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Covid 19-1

Tulsa skyline at night

As Covid-19 has limited people’s ability to get out and work from their office or place of business, most are adapting to the “work from home” lifestyle.  We understand that while many are taking this opportunity to stay home and stay safe, there is still the need to plan for the future. 

Liberty Realty Capital Group works with a network of lenders that are still active and lending  in cities like Seattle and throughout the surrounding area. 

While many property types are still being financed some categories such as hotels, motels and properties with restaurant exposure are much more limited.  If Liberty can be of assistance with any of your financing needs please let us know.

Covid 19

Feet on desk

As Covid-19 has limited people’s ability to get out and work from their office or place of business, most are adapting to the “work from home” lifestyle.  We understand that while many are taking this opportunity to stay home and stay safe, there is still the need to plan for the future. 

Liberty Realty Capital Group works with a network of lenders that are still active and lending  in cities like Seattle and throughout the surrounding area. 

While many property types are still being financed some categories such as hotels, motels and properties with restaurant exposure are much more limited.  If Liberty can be of assistance with any of your financing needs please let us know.

Most Affordable Cities in 2020

Tulsa Skyline

In today’s world of sky high cost of living in cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles there are still options that are affordable for working class families. If you are struggling to have money left over after paying for bills, then you may want to move to one of these cities.

19 major US cities where you can actually save money after rent, taxes, and other day-to-day expenses.

Tulsa Oklahoma is No. 3 on that list:

  1. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Average biweekly pre-tax income: $2,110.23

Income tax: $152.97

Average biweekly expenses: $1,250.56

Average left over money: $706.70

Clever Real Estate calculated how much money the average American in several major metro areas spends on different necessities after receiving their biweekly paycheck.

The real estate referral site subtracted living expenses and income tax from the city’s average pre-tax income using Bureau of Economic Analysis spending and income data and IRS state tax data to calculate the amount of money leftover from a biweekly paycheck.

After paying housing and utility bills, buying food, and covering other living expenses, the typical American only has about $136.39 left over every two weeks.

Some cities have higher rent or more expensive prices for goods and services, which makes it more difficult to have money left over after these purchases and bills. Clever Real Estate noted in their spending analysis that residents in cities with expensive products aren’t necessarily buying more things, but instead have to spend more money on these items. However, the company also wrote that people in expensive places often look for ways to save some extra money, such as living with a roommate.

Although 18 cities are below the national average, residents living in 57 major cities have more money from their paychecks after income tax and bills than the typical American. Of the 57 cities, 19 of them have over $400 left over from their biweekly paycheck.

Average workers in San Jose, California, and Bridgeport, Connecticut have over $1,000 left over to freely use on other purchases or to reserve for their savings. However, both these cities fall in the top three cities that spend the most of their biweekly paycheck on housing and utilities. It may help that employees in San Jose and Bridgeport tend to make a larger income than the other major cities on Clever Real Estate’s list.

To read entire article referenced here in Business Insider, to discuss financing a commercial real estate property contact us at Liberty Realty Capital Group

10 Considerations When Shopping for a Commercial Mortgage in 2020

Small Retail Center

While many commercial real estate owners are large corporations or REITs. The largest number of real estate owners are individuals or small businesses that own the property that their business occupies or own one or more income generating properties.

A recent article in Officespace.com povides items to consider when seeking a commercial loan.

Commercial mortgage loans are debt secured by the underlying real estate asset. Smaller loans usually require a borrower guarantee and larger loans are often based on a non-recourse basis, that is only secured by the real estate and its income stream.

The primary purpose of a commercial mortgage is to help small business owners add “property owner” to their titles. This accomplishment is worthwhile, as it negates the need for you to pay rent to someone else. As a wise person once said, “Paying rent is like throwing your dollars into a bottomless void.”

When you own a property, your payments build in a way that gives you positive options in the future. You’ll have more control of the property, build your retirement portfolio, and create the opportunity to collect rent from others.

A commercial mortgage can be used for many kinds of property, including warehouses, offices, apartment complexes, stores, and restaurants. And the scope extends beyond just purchasing a property. You can also use this type of financing for new construction, renovating an outdated structure, removing yourself from a lease, or refinancing for a better repayment term.

Regardless of the details, these projects typically require financing that can help you convert your equity into cash.

“Commercial real estate isn’t cheap,” say the entrepreneurial experts from Small Biz Rising. “If you’re a small business owner who’s considering buying or further developing commercial real estate—whether that’s an office building, a shopping center, a hotel, or another business-related property—odds are you’ll need to secure financing from an outside lender. In most scenarios, that usually means applying for a commercial mortgage loan.”

In the financing world, there’s a spectrum of difficulty when it comes to qualifying for and obtaining various loan products. The good news is that commercial mortgages fall on the easier side of things. While SBA loans require piles of paperwork and have strict requirements, a commercial mortgage is a much smoother ride.

One of the main reasons for this ease is that you will secure the loan by using the property as collateral. As long as the property’s value appraises for a sufficient amount, you’ll bypass some of the hurdles associated with typical loans.

However, a commercial mortgage isn’t always a sure thing. Small business loans are always competitive, with lenders looking at a variety of factors before making approval decisions. What’s important is that you provide all the relevant documents, including property blueprints, purchase contracts, scope of work analysis, project budget, and a property market analysis.

Beyond the nuts and bolts of the real estate project, your finances will play a role in the approval decision. So don’t put too much emphasis on the property and lose track of the business side of the equation.

“You’ll need to gather an assortment of documents, including current business and personal tax returns, business-related financial records, personal and business credit score information, bank statements for personal and business accounts, asset and liability statements, profiles of business partners and directors, business plans, and possibly more, depending on the lender,” says Small Biz Rising.

While we’re on the topic of what you need for a commercial mortgage, here are 10 more considerations. Some are major details and others are fairly minor, but they combine to make your application more desirable to a lender.

These loans are big.
Real estate isn’t cheap, so your commercial mortgage will pack a punch. At their smallest, you’ll find amounts around $250,000. But the maximum can go up to $5,000,000 to fund larger projects.

Interest rates are favorable.
With your property serving as collateral to secure the loan, lenders will often feel comfortable offering you interest rates as low as 4.25%.

Interest rates

Repayment terms are also favorable.
Real estate projects are rarely quick. Luckily, neither are the repayment terms. Don’t be surprised to find terms extending up to 25 years.

Your plan can really open doors.
Business plans are always important when seeking financing, but they take on a whole new level of importance with commercial mortgages. Take the time to make sure yours clearly demonstrates your expertise and investment in the project.

You can read entire article here in Officespace.com, or contact Liberty to discuss your commercial financing project

Top 10 Large Energy Buyers in the US

Data center

America’s Fortune 500 companies as well as mid size and small business are all trying to control their energy cost to make their businesses more efficient and improve the bottom line. Some of these businesses are also taking a proactive step to implement green energy strategies. This could be anything from switching out to energy efficient lighting for small to large companies that invest in solar or wind energy resources.

Today, the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), announced the release of its Deal Tracker highlighting 2019’s Top 10 Large Energy Buyers, topped by Facebook with the procurement of 1.546 gigawatts (GW). The REBA Deal Tracker showcases total procurement of 9.33 GW of renewable energy in the US and a shift in the energy landscape driven by the demand for accessible clean energy options.

“Well over half of all energy consumption comes from the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector, so it is increasingly important that large energy buyers are identifying opportunities to reduce emissions,” said Miranda Ballentine, CEO, REBA. “The leaders on our list understand that as part of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) planning, integrating renewable energy is one of the most significant ways to work toward a zero-carbon future while contributing to local economies.”

Sustainability is of increasing importance across the C&I sector as proven by the growth in reporting to CDP, which has also accelerated the number of companies establishing ambitious carbon reduction targets with associated renewable energy goals. Read entire article here in Environmental Leader.

While many advocates point to real estate giants such as Walmart and Mcdonalds for their energy usage, Facebook is currently the largest energy user in the United States.

If your looking to finance a data center or other commercial property contact Liberty to discuss your financing options. Contact us here.

Democrats anti-real estate position

Bernie Sanders Staffer: ‘After We Abolish Landlords, We Don’t Have to Kill Them’

Breitbart.com

While I’ve often thought the progressive liberal wing of the democratic party was anti business and anti investment in most capitalist endeavors, it is now reaching a point where the extremists are now populating the campaigns of Bernie Sanders, one of the leading candidates for the democratic nomination for president.

A Project Veritas video published Tuesday purportedly shows a Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) campaign staffer musing about a ban on private property ownership in the United States as an alternative to mass killings.

A man identified as Mason Baird, a Sanders field organizer in South Carolina, is seen telling a Project Veritas journalist that he believes a “militant labor movement,” working in tandem with a Sanders administration, should “strip power” away from capitalists.

“We would need a federal government and labor union movement that is working together to strip power away from capitalists and preferably directing violence toward property,” the man says. “At the end of the day, this kind of stuff will come out through practice, through the work and it’s hard for me to talk about it in the moment we live in, ’cause I think China today is not what Mao envisioned, right — it was through the practice of Chinese people doing the work to create the China today.

“So, it never – we’re never going – I think a lot of the stuff – a lot of these answers are going to come through practice – we’re going to try things – things aren’t going to work – we’re going to move on to the next thing,” he continues. “And we’re going to try to be as conscious and intentional about those things, but when you get into a certain level of detail, and depth, it’s like, that’s kind of my ‘cop-out’,  it comes through the work, you know. The answers come through the work.” Read entire article here in Breitbart.com.