Transaction Overview
George Smith Partners secured $7,650,000 in proceeds for the acquisition of a 12.66 acre parcel of undeveloped and unentitled land in a major city in the Western United States. The proceeds represent 65% of the appraised value of the land. The loan carries a 12 month term with two, 6 month extensions available. The loan is fixed at a rate of 10% annually and is prepayable at any time.
Challenges: GSP surveyed the market and found that many lenders would only finance the acquisition at 50% LTV. Other lenders could meet the Sponsor’s desired leverage but quoted an interest rate in the low teens. Some capital providers were concerned about the Sponsor’s ability to secure a takeout construction loan next year, and would only finance the purchase if pre-leasing was in place. The Sponsor intended to sell a small portion of the land shortly after closing. The parcel is located in a market that is growing rapidly, but experienced a large downturn during the last recession. There is still a lot of undeveloped land in the immediate area.
Solutions: GSP provided extensive comparable data that demonstrated the Sponsor’s acquisition price per acre was well supported by the market. Since national lenders were hesitant to provide sufficient leverage, GSP focused on local lenders that know the market well. Emphasis was placed on the enormous amount of new development currently underway in the same market as the subject, including a new big box retail store slated to open later this year. The Sponsor had already successfully developed a mixed-use project in the same submarket, demonstrating their ability to execute a complete business plan. The Lender provided a release provision that allows part of the parcel to be sold to a third party without the requirement of any additional pay down from the Sponsor. The third party appraisal supported a value higher than the purchase price, validating the Lender’s cost basis and resulting in them increasing the loan amount while we were under application.
