Walker & Dunlop

Willy Walker Consumer Resilience CRE

By Willy Walker, CEO of Walker & Dunlop Fed’s Recent Mistakes In a recent Walker Webcast, “Most Insightful Hour in CRE with Dr. Peter Linneman” part of our ongoing webinar series, renowned economist Dr. Linneman and I discussed his views on monetary policy, inflation and what the economic and commercial real estate landscape looks like for 2023. Throughout the past year, the Federal Reserve has been raising the federal funds rate faster than we have ever seen. This, of course, has led to a drastic increase in the cost of borrowing, the likes of which haven’t been seen in decades. In just one year, the effective federal funds rate has increased from 0.08 percent in February 2022, all the way to a target range of 4.5 to 4.75 percent in February 2023. This has led many to believe that the Fed has considerably overshot where rates should be since the market wasn’t given ample time to react to each rate hike. This rapid increase in interest rates has reduced lending activity in terms of new loans, leading to a sharp decline in demand for real estate, as well as major price corrections. Additionally, the rapid rise in borrowing costs has …

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Thurgood-Marshall-Plaza-Harlem

NEW YORK CITY — Walker & Dunlop has arranged $120 million in financing for a portfolio of three affordable housing properties totaling 557 units in Harlem. The portfolio’s capital stack now includes agency debt originated by Freddie Mac and historic tax credit equity that was generated by The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and was subsequently purchased by J.P. Morgan Chase. Proceeds will be used to rehabilitate and preserve the affordability status of Audubon Houses, Bethune Gardens and Thurgood Marshall Plaza, which were built between 1962 and 1985. The owner, a partnership between Dantes Partners and NYCHA, plans to invest about $200,000 per unit in capital improvements. Interior upgrades will include new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, appliances and flooring, and the project team will also modernize the properties’ HVAC systems. Construction is expected to be complete by August 2025. John Gilmore led the Walker & Dunlop team that structured the agency financing.

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VALLEY COTTAGE, N.Y. — Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $37.7 million construction loan for Lincoln Logistics, a 220,000-square-foot industrial project in Valley Cottage, about 25 miles north of New York City. The property will feature a clear height of 36 feet, 55 dock doors and 123 parking spaces. Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Jonathan Schwartz, Adam Schwartz and Mo Beler arranged the debt on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between Lincoln Equities Group and PCCP. The direct lender was not disclosed.

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NEW YORK CITY — Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $100 million loan for the refinancing of JFK Logistics Center, a 423,000-square-foot industrial property in Queens that is fully leased to Amazon. The multi-story facility sits on 10.7 acres and features a clear height of 36 feet, 16 loading positions and two floors of parking. Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Jonathan Schwartz, Adam Schwartz and Mo Beler arranged the debt on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between Wildflower Ltd. and Amstar. J.P. Morgan Investment Management provided the loan.

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Northern-Liberties-Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $134.6 million construction loan for Northern Liberties, 360-unit multifamily project that will be located at 200 Spring Garden St. in Philadelphia. The transit-served building will offer a pool, fitness center, coworking lounge, conference center and a party room, as well as 23,070 square feet of retail space. Aaron Appel, Keith Kurland, Jonathan Schwartz, Adam Schwartz and Mo Beler of Walker & Dunlop arranged the loan through insurance company Ullico on behalf of the borrower and developer, a partnership between Kushner Real Estate Group and National Real Estate Advisors.

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LINCOLN AND ASHLAND, NEB. — Walker & Dunlop has originated a total of $20.9 million in HUD refinancing for Fallbrook Assisted Living and Memory Care in Lincoln and Oxbow Living Center in Ashland. Walker & Dunlop’s Kevin Giusti and Mikko Erkamaa originated the loans in both deals on behalf of the borrower, MJ Senior Housing. Both transactions refinanced floating-rate debt and provided cash proceeds. Fallbrook Assisted Living and Memory Care received a $13.3 million loan. The property is a 71-unit assisted living and memory care facility that was built in 2018 and opened in 2019. Oxbow Living Center received a $7.6 million loan. The property is a three-story, 79-unit assisted living and memory care community.

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Rylan-Apts-Vista-CA

VISTA, CALIF. — Rockwood Capital has purchased The Rylan, a multifamily property in downtown Vista, from StreetLights Residential for an undisclosed price. The Rylan offers 126 units, resort-style amenities and five ground-floor retail spaces. Hunter Combs of Walker & Dunlop represented the seller and buyer in the transaction.

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FORT ATKINSON, WIS. — Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $14.7 million HUD-insured loan for the refinancing of Reena Senior Living, an 80-unit assisted living and memory care facility in Fort Atkinson, located about midway between Madison and Milwaukee. The property consists of a three-story assisted living building that was constructed in 2016 and a one-story memory care portion that was built in 2019. Kevin Giusti and Matthew Lund of Walker & Dunlop arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, Tukka Properties.

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By Allison Herrera, Walker & Dunlop Effective Dec. 15, 2022, Freddie Mac began accepting ownership of two- to four-unit properties — aka duplexes, triplexes or quadplexes — as relevant experience for all loans in its Optigo® Small Balance Loans (SBL) program. Previously, Freddie Mac defined multifamily experience as controlling ownership of a property with at least five units or more and excluded two- to four-unit properties. By expanding its borrower experience definition, Freddie’s SBL program increases opportunities for investors who focus on small multifamily housing to grow their portfolios by accessing financing outside of banks. What Qualifies as Experience? Here’s what you should know. Freddie Mac expanded their definition of multifamily experience to include borrowers who have a portfolio of two- to four-unit properties that meet the following criteria: The borrower must own at least 10 units total The borrower must have owned each property for at least two years The borrower must have a controlling interest in all 10 units The 10 units do not need to be contiguous or located in the same county The new requirements provide investors access to agency debt when beginning to invest in larger properties, such as those with five to 50 units, …

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John Ducey Walker & Dunlop Affordable Housing

By John Ducey, chief production officer of Walker & Dunlop’s affordable lending group Private industry and the federal government are rallying to recover ground lost to a housing affordability crisis that has been decades in the making. Nearly half of the nation’s renters, 46 percent, are housing cost-burdened, which the Census Bureau defines as those families paying 30 percent or more of their income on rent and utilities. The burden is higher for some, with nearly one in four families (23 percent of Americans) paying half or more of their income for housing. The situation calls for a change in tactics, a recognition of recent policy failures and a shared commitment to double down on programs with proven efficacy. As a nation we must ask, what can we do differently to put more homes within reach for the growing ranks of Americans who struggle to meet basic housing costs? A Building Problem The gap between housing costs and strained household budgets has widened due to both insufficient supply and wage stagnation that has fueled demand for affordable housing. The larger of the two issues — a lack of supply — traces chiefly to the 2008 financial crisis, which put a …

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