Financing dirt through entitlement is expensive carry on an asset earning nothing. Worse, it matures into the construction closing, which is the moment a sponsor has the least negotiating room of the entire project.
| Land loan | Land sale and leaseback | |
|---|---|---|
| Carry | Interest accrues on a non-producing asset | Rent begins with the income |
| Maturity | Yes, usually into the construction closing | None. 99 years |
| Takeout | Required | Nothing to take out |
| Position | Lien, ahead of the construction lender | No lien. Fee is never mortgaged ahead of the leasehold |
| Recourse | Commonly full or partial | None for repayment. There is nothing to repay |
That fourth row matters more than it reads. A land loan sits in front of the construction lender and has to be retired or subordinated before the construction loan funds. Our fee position is never mortgaged ahead of the leasehold, which is why a leasehold lender can underwrite around it instead of clearing it.
Pure land banking with no project. Rent is sized off stabilized NOI. Where there is no plan and no income to underwrite, there is no rent to size, and we are not the right capital.
A sponsor who intends to sell the dirt. A land sale is permanent. If the business plan is to entitle and flip, a loan is the right tool and we are not.
Where it works is the sponsor who is going to build, is carrying dirt they already own or are buying, and does not want that basis sitting idle through the longest part of the schedule.
Frequently yes, and it is one of the most common uses. The land purchase retires the land debt at closing. Send the loan documents, because prepayment language decides whether it is economic.
Check it before anything else. A hard lockout or heavy yield maintenance can make an otherwise good trade uneconomic no matter how strong the land number is.
The price is committed at closing. On a development deal the land contract funds day one and any landlord improvement contribution funds through milestone draws after sponsor equity spends first. We do not fund ahead of need into an unbuilt project.
Ground rent is generally an operating expense for the tenant. Confirm treatment with your own tax advisor — we are a principal, not an advisor.
Roughly $5 to $40 million, under total capitalizations of about $20 to $150 million, with the sweet spot around $20 to $35 million of total cap.
What you paid, stabilized NOI, total project cost. We will tell you whether a sale beats the loan you are about to take.
Email us the property