LOS ANGELES (August 3, 2016) - Helvetica refinanced a recently matured private money loan. The borrower was a non profit that owned a chuch building located in Los Angeles. The transaction was structured with a 20 year amortization and a 7 year maturity which enabled the borrower to payoff the existing debt as well as lower their monthly payment.
LA JOLLA, CA (November 30, 2016) - The Helvetica Group provided a low loan-to-value bridge loan secured by one junior trust deed on three luxury single family homes located in prestigious neighborhoods in La Jolla, CA. The homes were non-owner occupied investment properties and were in excellent locations. The loan was to a sucessful tech entrepreneur and the proceeds were to be used to provide venture debt to an early stage biotech company.
HOLLYWOOD, CA - In 2008, Helvetica provided a $3.5 million loan to refinance the iconic home in Los Angeles known as Castillo Del Lago: a house with a sorted history, celebrity ownership, mafia affiliation, ghost hauntings and murder intrigue. The home built in 1926, was once owned by Bugsy Siegel, purchased for $20,000 in 1930 and used for illegal gambling prior to Bugsy moving to Las Vegas to build the famous Flamingo hotel.
SANTA ROSA, CA (June 30, 2016) - Helvetica financed a repeat borrower requesting a bridge loan to facilitate a reverse 1031 exchange. Loan required a quick closing with liimited documentation and no debt service coverage. The borrower was in escrow to sell a multifamily property in Santa Rosa, CA, but needed to quickly close on the purchase of another property which qualified for their 1031 reverse exchange property. Helvetica's $2.7M bridge loan provided the borrower with enough equity to close on their upleg exchange property. The borrower intended to payoff the loan shortly after close with the sale of the property in escrow. Helvetica was able to provide a loan without a prepayment penalty and with a small minimum interest and yield maintenance.
SANTA MONICA, CA (July 20, 2015) - Helvetica provided a $305,000 refinance loan on a 5-unit multifamily property in Santa Monica, CA. The borrower had an existing loan on the property with an upcoming maturity date. The property was 100% occupied and had good cash flow. Despite the fact that the property was stabilized, and located in a highly desirable area, the borrower was unable to obtain conventional bank financing due to some temporary credit challenges. Helvetica acted quickly to refinance the borrower helping them to avoid a late fee on their looming balloon payment. The borrower will be able to utilize Helvetica's bridge loan while they clean up some credit issues and look for permanent bank financing. The borrower may also be able to take advantage of Helvetica's bridge to perm program.
HENDERSON, NV (June 20, 2015) - Helvetica funded a quick bridge loan to enable the borrower to purchase an unstabilized, non-performing self-storage facility in Henderson, NV. The property provided no debt coverage and the borrower was unable to satisfy guidelines of a bank or traditional lender.
The Story
Helvetica was approached by a national commercial real estate brokerage firm in search of a bridge loan for one of their clients. The borrower was purchasing a self-storage facility in Henderson, Nevada and required a quick closing. The property had been severely mismanaged, was unstabilized and under performing. There was insuffficient debt coverage to meet the requirements of tradional bank guidelines. The borrower had a definitive plan to make improvements to the property and stabilize the asset. The borrower executed a similar plan on a comparable property in the same market, so Helvetica was confident they could repeat that success. Through great coordination with the brokerage firm, Helvetica was able to quickly provide the borrower with an 18 month bridge loan. With Helvetica’s loan, the borrower was able to purchase the property with a term that provided sufficient time to make property improvements and stabilize the asset.
CARLSBAD, CA (September 30, 2014) - Helvetica provided purchase financing in 5 days for a fix and flip project in Carlsbad, California. The sponsors were waiting on a short sale approval lasting over 9 months. Once the sale was approved the sponsor needed to act quickly in order to close on the property. Helvetica was able to provide funding for the project within 5 days of the initial request enabling the sponsors to capitalize on a unique investment opportunity. In less than 4 months, the sponsors were able to improve and sell the property capturing a profit that exceeded $300,000.
Helvetica offers fix & flip loans for rehab projects in coastal areas of Southern California and has financed over 500 residential rehab properties valued at over $100 million since 2010. Experienced borrowers with a good track record will obtain quicker financing and more attractive rates starting at 7.99%!
TUCSON, AZ (April 20, 2016) - A repeat borrower approached Helvetica and requested a bridge loan to pay off a maturing CMBS loan on their multi-tenant light industrial building in Tucson, AZ.
The property had high historical occupancy, until a tenant occupying 51% of the building vacated after 21 years. Due to the recent high vacancy, the borrower was unable to obtain conventional bank financing. Helvetica was able to step in and provide a $1,450,000 bridge loan to pay off the borrower’s maturing loan. The borrower intends on utilizing Helvetica’s bridge loan to stabilize the property and lease up the remaining vacant space. Helvetica is confident in the borrower's ability to stabilize the property and refinance into more permanent financing. The borrower had been a loyal client and repeat borrower on several other properties.
ARE BANKS BECOMING THE LENDER OF LAST RESORT?
Even with a great story and tons of equity, banks are declining loan applications because of strict guidelines.
A few reasons a bank will reject a loan:
Banks are quickly becoming the last choice for borrowers with commercial property. The difficulty of getting a bank loan is driving many borrowers to alternative loan sources i.e., private money lenders. And private money lenders are courting these property owners in an effort to gain attractive yields for their investors.
