The SBA 504 Loans of the United States Small Business Administration is meant for the purchase of fixed assets, such as real estate, buildings, and machinery, at below-market rates. The program was named after Section 504 of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, which established it. Following that, Section 504 was codified.
The SBA offers a variety of loan programs geared to specific capital needs of emerging businesses as part of its objective to support business development. The loan is distributed among three parties under the 504 scheme.
The business owner contributes a minimum of 10%, a traditional lender (usually a bank) contributes 50%, and a Certified Development Company (CDC) contributes the remaining 40%. Certified Development Companies are non-profit businesses established under the SBA 504 program to encourage economic growth in their communities.
To be eligible for the program, the borrower must meet the SBA’s definition of a small business and plan to use more than half (51%) of the property for its own operations within the first year of ownership; if the building is to be newly constructed, the borrower must use 60% of the space immediately and plan to occupy the remaining 80%.
An SBA 504 loan is the greatest and most cost-effective way to finance your hotel in the United States today. In this article, we’ll go over the SBA 504 LOANS Requirements for Hotels and US Residents, as well as anything else you need to know about the loan.
What is the 504 loan program?
The 504 Loan Program provides long-term, fixed-rate financing of real estate or machinery and equipment to small firms wanting to purchase or refinance fixed assets. MCDC collaborates with a commercial lender to finance your project, with the commercial lender funding 50% or more of the loan. MCDC funds up to 40% of the loan, with the borrower covering the rest with a 20% down payment.
The SBA 504 loan might be for ten, twenty, or twenty-five years. There is no balloon payment because the loan is fully amortized. Furthermore, the interest rate on an SBA loan is fixed for the duration of the loan. The borrower’s interest rate is usually lower than the lender’s.
The cost of a project might range from $250,000 to $20 million. Unless it’s manufacturing or the facility passes the energy efficiency standards, SBA loan participation is limited to $5 million.
To be eligible for a 504 Loan, the following criteria must meet:
- In the United States or its possessions, operate as a for-profit corporation.
- Have a net worth of less than $15 million in cash
- For the two years before your application, have an average net income of less than $5 million after federal income taxes.
Hotels and SBA 504 loans
The SBA 504 loan offers hotel owners benefits that no other loan can match. Borrowers with facilities older than two years can take advantage of the SBA 504 program’s many perks, including 85 per cent LTV (loan-to-value ratio) financing, a low fixed rate, and maturities up to 25 years.
The SBA assumes the risk of default on a portion of the loan, allowing for a substantially greater LTV than a traditional commercial property mortgage alone. SBA 504 loans can only be used to buy existing hotels, buy and refurbish hotels, or refinance existing loans.
Some properties are classified as “special purpose” by the SBA. A special-purpose property is defined as “a property that is intended for one use or limited use: a building that cannot be transferred to another use without a major capital investment,” and 504 loans need a 15% down payment.
Reasons SBA hotel lenders finance hotels and motels
Below are the reasons for the financing of SBA 504
- Acquisition of a pre-existing hotel or motel
- Construction and renovation of hotels
- Refinancing or refinancing and growth are two options.
- Renovation of a hotel
- PIP (Personal Injury Protection) funding
What are the requirements to be eligible for an SBA 504 loans?
Here are the requirements for SBA 504 loans:
- Your company must be worth or less than $15 million.
- You must run your business for profit (nonprofits are not eligible).
- You must comply with the SBA’s small business size standards. Because industry-specific size needs differ, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The SBA’s most recent business size criteria can be found here.
- After taxes, your average net income for the two years before enrolling for the 504 programs must be $5 million or less.
- You can’t just sit around and do nothing.
- Speculative actions are not permitted.
- You must either achieve job creation standards or community development or public policy objectives.
- Real estate cannot be purchased and then held. The property purchased with the financing must be used for business purposes.
- Not permitted to engage in any type of loan.
- Must have not have previously defaulted on a federal loan.
- You are not permitted to engage in any political or lobbying activities.
- Not permitted to engage in any sort of gambling or establish a casino
SBA 504 Loans for Hotels
SBA 504 loans, despite being one of the most complicated lending products on the market, might be appealing for hotel financing because they have fixed rates and larger loan amounts. As a result, they are highly sought-after items.
However, to produce a long-term, low-interest loan, the SBA 504/CDC Loan combines a loan from a non-profit Community Development Corporation (CDC) with a loan from a bank lender.
>Loans of up to $5.5 million are available.
>Interest rates are usually between 5% and 6%.
>Fees: Approximately 3% of the loan value; can be integrated into the loan payback plan in some cases.
>Terms of repayment: 10 to 20 years
How SBA Hotel Loans Work?
The availability and conditions of most SBA hotel loans will be determined by a few basic elements, regardless of the specifics of your hotel finance needs:
Real Estate Value or Purchase Price:
Because the land and buildings that make up a hotel account for the great bulk of its fixed assets, the loan amount available will be largely determined by the value of the real estate.
Value as a going concern:
The going concern value is the financial amount ascribed to the value or purchase price of the business above and above the underlying real estate value. It is most commonly used in hotel acquisitions. Again, the value of the real estate typically accounts for the majority of a hotel’s entire commercial value. The going concern value will typically account for a maximum of 10% to 20% of the overall purchase price.
Loan-to-Value Ratio (LTV Ratio):
The loan-to-value ratio (LTV) is a formula that lenders use to express the ratio between the amount of a loan and the entire worth of the asset being purchased (typically in the case of commercial real estate or business acquisition loans).
Borrower Injection:
Before the SBA or its intermediary lender agrees to fund your hotel loan, they need to know that you, the borrower, are fully committed to the transaction and have some financial risk. SBA hotel loans need a borrower injection—also known as an SBA loan down payment—of between 10% and 15% of the loan amount to achieve this.
The overall purchase price of a commercial real estate or company acquisition loan is made up of the loan amount plus the borrower injection.
How to Get an SBA Hotel Loan
You understand how SBA hotel loans work and why they could or might not be a good fit for your own business plan—but how can you apply for a loan and acquire funding for your hotel?
The SBA loan underwriting process is unfortunately not for the faint of heart. If you decide to apply for an SBA hotel loan.
here are the procedures you’ll need to take:
- Identify your borrowing needs
- Confirm your qualifications
- Gather the necessary documentation
What are the benefits of SBA 504 loans
Below are the benefits of the SBA 503 loan:
- The loan can do 90% financing
- SBA 504 Rate is Fixed
- The SBA 504 is less expensive than other forms of financing
- SBA 504 can do a maximum $5 million loan on a $12.5 million project
- Rate is competitive
- Monthly payments are lower with SBA 504
- SBA 504 is flexible
- Borrowers who may qualify for conventional bank financing are choosing to use SBA 504
Conclusion
The SBA 504 Loan Program is intended to help healthy, expanding firms that have been in business for at least two years. These businesses must meet the following credit requirements: On a historical or expected basis, cash flow from business operations is more than debt service required to settle existing debt plus debt resulting from the proposed loan, and a sufficient amount of collateral to secure.
How do I use a 504 loan?
A 504 loan can be used to fund a variety of assets that help businesses grow and create jobs.
What kind of projects can't be financed with an SBA 504 loan?
The following cant be financed with SBA504 LOAN
- Investment Real Estate
- Rolling stock
- Intangible assets as part of a business acquisition
- Working capital
- Inventory
- Start-up costs
What is the different SBA 504 Loan and SBA 7A loan
Commercial real estate financing for owner-occupied properties is available through an SBA 504 loan. The small business owner simply needs to put down 10% on these loans, and the funding levels range from $125,000 to $20 million.
SBA 7a loans, on the other hand, can be utilized to purchase a firm or get working capital. SBA 7a loans have a maximum loan amount of $5 million.
What do I need to apply for SBA 504 loans?
504 loans are available exclusively through Certified Development Companies (CDCs). First, find a CDC in your area to ensure you are dealing with a qualified lender.
