Commercial Real Estate Blog

How the Development Spread Works

The development spread is a back of the envelope calculation widely used by real estate developers. It is a fast and easy way to size up the financial feasibility of a real estate development project, before completing a more in-depth analysis. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the development spread and walk …

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The Texas Ratio: A Key Indicator of Bank Stability

In the banking system, a fundamental agreement exists. When a customer opens an account and deposits money, they trust the bank to remain open, making their money accessible for withdrawal when needed. However, history tells us that this isn’t always the case. Throughout history, there is a long list of notable bank failures, the largest …

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Understanding the Construction Draw Schedule

In some ways, a commercial real estate construction project is just like any other project. There is a start date, several interim milestones, and an end date when the property is complete and a certificate of occupancy has been issued. However, a commercial real estate construction loan is not like other loans. It is distinguished …

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How The Double Net Lease Works

There is a wide spectrum of lease types in commercial real estate. To make it easier to communicate with others, it is not uncommon for complicated leases to be described using simple language. The ‘double net lease’ in commercial real estate is a term that describes a certain type of lease agreement, but it’s not …

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How to Calculate an Interest Reserve for a Construction Loan

There’s no doubt about it, construction lending is tough.  From changing interest rates, long lead times, and freak weather events, there are a myriad of risks that can derail a project.  However, from a lender’s perspective, there’s one risk that is top of mind when making a construction loan – the borrower’s ability to make …

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Eleven Types of Risk in Commercial Real Estate

Every investment involves a certain amount of risk. There are certain general sources of risk that influence all assets – things like geopolitical risk and global macroeconomic risk. What makes each asset unique is the level of sensitivity that its rate of return has to those risks. In addition, specific types of assets have risks …

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How The Single Net Lease Works

In the commercial real estate industry there are a variety of lease types and also various names used to describe those leases. The term “single net lease” is sometimes used in commercial real estate to describe a lease where the tenant is responsible for paying one particular expense. In this article we’ll discuss the single …

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What is Force Majeure and How Does it Work?

When an unexpected event interrupts business as usual, it is common to question whether or not that event will excuse parties from performing their contractual obligations. Many legal contracts, including real estate leases, attempt to address this issue with a “Force Majeure” clause, which outlines how these unexpected events are handled. Given the sudden impact …

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Coronavirus Commercial Real Estate Survey Data

Last week we surveyed our audience about the immediate impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic on commercial real estate professionals. Below are the results and we will update with additional survey data over time.

Understanding a Lender’s Credit Policy Requirements

When trying to finance a real estate project, it’s common for a borrower to approach multiple lenders for a loan. Unfortunately, it’s equally as common for those same lenders to provide inconsistent responses. One lender may look at a deal and want nothing to do with it while another may look at the same deal …

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