JOHNS CREEK, GA. — Walker & Dunlop has provided a $26 million Fannie Mae acquisition loan for The Reserve at Johns Creek Walk, a 210-unit multifamily community in Johns Creek. The 10-year loan features five years of interest-only payments. The borrower was JLL Income Property Trust. The Reserve at Johns Creek Walk is situated on nine acres at 6215 Johns Creek Commons, 29 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta in north Fulton County. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans and communal amenities such as a 24-hour cyber café, 24-hour fitness center, conference room, pool, outdoor kitchen, pet spa, playground and a car care center. Jim Cope and Benjy Krosin of Walker & Dunlop originated the loan on behalf of the borrower.
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Can Boston Keep Up with Multifamily Demand?
Think Boston multifamily is overbuilt or overheated? Think again. Due to superb fundamentals and a slowing development pipeline, Boston is now regarded as the number one metro area for multifamily investment. From 2019–2030, Boston will need to add 51,007 units to accommodate population growth, an average of 4,637 units per year. Recent development (2014–2017) averaged 3,334 units per year. Population and job growth are expected to remain strong, fueling continued demand for multifamily housing and countering arguments that the Boston market is overbuilt. Many developers nationally are interested in the market. The construction pipeline for multifamily properties features organizations with headquarters as far away as Portland, Phoenix, and Dallas. The Houston-based Hanover Company, for example, has four properties totaling over a thousand units in the Boston development pipeline. Boston is a seller’s market as well, with deals typically attracting multiple bids, and it is easy to see why. For investors, Boston is a market with an average cap rate of roughly 4.5 percent. This is the same cap rate as Raleigh or Central Florida — two markets generally considered to be more volatile than Boston in the case of a recession. A Reliable Hub Becomes a Vibrant City “Historically, people …
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 …
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has acquired MSF Real Estate Capital, an independent commercial real estate finance firm. MSF services approximately $925 million of life insurance company loans, substantially all of which will be added to Walker & Dunlop’s servicing portfolio prior to the end of the first quarter. With the acquisition, Walker & Dunlop has expanded its debt brokerage team to Columbus. Jeffrey Morris, Chad Kiner, Scott Moore and A.J. Mangan will spearhead Walker & Dunlop’s first office in the Columbus market. Founded in 1984, MSF has tripled the size of its full-service commercial real estate mortgage banking firm over the past decade. Collectively, the team has closed more than $10 billion in transaction volume throughout their careers.
NEW YORK CITY — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has acquired New York City-based capital markets advisory firm AKS Capital Partners. Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Jonathan Schwartz and Adam Schwartz, who lead the 15-person AKS team, will join Walker & Dunlop as senior managing directors and co-heads of the New York capital markets practice. The team will focus on sourcing and structuring financing for all commercial real estate asset classes nationally, as well as expanding Walker & Dunlop’s client base and capital markets capabilities. The sales price was undisclosed.
Walker & Dunlop Provides $11M Bridge Loan for Acquisition of Supportive Living Community
by Jaime Lackey
AURORA, ILL. — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has provided $11 million in bridge financing for The Vistas Fox Valley, a 136-bed supportive living facility in Aurora. The borrower was Cascade Capital Group, which used the funds to acquire the community. Walker & Dunlop’s bridge lending program utilizes the company’s own balance sheet to offer short-term, non-recourse loans for properties that are being acquired or repositioned. Joshua Rosen and the bridge lending team structured the financing with a nine-month term, full-term interest-only payments and flexible prepayment options. The borrower plans to replace the loan with HUD financing before the end of the year. Supportive living is an Illinois program to offer assisted living services while still allowing for government reimbursement.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Multifamily finance firm Walker & Dunlop has announced the formation of a new investment sales team in Austin, which represents the company’s first office in the state capital. Managing directors Matt Pohl and Forrest Bass and vice president Spencer Roy, all of whom previously worked at HFF prior to its acquisition by JLL, will lead the team in the sourcing and execution of multifamily deals. The team will focus on Texas and markets in the Southeastern United States. The office is located at 501 Congress Ave and is open for business.
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Egbert Perry and Affordable Housing: How One Man’s Vision Launched a National Movement
by Jaime Lackey
When picturing the rebirth of downtown Atlanta, one of the first images to come to mind is the skyline — the iconic high-rises. Another, often overlooked, part of this picture includes Atlanta’s skywalks. In the early days of redevelopment, these walkways connected luxury buildings above urban neighborhoods that many had abandoned, and effectively furthered the separation of the “haves” from the “have-nots.” Iconic Atlanta developer Egbert Perry was driven to challenge development that emphasized the separation. From his perspective, perpetuating the separation of community members simply perpetuated the issues of inequity and injustice that plagued the city. Perry was motivated to bring people together in a different way, in neighborhoods that would appeal to everyone. Where others saw poverty, blight, and dilapidated housing projects, Perry saw potential — and pioneered a new approach to affordable and workforce housing, commercial real estate development, and community development and investment. The Story Begins at Centennial Place In 1994, when Perry left H.J. Russell & Company to start The Integral Group, he quickly came upon an opportunity to redevelop the area now home to Centennial Place. The 60-acre property was located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, and was considered to be the most …
GRANDVILLE, MICH. — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has arranged a $48.3 million bridge loan for the refinancing of The Grand Castle Apartments, a newly developed apartment property in Grandville, a suburb of Grand Rapids. Developed by Roger Lucas, a principal of Land & Co., the exterior of the property is modeled after the famed Neuschwantstein Castle in southern Germany. It comprises 522 units. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, business center, resident lounge and dog park. Benjy Krosin of Walker & Dunlop arranged the 24-month, floating-rate loan. Kari Zapolski of Inner Circle Holdings originated the loan, which will enable the borrower to pay off the existing construction debt and complete lease-up.
Walker & Dunlop Provides $225.1M Fannie Mae Acquisition Loan for Multifamily Portfolio in Virginia
by Alex Tostado
BETHESDA, MD. — Bethesda-based Walker & Dunlop has provided a $225.1 million Fannie Mae acquisition loan for a five-property multifamily portfolio on behalf of Capital Square 1031. Walker & Dunlop provided a $66 million loan for 2000 West Creek in Richmond, a $29.7 million loan for Hickory Creek Apartments in Richmond, a $31.6 million loan for Saltmeadow Bay Apartments in Virginia Beach, a $52.5 million loan for Misty Ridge Apartments in Woodbridge and a $45.3 million loan for Bellemeade Farms Apartments in Leesburg. Four of the five properties are fully stabilized, with the exception of 2000 West Creek, which was built in 2018 and is in the final stages of lease-up. Bristol Development Group sold 2000 West Creek. The sellers of the other properties were not disclosed. Capital Square is a national investment sponsor specializing in tax-advantaged real estate offerings, including Delaware statutory trusts and qualified opportunity funds.