Statista estimates the value of the commercial real estate market will reach $24.67 trillion in 2023. According to the Deloitte Center for Financial Services 2024 industry outlook, half the industry expects the cost of capital and capital availability to worsen through next year. Couple that with the $1.5 trillion wall of debt maturing before the end of 2025 and it’s easy to understand the trepidation in the market today.
But we’ve been here before.
The credit team at Peachtree Group has completed hundreds of transactions worth north of $15 billion. In our collective careers, we have seen borrowers navigate unstable markets, such as what we are experiencing today, in a variety of different ways.
Here are five tips for borrowers trying to navigate today’s difficult market, and secure funding for their project.
It has been a borrower’s market for several years now, and this is not one of them. Do not forsake the term sheet in your hand – the Fed has raised interest rates 11 times since March of 2022. Spending too much time on turns of a term sheet might leave you losing any spread concessions to increases in the benchmark or, even worse – lenders deciding to pull terms altogether. If you have an offer from someone you trust, you might want to take it.
On existing projects, your current lender is most likely your best friend. A lender willing to give you an extension is gold in this market. Getting additional terms out of your current lender is likely the least costly option, even if it comes with fees and a rate increase – it likely is still significantly less costly than what the current market will give you. However, I hope that you have been a good borrower – up to date on deliverables, communicative about the status of your project, etc. – make no mistake, the bank is doing you a favor, don't give credit committee a reason to say no.
Being one of the largest CPACE originators in the country, Peachtree has seen a significant increase in pipeline looking to apply proceeds retroactively. Properties are eligible for CPACE up to 3 years after certificate of occupancy in approved municipalities and proceeds can generally be up to 35% of stabilized value. It’s a source of capital that has become more interesting to first mortgage lenders as the proceeds could be used to paydown your first mortgage and size a new interest reserve.
We pride ourselves on being lenders who want to be part of the solution when a deal has a budget bust or stabilization is taking longer than anticipated. However, I always encourage borrowers to size up their budget contingencies (i.e., 7% vs. 5%) or structure additional interest reserves. Yes, it will increase your initial capitalization, but your lender will pick up 60-70% of that cost in the loan funding. It may mean more work on the initial capital raise, but it's usually less costly than going back to your lender and/or equity mid-project to get additional capital.
Lenders have access to data and information. They ultimately will discover the truth; it might as well come from you. This includes prior credit aberrations or issues and accurate property performance information. We have capital specifically for lending on special situations – there are a lot of deal-level risks that can be mitigated, but lack of trust with sponsorship is not one of them.
In uncertain times, hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Peachtree is an experienced capital partner who understands commercial real estate's nuances. With funding options limited from traditional lenders, our team has the lending solutions, financial capacity, and expertise to close complex transactions in today's challenging capital market environment.
We are available to discuss your lending options that meet your business objectives. Visit us at www.peachtreegroup.com.
Daniel Siegel is president and principal of Peachtree's commercial real estate lending group.
Before joining Peachtree, he was with Ardent Companies as managing director and the head of high-yield investments leading the company’s debt investments. Prior to that, Daniel was vice president of acquisitions at Rialto Capital, overseeing the distressed loan acquisitions platform. During his tenure at Rialto, Daniel directly oversaw the acquisition of commercial real estate loans on domestic and international opportunities. Additionally, he developed the firm’s small balance loan acquisition platform and led the company’s first European acquisition.
Daniel has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Tulane University. Contact him at dsiegel@peachtreegroup.com.
Investing in a franchise hotel can be a good way to diversify your portfolio and to achieve solid returns over an extended period of time. Finding the right hotel financing options can make this acquisition even more profitable. Comfort letters are designed to provide a legal framework for lenders and franchisors to handle situations in which the hotel purchaser defaults on the loan. Here are some facts ever investor should know about comfort letters.
Comfort letters are documents that allow lenders to assume franchise rights if the original franchisee defaults on the loan. These letters include provisions that ensure that lenders can continue to operate the hotel in the event of default or foreclosure on franchise hotel loans.
Comfort letters offer several benefits for all parties involved in the transaction, including the following:
Many lenders require comfort letters before they will finalize loans for franchise hotel properties.
In most cases, the comfort letter is drawn up by the franchise company as part of the franchising process. These legal documents may follow a standardized template or may be customized to suit the needs of the borrower and the lender. The contents of the letter may include some or all of the following provisions:
These provisions are designed to protect the lender if the hotel financing loan goes into default.
Peachtree Group is a direct lender with a specialty in hospitality lending. Our originators work with investors across the US to provide the most practical hotel financing arrangements for their specific needs. Contact us today to discuss your financial needs with one of our expert loan originators. We work with you to provide the best options for your hotel financing requirements.
ATLANTA (Feb. 2, 2024) – Peachtree Group announced the company originated a $34.5 million loan for the acquisition and renovation of a 312-unit multifamily property in Gainesville, Fla., on behalf of Coastline Management Groups (Coastline), a Hollywood, Fla. based service-oriented real estate management company. The property, Pavilion on 62nd, is a 25-building, 312-unit multifamily used previously for student housing.
The Peachtree Group team originated the floating-rate bridge loan over a three-year term, representing 61% of the stabilized appraised value.
The multifamily property contains 31.74 acres and features two-, three- and four-bedroom units with onsite property management, two clubhouses, two swimming pools, workstation cubicles, a game room, a media room, rentable event room, a gym, indoor racquetball and half-court basketball, sand volleyball court, dog park and package receiving center.
Coastline will use approximately $5.0 million of the bridge loan proceeds to renovate unit interiors, convert four-bedroom units to three-bedroom units, expand the onsite amenities and complete deferred maintenance on exterior and common areas.
Peachtree Group is an investment firm driving growth with a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate assets and other ventures. We’ve executed hundreds of investments since inception with a focus on real estate acquisition, development, and lending. Today, we manage billions in equity, augmented by services designed to protect, support, and grow our investments.
March 2025
Peachtree Group is a nationwide direct balance-sheet lender, offering competitive terms, in-house loan servicing, and flexible capital to handle a wide array of projects.
Peachtree provides full-stack debt capital solutions to qualified commercial real estate owners across all sectors throughout the U.S. We offer bridge, construction, mezzanine, preferred equity, CPACE, permanent and NNN financing.
See below for some of the most recent loan transactions from Peachtree Group including hotel loans, retail, multifamily, industrial, and land.
Need Financing? Contact us at lending@peachtreegroup.com.
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Commercial Observer: Peachtree Closes $52MM CPACE Loan for California Townhomes
February 2025
Anatomy of the Deal is a new series where we sit down with senior leaders from Peachtree Group to dive deep into the intricacies of a deal they've led, exploring the strategy, challenges, and decisions that shaped its success.This week's episode we delve into Peachtree's $44MM Loan for The Benjamin, a multifamily development. We are joined by Greg Koenig, Senior Vice President of Credit for CRE at Peachtree Group, who led this transaction.
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September 2024
FEATURED: Versatile Hotel Financing with both Senior & CPACE Origination
Peachtree Group originated a $50.4MM first mortgage and a $22.4MM Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) financing for the development of the dual-brand, 263-room hotel located in Southern California. This project highlights Peachtree Group’s competitive advantage by demonstrating its ability to fully execute both Senior and CPACE loans.
Click Here to Read the Full Case Study
August 2024
Amid ongoing credit market dislocations, Peachtree Group originated a $40 million retroactive CPACE loan in just 23 days.
July 2024
Peachtree Group worked with the Sponsor to convert a retail store to an industrial building in a sought-after area of Sacramento, CA.
June 2024
Peachtree Group worked with the Sponsor to pay off its maturing loan while executing a business plan to upgrade its property to better compete in the marketplace and retain its Hilton flag.
Peachtree is an award-winning hotel lender. Contact us to discuss your deal.
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