Cash Neutral Refinance for Multifamily Property; Los Angeles, CA

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 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 placed a $11,350,000 loan for the refinance of a 60-unit historic multifamily property in Downtown Los Angeles. The loan request was started in Q4 of 2022 when many banks had stopped lending after reaching their full allocation for the year. As a result, GSP engaged in an extensive marketing process that included over 30 lenders. A California-based credit union was sourced that quoted a rate of 5.62%. The lender used a 1.20x DCR and underwrote to the start rate of the loan. This resulted in proceeds of $1.0MM more than several other lenders. During the closing process, the 3-year Treasury temporarily dropped, and the lender re-quoted the rate at 5.34%.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners secured $46,000,000 for the refinance of two multifamily properties located in Houston, Texas. Despite the properties being a few months away from stabilization, we secured a 3-year permanent loan instead of a higher-cost bridge loan to pull cash out to the Sponsor at a cheaper rate. We were able to negotiate a favorable prepayment penalty so the Sponsor could pull more capital out in 18 months.

The Sponsor’s original bridge loan that was completed in 2019 was priced at LIBOR + 4.75%, so with rates increasing, their all-in rate was over 9%. The Sponsor had completed 80% of the unit improvements and 100% of the exterior upgrades, but because of COVID, they are about 20% below the target NOI.

GSP utilized its relationships and experience to structure a loan that would be affordable, and most importantly fixed-rate in this increasing rate environment. Overall, the Sponsor was extremely happy with the refinance which allowed them both a fixed low rate and flexibility for the future.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners arranged $3,830,000 in permanent financing on a newly stabilized 11-unit multifamily property located in Austin, TX. The loan is fixed at a rate of 6.00% for 10 years and a 3-3-3-2-1 prepayment structure. Although some lenders were hesitant to provide competitive permanent financing terms on a former condo multifamily property with less than a year of operating history, GSP was able to source competitive financing ahead of the rising interest rate environment with flexible prepayment. Thanks to our long-standing relationship with this repeat lending relationship, GSP was able to meet the Sponsor’s deadline and close this transaction within 43 days from signing the term sheet.

Transaction Description:

George Smith Partners secured cash-out refinance loans totaling $20,950,000 for 3 stabilized Los Angeles multifamily properties. The properties comprise a total of 145 units. The loans are fixed at 4.25% for 5 years and have at least 4 years of Interest Only payments. The lender gave the borrower full credit for income sources that had recently increased, including parking and utility reimbursements. Annualizing the most recent months of collections resulted in higher loan proceeds. A 60-day rate lock was signed at application. Since market interest rates increased by over 50 basis points while the loan was application, this provided a substantial benefit to the borrower. Although the closing process took longer than 60 days, the lender extended the rate lock for no charge.