Help, advice and practical how-to-guides for real estate investors
The idea that banks can indefinitely extend troubled commercial real estate loans is likely overstated, according to Bill Bymel, founder and CEO of First Lien Capital LP. While regulatory forbearance and creative loan restructuring have allowed banks to avoid recognizing losses, Bymel contends that structural and political forces will eventually require banks to confront the ...
A mounting systemic risk in the credit markets is being overlooked, according to Bill Bymel, founder and CEO of First Lien Capital LP. He points to two intersecting problems: a surge in collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and approximately $1.5 trillion in loans from banks to non-bank financial institutions that he describes as opaque and potentially ...
The commercial real estate default crisis is deeper than official bank reporting suggests, according to Bill Bymel, founder and CEO of First Lien Capital LP. While major banks currently report default rates between 3% and 5% on their commercial real estate loan portfolios, Bymel contends the true level of distress is much higher once loans ...
Rhode Island’s house-flipping market remains active, but investors are struggling with rising acquisition costs that are reducing the profitability of renovation projects. Walt Buteau, a real estate advisor at Engel & Völkers Oceanside who specializes in investment properties and flips, says the challenge is not a lack of interest but a sharp increase in prices ...
Established hotel owners are increasingly lending money to other hotel owners and operators, stepping into a role traditionally filled by banks and debt funds. As credit tightens and acquisition opportunities shrink, these experienced operators are using their own balance sheets to finance deals, effectively becoming lenders, but with the ability to step in and operate ...
The idea that regional banks have pulled back entirely from commercial real estate lending oversimplifies the reality, according to Stephen Haase, Director of Capital Markets at Greysteel. While regional banks have not exited hotel lending altogether, they have become much more selective based on deal size. Haase says this shift is creating a clear split ...
Across the hospitality sector, fewer hotel deals are getting done, and the reason is largely practical rather than macroeconomic. As the cost of bringing properties up to current brand standards continues to climb, renovation budgets are increasingly breaking the math on potential transactions. In many cases, the added capital required upfront makes deals harder to ...
Institutional investment firms are significantly reducing their minimum deal size requirements in South Florida’s industrial market, with thresholds dropping from over 100,000 square feet to as low as 50,000–60,000 square feet. This adjustment comes as large firms seek to capture momentum in the mid-market sector, according to Jason Abitbol, Senior Investment Advisor at APEX Capital ...
Hundreds of churches across America are facing abandonment and deterioration, and a regulatory bottleneck in the federal historic tax credit program is blocking their adaptive reuse. Preservation experts warn this problem is growing more urgent, with few viable solutions in sight. Michael Puma, principal at Preservation Studios, has overseen about 60% of New York State’s ...
New York State has led the nation in historic tax credit projects over the past decade, completing more projects than the next three states combined. Yet, behind these numbers, developers face significant hurdles related to timing and project preparation that often go unrecognized. Michael Puma, Principal and Project Manager at Preservation Studios, says that while ...
Independent real estate brokers who pride themselves on autonomy may be inadvertently limiting their growth potential by operating outside established networks that provide access to elite peer groups and shared resources, according to one team director who made the transition from independent to network-affiliated operations. Nate Armstrong, Chief Sales Director at K2 Omni Group, says ...
The legal structure underlying property ownership may matter more than purchase price when evaluating Caribbean real estate investments, according to an industry expert who has navigated multiple international jurisdictions over nearly two decades. David Kafka, broker/owner of RE/MAX 1st Choice Belize, argues that property rights should outweigh price when Americans compare Caribbean markets. He notes ...
First-time homebuyers in Rhode Island are systematically losing to investors and cash buyers – not because they lack resources, but because they’re pursuing the wrong strategy entirely, according to one industry professional who’s witnessed the competitive dynamics firsthand. Walt Buteau, a real estate advisor at Engel & Völkers Oceanside, argues that the conventional wisdom about ...
Lancaster, Pennsylvania markets itself as developer-friendly, but according to one veteran developer, the city’s complex permitting processes and cultural preferences create significant barriers for outside capital – a dynamic that may protect local interests while limiting the resources needed for large-scale urban revitalization. According to John Meeder, President of Meeder Development Corporation, Lancaster’s mix of ...
The Caribbean real estate market operates on fundamentally different financing principles than North American markets, creating both significant barriers to entry and extraordinary opportunities for investors with available capital, according to an industry expert. David Kafka, broker/owner of RE/MAX 1st Choice Belize, says financing remains one of the most misunderstood elements of Caribbean real estate. ...
