s willingness to pay down the indebtedness, GSP determined that a restructuring of the existing debt would be more cost effective than bringing in additional equity.

Solution:

GSP was able to negotiate with the construction Lender to convert its loan into a one-year bridge facility. The Lender increased the interest rate by 50 bps but did not charge a new origination fee. Hopefully, in one year, the financing markets will improve and an $8,000,000 loan at more conventional pricing will be available.

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.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners secured a bridge loan to finance the takeout of a construction loan on a 17-unit/44-bed Co-Living Community located in the Sunset District of San Francisco. George Smith Partners put the construction loan in place in early 2020 and worked with the construction lender to accommodate delays in the renovation/reposition caused by the Pandemic. The Property represents a former 12-unit apartment community that was repositioned into a Co-Living Community through the addition of 5 rental units in the former ground floor parking garage, as well as the addition of a partial 4th floor on the rooftop of the building. The Borrower went under application in February with closing contingent upon receipt of a Certificate of Completion. GSP was able to leverage its relationship with both Lenders to extend maturity as well as the rate lock in a rising interest rate environment. GSP was also able to negotiate approximately $200,000 in cash to Borrower at close to be used toward FF&E. The property, known as “The Irv,” will be managed by Common. Unlike most co-living products in the market, each unit offers a common area living room, state of the art kitchen, and a bathroom to bedroom ratio of 77% with most units offering en-suite bathrooms. Communal areas include a central courtyard with a BBQ grill and firepit/seating area, a rear yard with secured bike parking, 400 SF roof deck with ocean views, and a surfboard and wet suit wash and storage area.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully arranged $85,800,000 in construction financing for a 10-building, 372-unit multifamily development in Sacramento, CA. The project is located in an opportunity zone of Sacramento and is phase A of a 2,200-unit, transit-oriented development. Breaking ground in Q2 2023, this phase of the development will consist of studios, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments with best-in-class amenities, including a pool, fitness center, playground, and clubhouse.

The Sponsor engaged GSP pre-pandemic. A previous developer had acquired the land in the early 2000s and after completing 95% of the site’s infrastructure, subsequently filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017. The site was given back to the lender in early 2019 and was awarded to the Sponsor by the urging of the City of Sacramento because of their local reputation related to successful projects in the downtown sub-market. Our Sponsor originally intended to begin construction in early 2020 but decided to pivot layout designs to match the new needs of its renters due to the pandemic.

After an extensive capital marketing process, GSP was able to secure financing to the Sponsor’s parameters with the upside of not having a rate cap requirement. The financing structure is also unique in that it transitions from an interest-only period to a traditional permanent fully amortizing financing automatically after month 48. Early prepayment is available even during the construction period and then steps down until a fully open prepay year 4 after CofO.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully placed an $8,000,000 bridge loan for the refinance of a 28-unit, newly constructed apartment building in La Mirada, California. The bridge loan refinanced the construction loan at building stabilization. The loan amount provided a return of equity to the Sponsor and allowed the Sponsor time to decide whether to sell the property in the future or put a permanent loan on the property if long-term rates start to come down. GSP sourced a lender that was able to provide maximum cash-out and fix the interest rate for the duration of the loan term. The financing is open for prepayment at any point throughout the loan term with a minimum of 12 months interest paid.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners secured $33,800,000 of senior construction financing for the development of an 83-unit ground-up multifamily building in an infill Los Angeles location. The 83 units will be comprised of 50% conventional units and 50% co-living units. While the property is in an A+ location, many lenders were uncomfortable with co-living in general. GSP was not only able to find a lender that was comfortable with the product type but was also able to get to almost 70% of total project cost. The lender also gave the borrower credit for the entitled value of the land as opposed to their acquisition cost from the year prior. The land equity contributed a significant portion of the total equity required.

The construction loan was priced at Prime + 0.75% and the loan term is 18 months plus one 6-month extension option.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners secured $8,500,000 of senior construction financing for the development of a 35-unit ground-up multifamily building in Los Angeles, California. GSP was sourcing financing when banks were getting increasingly conservative in their underwriting, with leverage falling and compensating deposits required. Given the strong track record of the developer, GSP identified a bank that was able to maximize the leverage with no deposits held at the bank. The Sponsor was also able to use land equity in the capital stack.

The construction loan was priced at Prime + 1.25%. The loan term is 18 months plus one 6-month extension option.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully placed a $14,500,000 bridge loan for the lease-up of a newly constructed 54-unit apartment building in Los Angeles, California. The bridge loan refinanced the construction loan at maturity and provided time to stabilize the Property. GSP sourced a Lender that was able to provide cash neutral financing and fix the interest rate for the duration of the loan term. The financing is open for prepayment at any point throughout the loan term with a minimum of 12 months interest paid.

Transaction Description:

GSP utilized a quick close bridge fund to provide 3 separate loans:
$7,150,000 Distressed Multifamily Purchase – 80% LTC in Los Angeles
$2,200,000 Mixed-Use, Retail-Residential – 65%LTV in Los Angeles/Venice
$2,580,000 Restaurant/Retail – 65% LTV in Pasadena

George Smith Partners successfully arranged three bridge financings in Southern California. In today’s turbulent market, private quick close options are sometimes necessary. The ability to act quickly often allows our clients to become the chosen Buyer- purchasing these Properties at a large discount or solve a tenant/occupancy issue before a permanent refinance.

GSP worked with a local REIT to develop a program that includes a first and second private mortgage of up to 85% of acquisition price. With the fund and GSP, the loans are underwritten to the future value, to allow the client to implement their strategy. When used for purchasing a property, the loans are designed to provide the same surety of close as an all-cash buyer, with no appraisal needed and the ability to close as fast as 5 business days. The loans are non-recourse and have no prepayment penalty.

These loans are cheaper and easier than equity partners and allow the Sponsor to take advantage of opportunities using less cash.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners secured an acquisition bridge loan for the acquisition of 10 acres in Laveen, AZ that will be developed with a Humphrey’s designed, 250-unit resort-style multifamily community. The $4,500,000 loan funded 100% of the purchase price plus an interest reserve. The site was put under contract in October 2020 “unentitled” but part of a 35-acre master plan community that includes a 16-bed hospital facility, Big O’ tires, and land for future senior housing development and restaurants. The 35-acre site has a “main and main” location in Laveen which has seen tremendous growth since the opening of Loop 202, a new freeway that connects Laveen and other South Phoenix communities with Interstate 10. The Sponsor fully entitled the site during escrow which included the annexation of 6 of the 10 acres from County to City property.

GSP also advised on the acquisition and procured over $2,000,000 of Co-GP equity to complete predevelopment of the site. GSP was able to find a non-recourse senior lender for the land acquisition that gave 100% value to approximately $2,500,000 of imputed equity. The Sponsor, a Phoenix-based development firm with over 60 years of development experience, will complete its value-engineering during the term of the land loan while GSP procures construction financing.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners secured $8,400,000 for an acquisition bridge to perm loan for a 122-unit multifamily Property portfolio in Dallas, Texas. The Property had a single family that owned the project for over 20 years and never tried to push rents, so the debt service coverage at closing was below 0.20x. For most lenders, this was a quick pass, but GSP utilized its vast relationships and experience in the community development space to identify a unique mission-based bridge lender who would see the community benefit for the renovation of this property.

In addition to the low debt yield, the property also had a higher vacancy than the rest of the market and higher expenses. Because of our relationship with the Lender, we were able to expedite the application process. GSP assisted the Sponsorship team in developing a strong business plan and creating a clear vision of how to reach their occupancy goals. This included proving the benefits of the Sponsorship structure which incorporated their experienced in-house rehab team, as well as getting the Lender comfortable with the Sponsorship’s overall mission. GSP understood the dynamics of the Sponsorship team and helped the Lender understand the strategy that would allow for a quick lease-up and a stronger NOI.