Charles Cronin of Axiom Capital Corp. discusses how the longest upcycle in history is impacting the lending environment. Cronin weighs in on the overall health of the commercial real estate lending industry now and what people learned from the 2007/08 financial crisis. What can people expect from the market going into 2020, especially with high prices and fierce competition in both sales and lending? Low credit spreads and rates are positive signs for commercial real estate. However, challenges related to high-end apartments and areas with very high costs of living signal the need for both discipline and flexibility as secondary and tertiary markets become more attractive. Watch the video to hear more about what Cronin sees in today’s market. This video is posted as part of REBusinessOnline’s Finance Insight series, covering MBA CREF 2020. Click here to subscribe to the Finance Insight newsletter, a four-week newsletter series, followed by video interviews from MBA CREF.
John Randall of Grandbridge Real Estate Capital talks about the capital available in the commercial real estate market. The risk-adjusted returns available in CML [capital market line] debt capital markets is superior to that offered by alternative investment classes, he says. “Until we see any meaningful steepener on the curve or significant disruption, there’s really no end in sight to the liquidity in both debt and equity flowing into commercial real estate.” This breeds fierce competition, but there has not been any meaningful slippage in risk terms or how lenders are underwriting assets. As far as the multifamily sector goes, Randall sees no end to the growing demand from renters. “As a country, we are underhoused to the tune of 3 million to 4 million units… and we’re running at an annual deficit in excess of 350,000 units,” he notes. Watch the interview to hear Randall’s insights on multifamily, as well as Grandbridge’s plans following the merger of BB&T with SunTrust to form Truist. (Grandbridge is a subsidiary of BB&T, now Truist.) This video is posted as part of REBusinessOnline’s Finance Insight series, covering MBA CREF 2020. Click here to subscribe to the Finance Insight newsletter, a four-week …
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Berkadia: Affordable housing concerns require local solutions
David Leopold, Senior Vice President and Head of Affordable Housing at Berkadia, speaks with reporter Nellie Day about the ever-growing need for affordable housing and the challenges of meeting increasing demand. As Leopold discusses the differences between subsidized affordable housing and “organic,” workforce housing that is not driven by subsidies, he looks at the short- and long-term impacts of each approach. “Like all real estate, affordable housing challenges are very local. And the solutions to affordable housing are also local,” Leopold says. Developers have different tools available to them depending on where they are doing deals. Watch the video to hear more from Leopold about the challenges of affordable housing and how Berkadia is helping to tackle the issue. This video is posted as part of REBusinessOnline’s Finance Insight series, covering MBA CREF 2020. Click here to subscribe to the Finance Insight newsletter, a four-week newsletter series, followed by video interviews from MBA CREF.
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What Does Walker & Dunlop’s New Venture Mean for Multifamily Lending?
Walker & Dunlop has entered into a joint venture with commercial real estate data science company GeoPhy to optimize the multifamily valuation process. The new appraisal company is called Apprise, and its goal is a five-day appraisal to accelerate the delivery of capital to real estate operators, Walker & Dunlop’s clients among them. Brad Savage, MAI, CCIM, Chief Product Officer of Apprise, discusses the marriage of data and human expertise in Apprise’s approach to commercial valuation. Apprise’s proprietary platform acts as a co-pilot for its appraisers, making sense of complex datasets and streamlining manual processes. By producing more credible reports in less time, Apprise allows clients to make quicker, more informed investment decisions. Watch the interview to learn how the program works and what it means for the industry.
When beginning the loan process, borrowers and lenders start with a solid foundation. But what happens if a new or renovated project doesn’t lease up as quickly as expected? What happens if construction delays push past the end of the construction loan? What happens if construction cost overruns jeopardize completion of a project? And what if the economic upcycle turns downward before your project is completed? Mark Fogel, President and CEO of ACRES Capital, talks about the role of alternative lenders and how communication between borrowers and lenders can overcome these challenges. Watch the video for Fogel’s recommendations on creating a solid partnership with your lender. This video is posted as part of REBusinessOnline’s Finance Insight series, covering MBA CREF 2020. Click here to subscribe to the Finance Insight newsletter, a four-week newsletter series, followed by video interviews from MBA CREF.
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M&T Realty Capital: What’s the latest in seniors housing finance?
At MBA CREF, M&T Realty Capital’s Sean Huntsman met with reporter Nellie Day to discuss the trends he’s seeing in the multifamily and seniors housing sectors. One big takeaway: The current market demands flexibility and diversified lending. M&T Realty Capital Corp.’s lending platform is allowing the company to both succeed and expand — they had a record 2019 in terms of loan production for healthcare and seniors housing sectors. In addition to a robust pipeline of multifamily and seniors housing construction loans, M&T is also working with owners/operators who are stabilizing assets and recapitalizing equity. However, Huntsman is seeing the impact of high labor and constructions costs and some overbuilding in certain markets, indicating that stakeholders need to look closely at demand on a market-by-market basis. Watch the video for more insights from Huntsman. This video is posted as part of REBusinessOnline’s Finance Insight series, covering MBA CREF 2020. Click here to subscribe to the Finance Insight newsletter, a four-week newsletter series, followed by video interviews from MBA CREF.
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TD Bank: Practical Steps to Promote Affordable Housing
2020 looks like it will be a record year in terms of delivery of multifamily units, according to Gregg Gerken, Head of U.S. Commercial Real Estate with TD Bank. But how much will Class A continue to dominate the market? “There is a movement toward rent control. Affordable housing is an obvious pressure in the industry,” Gerken says. Entitlement and construction costs mean that developers have focused on Class A projects and LIHTC-supported affordable housing projects. “But much more emphasis will have to be placed on workforce housing and Class B new delivery. There is an unmet — and almost unlimited — demand in that space,” Gerken says. The question is: can the industry influence government — especially local government — to change entitlement processes to encourage development of more affordable housing? Watch the interview for Gerken’s insights on affordable housing development. This video is posted as part of REBusinessOnline’s Finance Insight series, covering MBA CREF 2020. Click here to subscribe to the Finance Insight newsletter, a four-week newsletter series, followed by video interviews from MBA CREF.
Chad Thomas Hagwood of Hunt Real Estate Capital discusses growth opportunities in 2020 and the different drivers that make for a positive atmosphere, especially in secondary and tertiary markets around the country. Previously overlooked areas offer more opportunity to develop and less competition. Many secondary and tertiary markets are seeing corporate growth and increasing populations, which is driving more demand for multifamily housing. Limits on development include construction cost, scarcity of labor and shortages of materials, but uncertainty over the upcoming election is also keeping investors wary of planning too far in advance. People are waiting on the sidelines to see what happens, with some investors waiting until after November to create their four-year plans. Watch the video to hear more about what Hagwood expects to see in 2020. This video is posted as part of REBusinessOnline’s Finance Insight series, covering MBA CREF 2020. Click here to subscribe to the Finance Insight newsletter, a four-week newsletter series, followed by video interviews from MBA CREF.
Mark Fogel, president and CEO of ACRES Capital, believes alternative lenders can maintain their flexibility and creativity where perhaps more traditional lenders cannot. He believes this will be important as the country continues its unprecedented upcycle, with a potential downturn threatening in the next 18 months or so. Finance Insight (FI): As an alternative lender focused on the middle market, can you tell me a little bit more about alternative lenders and your specific areas of expertise in comparison with traditional funding sources? Fogel: Traditional lenders offer an important role in most communities as a source of funding. However, they are restricted by regulations that impede their ability to take on riskier transactions and go higher on the capital stack. In this regard, alternative lenders can step in and provide capital and opportunity for those projects that are going through a redevelopment or are repurposed from their original business plan. FI: Do you lend against all property types and pursue projects in all geographical regions of the U.S.? Fogel: ACRES seeks out opportunities on an asset-by-asset basis. We do not necessarily follow market trends, but rather identify alternative situations where, from a debt perspective, our basis is low and the …
Technology and data are here to make things easier, faster and more accurate than ever before. However, some industries have lagged behind. This inspired Walker & Dunlop and its data science partner, GeoPhy, to fulfill a need in the market related to multifamily valuation. “We built Apprise because we saw a significant opportunity to improve a critical part of the underwriting and valuation process that has largely gone unchanged for decades,” says Brad Savage, Chief Product Officer for Apprise by Walker & Dunlop. “It is the natural and needed progression of any industry to harness the power of technology to make its practitioners more efficient and more informed. This is something we’re seeing in nearly all industries, except commercial real estate valuation…until now.” Apprise by Walker & Dunlop integrates data feeds and business processes that cover 80 percent of the steps in the traditional appraisal process. This can often result in appraisals in five days or less, compared to up to three weeks for traditional reports. The process is powered by GeoPhy’s Automated Valuation Model (AVM), which automates data feeds and can pre-populate relevant fields, preventing errors or duplicate entries that can happen with manual submissions. Selection bias is also reduced with the …