As the commercial real estate market has experienced large swings in value in recent years, many clients have contemplated investing in long-term commercial real estate ground leases as an alternative strategy for their 1031 exchanges or for their portfolio currently sitting in cash. As a response to some of the questions I’ve received, I have decided to discuss at length some of the talking points related to this type of investment.
First, let me define what I mean when I discuss investment in commercial real estate ground leases. I am referring to purchasing “land” which is leased long-term to a tenant who has then constructed a building for their operations on the property. The types of tenants most often seen doing ground leases are banks, restaurants, and some single-tenant retail operations. Some of the criteria to consider are as follows:
Hopefully this gives you some of the talking points to consider when buying ground leases. Whether you are in a 1031 exchange or just looking for a place to put that cash sitting in your savings account, ground leases are an interesting alternative to consider.
Please see the following link for the Capital Market Review for the month of May:
The Utah commercial real estate market continues to improve. There has not been a significant amount of change from the previous update at the beginning of March. Rates continue to be aggressive and more lenders are entering the market. We are seeing many lenders considering longer amortization periods for quality projects. We are also seeing many lenders competing for the “good” deals. Lending is still difficult for projects that have a “thorn or two” on the rose, however things overall seem to continue to be improving in the capital markets.
Over the past several years as financing has been more difficult we have seen many deals reach completion with the help of seller financing in the Utah commercial real estate market. It has taken on many forms from the basic 1st position seller financed purchase, to a 2nd position to bridge the loan to value gap, to even more creative scenarios such as all inclusive trust deeds whereby existing financing is wrapped into the seller financed note. We have seen some of these strategies used by large private investors and smaller 1031 exchange buyers alike. With the lack of good 1031 exchange properties on the market, we have also seen sellers in some cases willing to sell only under a seller financed structure so that they can spread out their tax liability and make a better return than they perceive that they can make in other investments. I am going to address the potential benefits of seller financing from both the perspective of the investor and the seller in a transaction:
Benefits to a Seller:
Benefits to an Investor:
With those points in mind, prior to proceeding with this type of a structure an investor and seller should consult with their tax advisor and legal counsel to make sure that the deal is right for them. The biggest hurdle to many seller financed deals is the credit-worthiness of the investor. A seller needs to complete a careful due diligence of the investor to determine its credit worthiness. In many cases, a personal guarantee is warranted and sometimes even collateral on other assets is taken.
Oftentimes we see sellers rule out this potential structure too quickly. However, in many cases (but not all) it can make the deal more profitable for both parties. It is a strategy that should be given due consideration as an acquisition or disposition is being considered.
We have just completed our analysis for the 1st quarter of 2012. Please click the link below to see the Q1 Investment Snapshot for the Utah market:
A few of the highlights from the report are as follows:
Please feel free to contact me for the full report or for information on Real Estate Investment.
Thanks, Brandon.
I am pleased to announce the closing of the Centerville, Utah, United States Postal Service, the building sold. The Post Office has been at this location since 1997 and is one of the highest producing Post Offices in the State of Utah. The annual was $213,000 and the initial 20 year lease comes up for renewal in June of 2017. The Post Office has 2, 5 year options to renew their current lease term with the annual rent bumping to $300,000 for the first option and $310,000 for the second option. Asking price on the property was $2,840,000 at a 7.5% cap rate. Please contact for comparable details.
Back in the peak of the commercial real estate market many investors bought properties with values underwritten by “pro forma” rents. By “pro forma” rents I mean that properties were underwrittten based on projected lease rates, occupancy rates, and future increases as opposed to actual operating history of a property. The obvious risk with this approach is that inaccurate assumptions can lead to dramatic swings in actual property performance. To complicate matters, many lenders also underwrote deals based on these assumptions. Many of these puffed assumptions added to the crash that we’ve experienced in recent years.
With the downturn in the commercial real estate investment market, investors and lenders alike were forced to “get real” with the way that they valued properties. Properties values were derived based on actual operating history which was a tough pill to swallow for those properties experiencing high vacancies. Essentially no value was being given to that square footage that was not leased.
It is amazing how short our memories are in this industry. I have seen a resurgence in the last 12 months of properties being offered based on a “pro forma” basis. The most typical scenario I see is that of a property with higher than market vacancy (say 20%) include rent for the vacant space as part of the net operating income and then taking out a less than market vacancy factor (say 5%) of that net operating income.
There are several factors that need to be addressed when analyzing properties presented by this approach. Please keep in mind that I am addressing this from the standpoint of an investor looking for stabilized returns and not speculative upside deals.
Despite the uptick in the market in recent months I remain hesitant to recommend properties to clients that rely too heavily on future assumptions. For the most part, I want to make sure that a property can perform to expectations based on actual operating history. In those cases where pro forma analysis is relevant, it is necessary to fully understand the assumptions being made to avoid those equity losses that so many investors experienced in recent years.
The Skull Development Industrial Park was recently sold to a 1031 exchange investor from Michigan. The project, located just off of I-15 in Centerville, Utah has maintained high occupancy for the past several years despite the downturn in the economy. The park was 100% leased at the time of sale and sold near the asking price.
Additional comparable information available upon request.
Over the past several years, the single-tenant property market has gained a lot of momentum. It has for good reason. There are many advantages such as ease of accounting, management, underwriting, and predictability of cash flow. Many investors perceive that the risk is much lower with the typical long-term leases associated with the single-tenant market.
However, many investors who follow the single-tenant trend might be missing an opportunity that actually fits their investment objectives a little better. Multi-tenant properties often times can provide higher returns and in many cases less risk than their single-tenant competitors. Some of those advantages include:
With those advantages being stated, an investor also must mitigate those disadvantages associated with this type of investment which create those opportunities. Those include more intensive management with more leases to administer, more responsibility for physical property maintenance, and tenant rollover. These can typically be mitigated through competant 3rd party management but they are concerns nonetheless.
I am of the opinion that no one property type is best for all investors. There are advantages to both single-tenant and multi-tenant properties considered here. I do believe however, that there is wisdom in considering the alternative when the majority seems to be going one direction or the other.
The Rock Run Medical Office Building was recently sold by our team to a family investment group out of Utah. The real estate office building was a 100% leased medical office building in Roy, Utah. The property included strong Tenants, such as Wee Care Pediatrics, IASIS, Rock Run Physical Therapy and Price Orthodontics. Comparable information available upon request
With the volatility in the capital markets, I will be posting a monthly update on the current state of those markets. The reports are provided by Metro Commercial Finance. The link below contains a link to the Capital Market Report for the month of March.
A few of the highlights are as follows:
The underlying theme is that capital is available for good projects and even for some more challenging projects depending upon buyer strength. Underwriting remains stringent but deals are getting done and they are getting done at very attractive terms.