How do I determine the optimal use of leverage for a RE development project?

I am trying to make a cash flow projection for a hypothetical investment project, and as part of this I want to compute a levered and unlevered IRR. I am a bit confused how to enter the debt into the equation though, because the company is a publicly traded company and it will be financing all operations off its balance sheet. It's not as though it would be taking out a loan from a bank.

If the company is financing the project entirely with company stock, but the company already has a debt to equity ratio of about 1, does this mean that I can simply use 50% of the project costs as the amount of debt for the project? Or does it not work that way?

Also, how would I compute the optimal level of debt to be used? My understanding is that REIT's don't have corporate tax, so there is no tax advantage to debt. Would I just compute the WACC at different debt levels without taxes and find the lowest one, and use that as the debt level?

Sorry, I am very new to this.

5 Comments
 

Nemo ratione nobis sed voluptatem ea sit neque. Laudantium quasi possimus accusantium ut maxime neque. Sed quia vitae voluptatem. Autem voluptatem exercitationem quos aut et voluptatibus accusamus et. Totam dolores quis eius est facere et ducimus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
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...”