$13,850,000 Ground-Up 29 Unit Los Angeles Rental to 75% of Cost

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners sourced an acquisition loan for a newly constructed 10-unit multifamily property in Florida. The borrower closed on the vacant property just after Certificate of Occupancy was received. Although the loan went into application several months ago, the seller was delayed in obtaining the C of O. Despite fluctuations in the capital markets, the lender held the fixed rate of 10.25%. The loan has a 9-month term with one 3-month extension option. A small interest reserve was structured to cover the initial payments while the property leases up.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully secured a $4,835,000, 72% LTC, fixed, non-recourse, pre-development bridge loan for a 205-unit multifamily ground-up construction project in Denver, Colorado. The bridge loan will be used to complete all the architecture/engineering milestones required to obtain permits and finalize pre-development work prior to breaking ground in Q3 of 2024.

The Denver metropolitan area is expected to add roughly 216,700 new residents over the next five years, fueled by the expansions of the Denver International Airport and Fitzsimons Medical Campus. The Project is expected to fulfill an underserved workforce demographic by offering an affordable yet high-quality option. The Project will feature a rooftop deck with BBQ grills, outdoor games, picnic areas, a dog run, gym, state-of-the-art security systems, bike parking, package storage, and a mail center with full-time onsite management and maintenance.

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 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 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.