$14,000,000 Cash-Out Refinance of a 4-Property Multifamily Portfolio at 3.15%,70% LTV; Los Angeles, CA

Transaction Description:
George Smith Partners was retained to refinance a 2-Property multifamily portfolio. Sensing buying opportunities in the multifamily market, the Sponsor wanted to pull cash out of their existing multifamily portfolio to use as equity to purchase new properties. GSP obtained a fixed rate of 3.15% for the first 5 years of the 30-year term.

Challenge:
With the global pandemic and uncertainty in the market, it was critical to select a capital provider who could successfully close and provide the cash out for the additional purchases. Any delays would have been very costly because of penalties in the purchase contract. In addition, most lenders were overwhelmed with year-end financing requests as several other lenders pulled out of the market and forbearance requests from their current borrowers. There were complex issues around appraisals and inspections that required GSP’s daily oversight.

Solution:
Because of GSP’s strong relationship with this capital provider, we were confident that the loan officer would stay focused, close on time and keep the agreed rate and proceeds. GSP is in the debt market every day which gave us the ability to ensure that the selected Capital Provider was closing deals and meeting deadlines. GSP’s experience working with appraisers, inspectors and title/escrow during the COVID period was critical to getting this transaction completed in a timely manner. The loan closed on time and the Sponsor was able to utilize the cash-out to purchase another project. As is common during the COVID crisis, the Capital Provider wanted a 12-month payment reserve. GSP was able to convince the Capital Provider to only require 6-months and allow the reserve to be applied to the first 6-months of payments.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners successfully arranged $18,880,000 in permanent financing for a 192-unit multifamily community. The loan is fixed for 15 years at 3.03% with interest-only payments for the entire term and significant cash-out proceeds. Despite the severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the spring and summer, the Property was able to remain above 95% occupancy with minimal declines in rent collections. GSP capitalized on the Property’s quality, market resiliency, strength of the Sponsor and low leverage to attract quality offers from several lenders.

Transaction Description:
George Smith Partners was retained to develop and implement a strategy to refinance a 5-Property $50,000,000 multifamily portfolio. GSP divided the properties between two capital providers in order to provide maximum flexibility to the Sponsor. The second part of the portfolio involved obtaining a 70% LTV permanent loan of $8,600,000 to provide the Sponsor with over $1,500,000 in cash-out capital to purchase additional properties during a changing market and maintain a strong cash position. GSP obtained a fixed interest only rate of 3.95% for the first 5 years.

Challenge:
With the COVID-19 global pandemic and uncertainty in the market, it was critical to select a capital provider who could successfully close. Borrowing costs are on the rise as lenders ratchet up their credit standards. The proceeds for this transaction were targeted for the acquisition of an additional asset which had a firm closing date and a large non-refundable deposit. Any delays would have been very costly. With the current crisis, lenders were 100% focused on rent collections and overwhelmed with new financing requests as several other lenders pulled out of the market as well as forbearance requests from their current borrowers. In addition to the usual due diligence requirements, the Lender required much more information. There were complex issues around appraisals and inspections that required lots of hand-holding.

Solution:
GSP selected a capital provider that we have a strong relationship with and has closed numerous loans for us. We knew the loan officer would stay focused on the need to close on time and keep the agreed to rate and proceeds throughout the loan process. Because GSP is in the debt market every day, we were able to ensure that the capital provider was truly closing deals and meeting deadlines. Because of the market disruption, borrowing rates jumped by over 100 basis points overnight. We were able to lock the 5-year interest only rate at 3.95%, the following day, rates jumped to 4.75%. It was clear that the Lender was mindful of their reputation with GSP and didn’t want to get a reputation of crazy rate increases or abandoning their customers when they are needed the most. GSP’s experience working with appraisers, inspectors and title/escrow during the COVID period was critical to getting this transaction completed. The loan closed on time and the Sponsor was able to utilize the cash-out to purchase another project. As is now common during the COVID crisis, the Capital Provider required a 12-month interest reserve. We were able to convince the Capital Provider to apply those funds to the first 12 months of the loan payments.