Partnered Right
Vintage Realty Company, a major regional developer and property manager headquartered in Shreveport, LA, purchased the development rights to Elan at Terra Bella, a proposed 178-unit market-rate multifamily project in a Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) on the North Shore, one of the fastest-growing sections of the New Orleans metropolitan area. Given Vintage’s preference for long-term, fixed-rate financing, they turned to SMF to obtain HUD-insured construction and permanent financing.
Structured Right
Sims and Vintage were faced with two significant challenges: a temporary change in housing market conditions after HUD issued its preliminary approval of the deal, and a notice from HUD that the project’s general contractor couldn’t post payment and performance bonds with dual insurers, as they had done on prior deals. HUD, SMF and Vintage collectively developed risk mitigation plans to address these concerns that enabled the deal to close before the deadline expired on the financing commitment. The bond risk mitigation was structured to be partially released post-closing at certain milestones during construction, or immediately released should HUD reinstate its prior policy regarding dual sureties.
Executed Right
The $26,172,500 loan was insured under the Section 221(d)(4) program and was underwritten at 85% of replacement cost. The loan features a 40-year amortization commencing 4 months after construction and a fixed interest rate of 4.00%. The debt service coverage ratio is 1.176.
Financed Right®
SMF successfully obtained construction and permanent financing for a start-up project at a competitive, fixed, long-term interest rate and on better terms than were available through commercial financing options. HUD mortgage insurance is an excellent source of capital for the development of market-rate rental housing and, under certain conditions, age-restricted senior housing. It is also a competitive source of capital to refinance or acquire existing projects and to expand or renovate existing, HUD-insured properties with supplemental financing.
