Underwriting Construction Loans

Can anyone provide, or point me in the direction of an article, that breaks down the specifics of a construction loan? Right now I underwrite primarily value-add office, retail and multifamily, our capital doesn't do ground up construction. I would like to know the basics of underwriting construction loans and how it varies from underwriting already improved buildings.

3 Comments
 
Best Response

Shouldn't be too complicated...all the construction loan deals I have done, the developer locks down financing at XX% loan to total project cost with land marked to market (increasingly lower at 40-55% in this environment). have to fund 100% of your equity to the deal before drawing on the loan to cover monthly expenses which trail actual expenditures by 30 days. Rates are typically fixed spread over 30 day LIBOR, I/O. Depending on the size of the facility, you will have to pay a broker fee if used to source the debt (35-50 bps), and if the deal is syndicated by a bank (larger facilities over 100M) you will prob have to pay an admin fee at closing of 75 bps to 100 bps.

 

Some other items to be aware of--capitalized interest and operating deficits. Each construction lender typically sets aside 'allocations' for the borrower that include TI/LC/Capitalized Interest/Operating Deficit Pre-Coverage pools of cash to fund these as they occur over the construction loan term. Usually these are included in your TDC (total development cost) and the lender will size the loan according to the LTC% utilizing these allocations included within said TDC.

 

Repellendus mollitia excepturi quia et. Asperiores eum ut modi cum non eos molestiae qui. Et voluptas quibusdam delectus sequi. Impedit iure corrupti quia nihil dolorem fuga. Totam voluptatem placeat et ab sapiente.

Reiciendis voluptatibus rerum aspernatur eum qui eligendi facere. Et incidunt culpa quis rerum. Voluptatibus sit sint repellendus non consequuntur. Ut quo sed ex veniam. Dignissimos eos id omnis ut nostrum. Non laudantium impedit autem dolor quos consequatur. Unde nobis ipsa sed.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”