Peachtree
Point of View
Peachtree Point of View explores today's complex investment landscape, sharing expert insight and actionable strategies to navigate markets and capitalize on mispriced risk. Each episode offers a deep dive into market dynamics, empowering you with the knowledge to better understand the financial world and generate superior risk-adjusted returns.
Discover Creative Capital Solutions in a Challenging Market
In the latest episode of Peachtree Point of View podcast, CEO Greg Friedman sits down with EVP Jared Schlosser, who specializes in hotel lending and C-PACE financing. Their conversation offers valuable insights into navigating today's dislocated credit markets and finding creative solutions to capitalize commercial real estate projects.
Jared, who joined Peachtree in 2019 after beginning his career during the 2007 market downturn, provides a unique perspective on the dramatic shift in credit markets since then. He explains how developers are struggling with rising costs and persistently high interest rates that make traditional financing structures difficult to pencil.
Senior + CPACE
The discussion centers on how Peachtree is helping clients overcome these challenges, with particular focus on C-PACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing as an innovative tool. This state-by-state legislative product allows financing for specific elements of construction (roofing, HVAC, elevators, etc.) through long-term fixed-rate loans repaid via property tax assessments.
What makes this strategy particularly powerful is the ability to combine C-PACE with senior debt to achieve higher leverage at a lower blended cost of capital. For example, on a $100 million project, developers might secure $30 million through C-PACE at 7.5% fixed (half the cost of traditional mezzanine debt), allowing them to finance 75% of project costs at favorable rates while maintaining acceptable returns.
Case Study: Washington Multifamily
Jared shares a recent success story from Washington state where Peachtree provided both senior debt and C-PACE financing, partnering with Hickory for mezzanine debt to deliver an impressive 87% capital stack. With Peachtree providing 70% through the combined senior and C-PACE loans, the borrower secured an attractive blended cost of capital for a higher-lever age construction loan. The multifamily project is located in an underserved secondary market with limited recent development—a focus area for Peachtree.The deal also featured flexible terms allowing the borrower to potentially payoff the C-PACE portion if rates decline.
Key Takeaways:
- C-PACE financing offers developers a powerful tool to replace more expensive capital in the stack, potentially reducing costs by hundreds of basis points compared to traditional mezzanine or preferred equity.
- In today's market, there are "no slam dunks" - every deal has challenges requiring creative solutions, thorough vetting, and proper risk structuring.
- Peachtree's ability to provide both senior loans and C-PACE financing creates a significant competitive advantage, allowing them to deliver financing packages higher up the capital stack.
- Speed and execution are critical in this environment, as many lenders fail to close deals due to improper risk assessment or changing credit committee decisions.
- Secondary markets with limited new supply present attractive investment opportunities, particularly for multifamily development.
Listen to the full Peachtree Point of View podcast to gain deeper insights into how you can leverage these creative capital solutions for your next commercial real estate project. Follow Peachtree Point of View on your favorite podcast platform to stay informed on investment strategies in today's challenging market.
The Strategic Advantage of Special Situations Investing During Market Uncertainty
On Peachtree Point of View, CEO Greg Friedman joins Michael Bernath, SVP of Acquisitions and Dispositions, for a deep dive into how Peachtree navigates special situations investing amid today’s complex commercial real estate landscape.
As interest rates remain elevated and a wall of debt maturities looms over the commercial real estate sector, many owners are facing refinancing challenges, reduced asset values, and tightening liquidity. Michael Bernath explains how these pressures are creating distinct buying opportunities, particularly in the hospitality space, where operational complexity and brand relationships can amplify distress and unlock value for experienced investors.
“The general idea with special situations within CRE is some form of distress within the capital stack,” Bernath explains. But hospitality brings added complexity: “You have the brands involved, and their requirements can add stress to an already challenging situation.”
Bernath highlights how the pandemic forced many hotel owners to divert capital reserves away from maintenance and brand-mandated renovations to cover debt payments. Now, hotel brands are "putting their foot down" and requiring these delayed renovations, creating pressure points for owners who lack the necessary capital.
The conversation reveals Peachtree's multi-faceted approach to special situations. Rather than simply acquiring distressed properties, they stay nimble within the capital stack—providing preferred equity, purchasing debt positions, or structuring creative partnerships depending on the opportunity. Essentially, they tailor each investment to the situation at hand, finding the most effective way to create value across the capital structure—not just by buying assets.
Friedman and Bernath emphasize that success in special situations investing requires deep market knowledge, operational expertise and the ability to identify an asset’s intrinsic value. As Bernath notes, “We ultimately are cementing our exit the day we buy an asset.”
The duo shares a real-world example of this strategy in action: a hotel property in Arizona that Peachtree tracked for two years before acquiring. Their plan includes rebranding the hotel and leveraging their operational expertise in the market to boost performance and unlock long-term value.
For investors questioning whether the complexity of special situations is worth the effort, Bernath offers a clear answer: Peachtree’s vertical integration and experience across multiple market cycles provide a distinct competitive edge. “This isn’t a team just dipping its toe in,” he says. “We’ve now executed this strategy through two full cycles.”
As commercial real estate faces continued market pressures, Peachtree sees the current environment as “very constructive” for its special situations investment strategy—potentially offering attractive risk-adjusted returns for those with the expertise to navigate these complex transactions.
Tune in to the full episode of Peachtree Point of View to gain deeper insights into how experienced investors are finding value in today's challenging commercial real estate landscape and subscribe to catch future episodes on your favorite podcast platform.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- What defines "special situations investing "in commercial real estate and how they create investment opportunities
- How to evaluate good entry points when investing in distressed assets
- Various investment structures beyond traditional acquisitions (preferred equity, note purchases, etc.)
- How current market conditions are creating a favorable environment for special situation investments
Where Smart Money is Flowing in Hotel Development
In the latest episode of Peachtree Point of View, CEO Greg Friedman interviews Will Woodworth, VP of Investments, revealing valuable market intelligence for hotel investors considering development opportunities in today's landscape.
Market Fundamentals Drive Success
The podcast highlights that successful hotel development hinges on identifying markets with clear supply-demand imbalances. Woodworth notes that occupancy rates above 70% typically signal development potential, while high barriers to entry can protect investments from over saturation. For investors, these fundamental indicators prove more reliable than chasing market trends.
Geographic Hotspots: Southeast and Sun Belt
The conversation identifies the Southeast and Sun Belt regions as particularly promising investment territories. These markets show strong correlation between hotel performance, GDP and gross metropolitan product (GMP), fueled by population shifts and corporate relocations. Texas and Florida stand out as investment hotbeds where both immediate and long-term lodging demand continues to grow.
Opportunity Zone Considerations
Investors exploring Opportunity Zone benefits will appreciate Woodworth's practical perspective. While tax incentives create advantages for investors with capital gains, he emphasizes that successful projects must stand on their own merits regardless of tax benefits. The podcast explores how certain downtown districts and tourist destinations qualify as Opportunity Zones despite their strong fundamentals, creating dual advantages for strategic investors.
Brand Selection Strategy
The discussion offers valuable insights into brand positioning in different markets. Investors should consider how soft-branded properties can create custom experiences reflecting local character while maintaining operational efficiency. This balanced approach allows developments to capture premium rates through distinctive ground-floor experiences while controlling costs through standardized room operations.
Market Selection Criteria
Perhaps most valuable for investors is understanding the selection process for viable markets. At Peachtree Group truly promising development opportunities represent less than 5% of potential deals we review. Investors should similarly exercise discipline, looking beyond surface growth to ensure infrastructure development, corporate presence, and tourism patterns align to support long-term hotel demand.
For investors seeking to navigate the hotel development landscape with greater confidence, this episode provides market intelligence directly applicable to investment decision-making. Tune in to the full Peachtree Point of View podcast for deeper insights into current market conditions and development opportunities.
Beyond the Box Office: How Smart Money Funds Films
In a recent episode of the Peachtree Point of View podcast, CEO Greg Friedman sat down with Joshua Harris, managing partner and executive producer and Emily Crooke, director investment strategies for Peachtree Group to discuss an often misunderstood but highly profitable investment strategy: film finance.
While Peachtree Group is widely recognized for its commercial real estate investments, many aren't aware of the firm’s growing media finance division. As Greg explains, this expansion stems from the core philosophy of uncovering niche and non-traditional opportunities where risk is mispriced to its advantage, driving outsized returns on its investments.
What makes Peachtree's approach to film finance unique? Unlike traditional film investors who take substantial creative risk hoping for the next blockbuster, Peachtree operates strictly as a senior lender. Drawing on his 25+ years of experience in financial services and media finance, Josh has developed a conservative underwriting approach that mirrors Peachtree's private credit lending strategy.
"People don't understand the difference between investing in film and lending in film," he explains. "We're not making an investment of capital into something that's just based off a script."
Instead, Peachtree advances against three forms of collateral:
1. Distribution agreements from major players like Netflix, Sony, and Amazon
2. Tax incentives from film-friendly states and countries
3. Carefully selected unsold territories with significant intrinsic value
Emily frames it simply: "In film finance, it's really, in simplistic terms, accounts receivables-based lending." She compares it to pre-selling condo units to use as collateral for construction financing.
A critical risk mitigation factor is the requirement for completion guarantees. Every Peachtree-financed film is protected by an AAA-rated bond company that monitors production spending and guarantees [on-time, on-budget] delivery. This eliminates both creative risk (will the film be good?) and production risk (will the film be finished?).
The result? Debt investments with equity-like returns. By leveraging their expertise and banking relationships, Peachtree achieves "strong 20s and 30s percent" yields at the investment level.
With approximately a dozen completed films ranging from $5 million to $80 million budgets, Peachtree Group is scaling up to finance around 12 films annually. The portfolio already includes an $80 million Guy Ritchie film hitting theaters this summer.
For investors seeking diversification with similar risk-reward profiles to private credit lending commercial real estate, this emerging alternative presents an intriguing opportunity. The complete podcast offers deeper insights into how Peachtree's disciplined underwriting approach translates to this growing asset class.
Listen to the full episode of Peachtree Point of View to learn more about this innovative investment strategy that delivers "equity type outcomes" with carefully managed downside protection.
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The Hidden Tax Benefits in Real Estate That Could Save You Millions
In the latest episode of Peachtree Point of View, CEO Greg Friedman sits down with Tim Witt, a seasoned expert with over 30 years’ experience, to explore tax-efficient investment strategies in commercial real estate. This insightful discussion explores various strategies that can potentially help investors preserve and grow their wealth while minimizing tax exposure.
Tim, who leads Peachtree's DST (Delaware Statutory Trust) strategy, brings a wealth of knowledge from his background as a Wall Street Journal All-Star Analyst and his extensive experience with alternative investments. During the conversation, he breaks down complex investment structures into digestible insights that investors will find valuable.
The episode covers three major tax-advantaged investment strategies:
Delaware Statutory Trusts (DST)
Tim explains how DSTs work as a powerful tool for commercial real estate investors looking to transition from active to passive ownership while deferring capital gains taxes through 1031 exchanges. He shares real examples of how investors can potentially maintain their wealth-building momentum and reduce the impact of taxes, which can otherwise take 30-40% of their proceeds upon property sale.
Opportunity Zones
The opportunity zone program was created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Greg and Tim explore how these investments may offer both tax deferral and tax-free appreciation when held for ten years. They share Peachtree's success story of developing a hotel in downtown Phoenix and discuss their current project in Maui, highlighting how they first identified opportunities that make sense regardless of potential tax benefits.
Bonus Depreciation
Finally, they examine bonus depreciation strategies and their potential revival with upcoming tax legislation, offering insights into how different types of investors might benefit from these programs.
Perhaps most valuable is their candid discussion about the pitfalls of tax-driven investment decisions. Both experts emphasize the importance of evaluating investments on their fundamental merits first, with tax benefits serving as an enhancement rather than the primary motivation.
For investors looking to optimize their real estate investment strategy while managing tax exposure, this episode provides actionable insights from two industry veterans. Whether you're considering a transition from active to passive real estate ownership, exploring Opportunity Zone investments, or simply seeking to better understand tax-efficient investment strategies, this conversation offers valuable perspective and practical advice.
Listen to the full episode of Peachtree Point of View to dive deeper into these strategies and learn how they might fit into your investment portfolio. Available now on your favorite podcast platform.
Please note that this podcast does not provide legal or tax advice. Before investing in any tax-advantaged program, consult with your CPA or a tax attorney to ensure you are eligible to benefit from the program's tax advantages.
Finding Opportunity in Commercial Real Estate’s Great Reset
In this episode of Peachtree's Point of View, Greg Friedman welcomes David Bitner, Global Head of Research and Executive Managing Director at Newmark, for an in-depth discussion on the commercial real estate landscape. They cover key economic and market trends, including the impact of sustained higher interest rates, the evolving debt market, and investment opportunities in a rapidly shifting environment. A major theme of the discussion is how higher interest rates continue to reshape commercial real estate valuations.
Commercial real estate investors and operators are facing a fundamental shift in market dynamics, with the era of ultra-low interest rates firmly in the rearview mirror. In a revealing conversation with Greg Friedman, David Bitner, Global Head of Research at Newmark, emphasizes that this change isn't temporary – it's a permanent feature of the investment landscape that requires a complete recalibration of expectations and strategies.
Looking ahead this year, Bitner anticipates continued volatility in interest rates, with the 10-year Treasury likely to run between 3.8% and the mid-5% range. This volatility, coupled with ongoing economic uncertainty, will significantly impact transaction activity and asset valuations across all property types.
Despite these challenges, there are bright spots emerging. Office markets showed their first positive net absorption in 18 quarters during Q4 2023, suggesting a potential turning point. The industrial sector is poised for recovery, particularly in secondary and tertiary markets, driven by near shoring trends and over $530 billion in planned manufacturing investments. Multifamily properties, especially new construction, show attractive pricing dynamics relative to existing stock.
For investors looking to deploy capital, David suggests a balanced approach with a significant allocation to debt investments, where spreads appear more attractive than equity returns. He particularly highlights opportunities in direct lending and mezzanine debt, where returns can reach 14%. On the equity side, he points to value-add opportunities in trophy office conversions, though emphasizing the critical importance of submarket selection.
The wall of debt maturities remains a significant concern, with approximately $2 trillion in commercial real estate loans maturing over the next couple of years. While banks have largely employed an "extend and pretend" strategy thus far, David suggests regulatory pressure and dwindling extension options could force more resolutions in 2025, leading to increased transaction activity and price discovery.
The podcast also touches on potential policy impacts from the new administration, including proposed tariffs and deregulation efforts, which could create both challenges and opportunities for commercial real estate markets.
For investors and operators in commercial real estate, 2025 promises to be a year of continued adaptation to new market realities. Success will require embracing volatility, adjusting return expectations, and taking amore targeted approach to investments across both debt and equity opportunities.
Peachtree Point of View explores today’s complex investment landscape, offering expert insights and actionable strategies to navigate dislocated markets and capitalize on mispriced risk. Each episode dives deep into market dynamics, equipping you with the knowledge to better understand and navigate the ever-changing financial world. Whether you're looking to invest, raise capital, or partner, we’ll reveal the tools and strategies needed to generate superior risk-adjusted returns.
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Unlocking Hidden Opportunities in Private Credit
In the latest episode of Peachtree Point of View, host Greg Friedman delves into the world of private credit lending with Daniel Siegel, head of Peachtree Group's commercial real estate lending platform. Together, they unpack how today's evolving market landscape is opening doors to compelling private credit investments.
Market Dynamics and Opportunities
The market is at an inflection point, with treasury yields north of 4.5% and nearly $2 trillion in commercial real estate loans maturing over the next 24 months. Siegel observes, "If you bought in 2020-2022, there's a good chance you've experienced some value deterioration." This trend has pressured multifamily valuations, which have dropped by 20-25%, yet fundamentals remain solid, with properties continuing to maintain healthy occupancy.
The discussion highlights an intriguing paradox: while many assets face valuation challenges, they continue to perform well operationally. This disconnect is creating opportunities for sophisticated investors, particularly as banks contend with increasing regulatory pressure to reduce their commercial real estate exposure. Siegel shares an interesting case study of a Massachusetts multifamily project where his team stepped in to provide a creative financing solution that benefited both the original lender and the borrower.
Property Sector Analysis
The episode also offers nuanced insights into various property sectors. As mentioned, multifamily, while grappling with near-term pricing pressure, holds strong long-term fundamentals. Hospitality demonstrates remarkable resilience, leveraging its daily pricing power. Retail has emerged stronger after years of supply rationalization. Conversely, office assets present a mixed picture—Class A properties maintain performance, while secondary assets face substantial challenges.
Strategic Advice for Borrowers
For investors exploring private credit opportunities, Siegel emphasizes the importance of working with experienced managers equipped with the infrastructure for loan servicing and workouts. "It's easy to write loans," he notes. "It's the infrastructure needed to work them out that matters."
Drawing on Peachtree Group's 17-year track record and over $11 billion in commercial real estate investments, the discussion underscores the firm's ability to provide creative financing solutions while maintaining conservative underwriting (typically 65-70% LTV).This approach has helped the firm to capitalize on market dislocations while effectively managing risk.
With its seasoned expertise and innovative strategies, Peachtree Group continues to lead the way in delivering strong risk-adjusted returns on its investments. This episode is filled with actionable insights and strategic guidance for navigating today's complex market environment.
Listen to the full episode to hear detailed discussions on:
- Current market dynamics and opportunities
- Property sector analysis and outlook
- Keys to selecting private credit managers
- Strategic advice for borrowers in today's market