How would you value a single tenant office building with the tenant being AAA rating versus BB rating?

Hey guys, I am trying to value a single tenant office building but the tricky part is the value would be very much different if a AAA rating tenant comes in versus a BB rating tenant comes in. So I need to present two scenarios. What would be a reasonable way to value it in real world?

Now I have three thoughts: 1. Cap two scenarios in different rate. The questions is how to determine the gap between the two cap rate?
2. Apply a higher general vacancy rate for BB rating tenant. The question is how high can it be? 3. Use DCF to get the property's value first and then apply a discount rate for BB rating tenant? But again, how to determine what the discount rate is.

This is my first time dealing with this problems so any thoughts/comments is welcomed. Thank you!

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

It would depend on how the potential leases are structured. Whether or not the AAA tenants have a way out of their lease. Typically owning a AAA lease is like owning a AAA bond. The cap rate should mirror the going interest rates on the corresponding bonds. Traditionally, vacancy is underwritten to 3% in single tenant scenarios (unless tenant is complete junk) and to 0% if the tenant is credit.

 

Thanks for your comments. I totally agreed with you. The ownership think they can get a AAA tenant thus they are asking an unreasonable price. I am trying to show a trading range if they end up get a non-AAA tenant and BB would be the worst case scenario. As far as I know, it would be a 15-year lease but not sure if the tenant can go other places until we know who is coming in.

 

Bear in mind yes def look at as a credit rating spread to a bond of the debtor but not a lease is an UNSECURED loan in the eyes of the lessor whereas a normal creditor would be secured by collateral this of course assuming the lease is non-recourse to any parent entity. Thus if you goto the debt markets and get a bond spread of the AAA tenant you would have to adjust that for the risk of it being unsecured no different than any unsecured non-recourse loan to the lessee.

 

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