Transaction Overview
George Smith Partners arranged $2,950,000 in permanent financing for a 12-unit multifamily property located in West Hollywood, California. In July of 2019 GSP arranged the acquisition financing for the Sponsor who now retained us to refinance the 85% bridge loan. Even with the current economic uncertainty, GSP was able to increase the loan size while dramatically decreasing the interest cost. GSP obtained a fixed rate of 3.70% for the first 5 years which allowed the Sponsor to recoup some of the capital invested in the rehab. This was particularly difficult to accomplish in light of the previous high leveraged loan.
With the COVID-19 global pandemic and uncertainty in the market, it was critical to select a capital provider who could provide certainty of execution. Borrowing costs are on the rise as lenders ratchet up their credit standards. 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.
GSP selected a capital provider that we have a strong relationship with and have closed numerous financings with. We knew the loan officer would stay focused on the need to close on time and keep the agreed-upon rate and proceeds through the completion of the loan. 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. GSP’s experience working with appraisers, inspectors and title/escrow during the COVID-19 pandemic was critical to getting this transaction completed. It is now common during the COVID-19 pandemic that Capital Providers require a 12-month interest reserve. Due to our strong relationship with the selected Capital Provider, we were able to negotiate that those funds be applied to the first 12 months of the loan payments.
