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Watch for average rates to be anywhere from 0.25% to 0.5% higher by the end of this year.  The consensus is that the economy is at the bottom of the low interest rate cycle.  The market will either see a slow increasing of rates or possibly a more moderate pace throughout 2018.  The Fed indicates More

Keep an eye out for bridge, debt fund and private lenders to be the most active in land lending this year.  Demand for financing is high, but many lenders need to wait for existing loans to be paid off beforere-entering the game.  Banks will continue to play in the space but exclusively with the strongest More

Hotel lenders will be cautiously optimistic this year targeting experienced hoteliers and cash-flowing properties with major flags in strong markets.  Borrowers will see tighter underwriting and lower leverage in the coming months.  Leverage will top out at 70% for perm deals, although most lenders will prefer a 60% to 65% maximum.  Construction loans will max More

Count on an influx of capital coming to the retail sector, as many bridge lenders aggressively increase their 2018 allocations.  Look for specialty finance companies, debt funds and banks to be active in addition to more life companies entering the playing field by year’s end.  This surge in competition will lead to lower spreads and More

Life companies, banks and CMBS lenders will seek self-storage properties this year as fundamentals remain strong.  The self-storage industry is stable with high demand driven by downsizing from the growing baby boomer demographic, particularly impacting warmer climate communities in Arizona, Florida, California, Nevada and Texas.  Lenders are not overweight with this property type in their More

Look for life companies, CMBS lenders, banks and the GSEs to all compete on multifamily deals this year. There will be a divide in the market; some lenders will go toward Class C assets in smaller markets to grab yield, while others will target core deals as capital in the value-add space overflows.  Rates will More

Count on a plethora of available pref equity dollars as the market will be flush with new capital this year.  Expect more players than any point in the cycle as investors that have traditionally been focused on JV equity now turn to pref equity and mezz to grab yield.  The pref equity and structured finance More

Hotel construction loans will be heavily scrutinized this year as lenders look to reduce risk.  Projects in high barrier-to-entry markets and strong developers with past construction experience will see available dollars from banks and private money lenders.  Count on lenders to be more sponsor-focused than in the past and put a heavier emphasis on track More