Tag Archives: year
Obtaining an Office Building Commercial Loans
Office buildings are a huge part of the community fabric. They create jobs, promote more business to come into the area and generate revenue for the entire community through their businesses. Office buildings, specifically ones with multiple tenants or very strong credit rated tenants, can be eligible for extremely favorable terms.
Property ownership of an office building can transfer many times over several decades, with new investors coming in and reworking the building, its tenants and its general look. Of course, the investment process for office buildings varies from that of other property types. Office buildings are often driven through the location, management skill and quality of their tenants.
Financing for an office building depends on a number of different considerations that go beyond the ability of the borrower to pay back the loan. Some things that have to be considered are the loan to value and debt coverage ratio. Typically, excluding SBA financing, an office building will need a loan to cover 80-90 percent of the purchase price, with the investor putting a 10-20 percent down payment on the building. Also, the debt coverage ratio should not be less than 1.2, which would require the borrower to generate a net cash flow that is 120 percent of the debt service amount.
Other factors need to be looked at with an office building commercial loan, including how many tenants have come into the building and left in the past ten or so years, and how many tenants are currently in a lease agreement, at that moment. If most of the tenants are in their fourth year of a ten year lease, then it is possible, after looking at rollover and renewal scenarios, that the debt coverage ratio will not be enough for the borrower to pay off.
Location for the office building should be considered, as well as its design and workmanship. Physical factors, such as these, will affect whether businesses move into the area, and into that building. Commercial lenders will look at the market-wide statistics of the building, including whether or not there is a high vacancy rate in the community, economic vitality of the area and the development activity.
For a good quality office building, the typical interest rate varies between 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent over a ten year term with a 25-30 year amortization period. Since office buildings are so dependent on the market, local economy, location and other characteristics, it can be difficult for a borrower to secure a commercial loan in softer markets. If there is a high vacancy in the building, then financing most likely will not be approved. However, on that note, if the building has a good history of constant tenants, and is in a good location, then there is a good chance the loan will be approved by the commercial lender.
Any borrower should have an excellent business plan before approaching a lender. Understanding the market and viability of the area the office building is in will help determine if a loan is approved or not. Be sure to do the research before approaching a lender. Get more information
Federal Student Loans vs. Private Student Loans (Page 1 of 2)
Few students can afford to pay for college out of their savings, so they use student loans to pay for school. Two major categories of student loans include federal loans and private loans. Because we believe that it is important to understand your education-funding options, this article investigates the difference between federal and private student loans.
These days, there are very few students who can afford to pay for college without some form of education financing. Two-thirds of undergraduate students have some debt, while 88% of law students need to borrow to finance their education. A typical undergraduate may graduate with more than $20,000 of debt, while graduate students may have significantly higher indebtedness. Law school students may graduate with an average of $80,000 in student loans. Typically, students have acquired both federal and private debt, but what are the differences between these types of loans? And is one better than the other? Read on for an explanation of both categories of student loans.
Many students rely on federal student loans to help finance their education. The most common federal loan is a Stafford Loan. These may be issued directly from the government to the student, or they may be issued by a private lender, such as a bank or credit union, belonging to the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Either way, these loans are guaranteed against default by the federal government.
Something else to remember about Stafford Loans is they may be subsidized or unsubsidized. If you are eligible for a subsidized Stafford Loan, the government will pay the interest while you are in school. Subsidized Stafford Loans are generally given to students who can demonstrate financial need. If you receive an unsubsidized Stafford Loan, you will be responsible for paying all of the interest, although you may have the payments deferred until after graduation. If you choose to defer paying the interest until after graduation, the interest will be capitalized, or added to the loan amount. To qualify for an unsubsidized Stafford Loan, you do not need to demonstrate financial need.
The amount of your Stafford Loan will vary depending on your year in school. However, graduate students may borrow up to $18,500 each year (with $8,500 being subsidized) with a combined limit for graduate and undergraduate federal loans of $65,500 for dependent students. If you are an independent student, the cumulative limit you may borrow is $138,500 for your graduate and undergraduate studies.
Stafford Loans have variable interest rates, based on the 91-day T-bill, and this interest rate is adjusted each year on July 1. Stafford Loans have an interest rate cap of 8.25%. All lenders offer the same base rate for Stafford loans because the interest rate is predetermined by the government, although many lenders offer payment incentives and/or discounts to help you reduce your interest rate further. Another benefit of federal loans is you may lock in a fixed interest rate if you choose to consolidate your federal student loans. That way, you will not be affected by adjustments in the interest rate each year.