CPACE financing Archives - Stonehill PACE

Utility Costs Are Rising & PACE Funding Can Help

November 20, 2020

PACE Funding – Stonehill PACE — Did you know that you can use PACE funding to upgrade your lighting systems to save your business money in electricity bills?

Overhead costs are a fact of life for your company. However, utility costs could be causing your overhead to be exceptionally high. Luckily, PACE funding offers you low-cost financing for improvements that can help save you in electricity costs. Learn more about why your utility costs are so high and how you can reduce them easily and inexpensively.

Rising Utility Costs Can Hurt Your Business

You’ve likely noticed that your company’s utility bills are going up. In fact, utility costs are on the rise and are likely going to continue to increase. Over time, this can cost you a lot in overhead and impact your profits. Therefore, you may need PACE funding to cut utility costs and stay in business.

In the commercial sector, the current national price for one kilowatt hour (the amount of electricity you would use running a 1,000-watt appliance for one hour) is $10.60. However, the U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts a 15-cent increase from that price in 2021. In the industrial sector, the price is expected to jump from $6.86 to $6.98. While a twelve or fifteen cent increase doesn’t seem like much, it can really add up. The U.S. Department of Energy, the average commercial facility uses about 22.5 kilowatt hours for every square foot of space. Therefore, long-term costs can become quite high.

Save With PACE Funding for Your Improvement Projects

PACE funding is a low-cost financing option that you pay each year as a special assessment on your property tax bill. The loan requirements for CPACE financing include projects that provide lasting value to your building. Additionally, the savings from your project should not only last longer than the loan term, but also exceed the cost of the loan. Therefore, PACE funding is a great way to invest in improvements that can help you save on utility bills.

However, there are some restrictions for PACE funding. Just as the loan stays with the building, the improvements also must be permanent to the building. Therefore, you can’t use PACE loans for appliances. Some examples of projects that you might be able to use CPACE financing for include:

Installing more efficient lighting
Upgrading your HVAC systems
Installing high efficiency chillers
Replacing fixtures with low flow water fixtures

To determine if the improvements you want to perform are PACE approved, talk to your PACE lenders about the particulars of your project. They can help you through the qualification project without increasing the cost or scope of your plans.

At Stonehill PACE, we specialize in providing PACE financing for commercial properties. We have unparalleled experience in the PACE lending industry and can help streamline the process for your approval and application. Our team of professionals maintain close relationships with PACE program administrators to stay up to date with each state’s PACE programs. Contact us today to start the approval process. We look forward to working with you.

How CPACE Financing Helps You Make Improvements

March 20, 2020

CPACE financing - Stonehill PACE — You can make your building look and function like it’s brand new again using CPACE financing.

Businesses often have a list of improvements they mean to take care of, but don’t have capital available to make these improvements. Luckily, CPACE financing can help your company make these changes without negatively affecting your cash flow. While many people know that they can use CPACE financing for major renovations or new construction projects, businesses can also use PACE loans for smaller upgrades and even to finance resiliency projects.

There are many advantages to using CPACE financing for your improvements. For example, you can use this funding to increase your building’s value and marketability. Additionally, PACE loans can fund 100% of the hard and soft costs for PACE approved projects. Therefore, if you have a list of changes you wish to make, consider talking to your PACE lenders about how they can help.

Using CPACE Financing for Interior Systems

CPACE financing isn’t just for major projects. In fact, you can use this loan program for systems like HVAC upgrades or new lighting systems. You can even use PACE loans for roof replacement projects. The CPACE program allows business owners to make upgrades to their buildings that are cost-efficient and help you save in the long-term. Therefore, if you have older lighting systems, HVAC units, or a failing roof, CPACE may be able to help. Using CPACE financing, you can make improvements to your building that you simply didn’t think you could before. Additionally, this financing option allows you to pay off the loan over a long period of time as a line on your property tax bill. Therefore, this low-cost financing option is great for small and large projects that will improve your building and your business.

PACE Loans Can Be Used for Structure Hardening

Resiliency projects designed to help your building withstand disasters are also a great way to protect your livelihood. Unfortunately, many companies put these improvements on the back burner, as they often require a fair amount of up-front capital. Luckily, under PACE programs, many states allow you to receive PACE loans to help fund these structure hardening improvements. These alterations help reduce damage, injuries, and outages during disasters. Therefore, CPACE financing helps protect your company from unpredictable and devastating events without hurting your bottom line.

Therefore, there are many ways you can use CPACE loans for your business. At Stonehill PACE, we are a leading PACE lender that works with commercial property owners to help fund new construction, recapitalization, and value-add projects. As a leading provider of PACE loans, we understand how to help you finance these enhancing projects. Our experts will handle all the aspects of the PACE qualification process so you can focus on your daily operations. Call us today at (678) 823-9313 to discuss your options with our team and learn more about the PACE program. We are here to serve you.

Using PACE Funding to Finance New Multifamily Construction

February 21, 2020

As interest rates rise, many developers are looking for low-cost capital acquisition alternatives. This is where PACE funding can help with new multifamily construction projects. In the past, PACE loans were for energy efficient improvements on existing buildings. Now, you can use PACE funding for new construction projects that meet a few minimal guidelines. If you are planning on constructing a new multifamily complex, consider using PACE financing as part of your financing options. Take a look at this general guide to CPACE loans for new multifamily construction.

What is PACE Funding?

PACE funding is a capital acquisition option in the form of a property tax assessment. Therefore, interest rates for PACE loans are significantly lower than mezzanine financing or equity. It can lower the cost of capital by as much as 20%, which makes it an attractive financing option. Additionally, PACE funding repayments are added to your property tax statement and are seen as an operating cost. Therefore, this financing option doesn’t count as debt for a property. It is especially appealing for multifamily construction, as CPACE loans are transferrable if you decide to sell your property later on.

How Do PACE Loans Benefit Multifamily Development?

CPACE loans offer a lot of value to multifamily developments. First and foremost, it offers low-cost capital for your construction project. Additionally, you can use this financing for a wide variety of things, like construction materials, equipment, and building features that tend to lower operating costs. For example, you can use CPACE funding for electrical and plumbing systems, insulation, roofing, building management systems, and even electric car charging stations on your property. More and more, tenants are looking for these features when choosing a rental unit. Therefore, these features can add value to your property by drawing in more renters and reducing your overall costs during and after construction. PACE financing requirements are flexible enough that you can use it for both renovations and new construction projects for multifamily properties.

How Do I Receive PACE Financing?

If you already have a plan for your multifamily development, you should speak to a PACE lender about how you can meet your local PACE requirements. Generally, these standards require you to:

Be up to date on property tax payments and have no current liens
Have no bankruptcies listed in the last 5 years
Show that the savings of your project will exceed the cost of the PACE assessment over the life of the loan
Provide evidence that your project’s value will last longer than the loan term
Submit a Phase I Environmental Report to your PACE program administrator

Typically, your CPACE lender can help you navigate these requirements and processes to help you receive PACE funding. They can also work with your current plans to meet requirements for PACE loans. Therefore, you should work with a lender who knows the ins and outs of this program to set your construction project up for success.

At Stonehill PACE, we have unparalleled experience in the PACE lending industry. Our specialists work with developers and property owners to help new construction projects and major retrofits receive CPACE funding, submit the necessary paperwork, and guide you through the PACE process. Our engineers can help you maximize your proceeds without changing the scope or adding costs to your construction project. Additionally, we maintain strong relationships with program administrators to ensure a smooth qualification process. Call us today at (678) 823-9313 to begin your approval process. We are here to serve you.

Using CPACE Financing for New Hotel Construction

January 22, 2020

CPACE financing offers a unique capital solution for new hotel construction. PACE funding was designed to help businesses improve and construct new buildings. Additionally, repayment for this financing option is usually spread out over years. If you are building a new hotel, you should consider PACE financing to assist with construction costs.

CPACE Financing Can Help Reduce Costs

Constructing a hotel often requires large, up-front capital, so reducing costs is a priority. Traditional loan repayment depends on your profitability. Because these loans hinge on the risk that you won’t make enough to pay back the loan, they often come with higher interest rates.

By contrast, CPACE financing is tied to the value of your property. Paying back CPACE loans is very similar to paying your property taxes. For these reasons, it is typically easier for a lender to recuperate their investment in you. Therefore, these loans often offer lower rates. Hoteliers can reduce the overall costs of financing hotel construction with low interest PACE loans. CPACE financing can fund up to 20% of your property’s value, which equals savings overtime compared to 100% financing through a traditional loan.

PACE Loans Can Help Cash Flow During and After Construction

Since CPACE financing offers lower costs for initial capital, your cash flow may be more stable during and after construction. You repay this loan once a year as a line on your property tax bill. Repayment terms also tend to be longer than traditional loans. Therefore, your payments are typically in lower amounts and paid once a year. This can keep capital in your pocket until you get up and running. Therefore, PACE financing offers more stable cash flow during and after your hotel construction. Because this new construction financing typically costs less than traditional loans, you keep more of your profits overtime.

PACE Financing Can Be Transferred

Additionally, you can transfer your CPACE loans with sale of the property. This can be a major benefit for hotels in particular. Oftentimes, if a hotel becomes well-known, is in a good location, and is lucrative, a larger corporation may try to acquire it for their brand. If this happens with your hotel, you can transfer your CPACE financing the new owners. Therefore, you won’t be on the hook for repayment after you sell the property.

At Stonehill PACE, we are a direct PACE lender that specializes in commercial funding for new construction and major redevelopments. We can help you finance your new hotel construction or renovation project. Our team has the experience and relationships you need to handle all the aspects of your qualification process. Call us at (678) 823-9313 to learn more or to start on your hotel construction approval process. We are here to serve you.