Tag Archives: commercial real estate financing

Loans For Love

OK, that is admittedly an odd title for a commercial lending related post, but I had to tie this post to Valentine’s Day somehow, right? Yes, gentlemen… Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and if you haven’t planned for it, you’ll be paying a premium for those roses, chocolates, and good luck getting a good seat at Mastro’s Steak House!

And that allows me to segué into my “lending” topic: Planning, specifically as it pertains submitting a commercial loan request. One of the most difficult aspects of being on the lending side is getting “piecemealed” on the information that we need to make a realistic decision on interest in the transaction and pricing. This represents a lack of “planning” from my perspective.

This is especially apparent in “fast funding” situations. There’s an old saying: “A lack of planning on your part does NOT constitute and emergency on my part.” Pulling documents one at a time out of a broker or borrower does not bode well for a quick close. So what does it mean to “plan” for a submission?

I would suggest at the very least that you have the following prepared and ready to sent to a lender:

  • A well prepared and complete Executive Summary describing the transaction clearly, no more than 2 pages of text, with pictures.
  • The guarantor(s) Personal Financial Statement, Schedule of Real Estate, and Credit Report.
  • If a purchase, the Purchase and Sale Agreement and Offering Memorandum.
  • If a refinance, SOME validation of value (either comps, a recent BPO, or an appraisal) and a breakdown of equity injected into the project.
  • A Use of Funds Statement.

All of that should pretty much describe the transaction in enough detail for a lender to provide a realist and quick response on pricing and closing time. Yes, it means more work on your part… at first. However, you’ll find that when shopping for good loan alternatives, this approach will save you a HUGE amount of time an headache.

Now gents… get out there and get those flowers, chocolates, dinner reservations, teddy bears, and anything else to let your special someone know just how special she is!

Craig Higdon is the Chief Executive Officer of Dragon Realty Capital, a nationwide private money direct lender who has been in the commercial real estate lending business since 1993.

Successful Executive Summaries

When is a commercial loan “summary” not a summary? When it turns into a book, of course. Or when it showed up as only a few sentences. So perhaps the better question to ask is: “How much information should you include in an Executive Summary?

The purpose of an Executive Summary is to present to the reader (presumably a lender or investor) the important FACTS of the transaction in support of the loan request. When you consider that a typical lender may receive 20 to 50 requests for financing PER DAY, you can see that both brevity and impact are important in crafting your request. Also remember that everything you put INTO the Summary needs to be supported by all of the documentation you collect from your borrower.

We start with an overall description of the transaction wherein the first sentence is a “summary of the Summary.” Do NOT forget to have a compelling picture on the first page. Pictures sell far more than to the dry facts. In the Transaction Summary, also remember to lay out the purpose of the financing, the borrower’s motivation, and how value is derived. Finally, include a “Use of Funds” statement.

The next section describes the sponsorship (humans) behind the transaction including net worth, liquidity, credit, and a short biography. The more experience your borrowers have, the easier it will be to obtain financing.

Now we split: Is this a refinance or a purchase? Each type of transaction has its key points, with actual “cash in the transaction” being the key component. Skin in the game is what lenders prize most so make sure that this is described in detail, particularly in cash out refinance transactions.

The next section covers any construction or rehabilitation to be done to the property as part of the loan request. Soft costs, hard costs, reserves (interest, hard costs, TI, and/or leasing) and closing costs should all be laid out… clearly.

Last, but not least of the descriptions, here you can include property facts such as building size, lot size, zoning, parcel numbers, etc. At the end of the summary, include MORE pictures of the property, a map, and maybe a satellite photo from Google. Brokers can get one of our summary templates by signing up: Click Here.

Next week I’ll discuss how to pick good lenders to add to your “list” so that you can service your clients more effectively.

Craig Higdon is the Chief Executive Officer of Dragon Realty Capital, a nationwide private money direct lender. More information can be found at www.DragonRealtyCapital.com. We also offer educational, interesting, FREE Reports for industry professionals and investors: Click Here to get yours.


Questions To Be Asking

Last week I discussed the importance of the Executive Summary, the first document to send to a lender and the last document you create in your loan file. This week I want to give you a few very important questions to be asking at the outset of a potential financing to help you discover if you should give a particular request priority or even pass on it all together.

So you get a call from a prospective borrower and he/she starts to run through all the really great reasons why you should give him 110% LTV, interest only balloon note financing on his outhouse in Podunk. This is where you step in and ask these questions:

  1. How much is your property worth and how did you determine that? (Is there real value here?)
  2. How much do you owe on the property and are you current on your loan(s)? (What kind of trouble is this borrower in and is it even possible to finance him?)
  3. Where is the property located? (Are you in downtown LA or in Podunk… guess which is easier to finance?)
  4. What is your motivation for getting this loan? (Gets to WHY they need the money.)
  5. When do you need to close on the loan? (Gets to HOW motivated they are to get financing.)
  6. What are your credit scores? (Again, do you have problems you have to solve?)

First, notice that these are all open-ended questions. The prospective borrower can’t give you a Yes or a No. He’s got to tell you the story. Can you see how these questions will give you enough information to make a determination on whether to proceed?

I’m not suggesting that you turn down a tough to close if you know what you’re doing. You can make real money on tough loans because they ARE tough. It’s simply better to know up front what you’re getting into.

Next week I’ll elaborate more on the Executive Summary and its structure. The better you craft this document, the better your chances of getting initial interest in your loan request.

Craig Higdon is the Chief Executive Officer of Dragon Realty Capital, a nationwide private money direct lender. More information can be found at www.DragonRealtyCapital.com. We also offer educational, interesting, FREE Reports for industry professionals and investors: Click Here to get yours.