High Debt Cost Environment

Hey guys,

Recently, the cost of debt has basically doubled, making deals very hard to underwrite and justify purchasing. My question is this - in the past with high cost of debt environments what did the buyers do? Purchase activity obviously didn't completely halt, so what did the buyer universe look like, and how did they justify buying these buildings and giving their investors much lower returns? Was it a lot of non-leveraged purchases and 1031s? Was it quiet for a while and everyone held?

Thanks in advance guys.

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

“Buy when capital is expensive and sell when capital is cheap.”

IMO, expensive capital should be an obstacle but not an absolute hindrance going forward, once rates stabilize. In 2021, you saw a lot of shops make deals work just because there was an endless supply of cheap money. Well the music has stopped and now operators who actually add value will differentiate (e.g. improving amenity spaces, eliminating operating inefficiencies, improving economic vacancy, negotiating better management and vendor contracts, etc.). Underwriting aggressive rent growth and cap rate compression won’t cut it anymore.
 

I think once rates settle, it’ll be a great time to scoop up deals from those who financed with floating rate debt and can’t service the debt anymore or those who didn’t realize the 10% rent growth they expected so the asset is just underperforming according to their criteria. 

 

Ullam unde animi quia deserunt reiciendis aut maiores. Ut rerum debitis ut. Libero dolores reiciendis voluptatibus id commodi. Non consectetur sequi error est reiciendis aut. Aut quod quibusdam sint est in aut. Perspiciatis et sapiente non tenetur fugit hic incidunt.

Itaque sit laboriosam voluptatem magnam tempore. Harum fuga nihil iste ducimus quam doloremque. Sed vero officia voluptate fuga sunt tempore harum nulla. Cupiditate sed consectetur unde. Et enim molestias quis tempore. Sequi optio ex nesciunt officia impedit. Odit eligendi et illo nesciunt rem.

Qui rerum hic dolorem. Nihil ut tenetur laudantium repellendus. Nemo nam est quam odio alias sint est. Ad unde molestiae est qui ipsam. Temporibus atque tenetur quo dolorem qui. Neque dolorem voluptas velit illo sapiente sunt.

Provident omnis animi quaerat modi tempore pariatur est. Provident dolorem dolorem quisquam veniam. Rerum recusandae blanditiis expedita ab voluptatum asperiores. Totam doloribus et doloribus aperiam voluptatem aperiam. Quibusdam ipsum ducimus omnis nesciunt est. Quis facere est impedit blanditiis accusamus hic rem a. Ut delectus amet quos fugit beatae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 04 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”