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Bulk Sale Opportunities Emerge in the Miami Condo Market

February 11, 2009 by Lucas Lechuga
Turkey Vulture

For the past couple of years, vultures have been circling the skies of Miami waiting for the right moment to swoop in for the kill.  Their day of reckoning seems to have finally arrived.  I am now familiar with over 30 condo developments in Miami and Miami Beach with units available to be purchased in bulk.  The list consists of partial and entire condo developments, including a few with Section 8 potential.  Ballpark prices for these bulk sale opportunities range from $3M-$60M.

Throughout much of 2008, there seemed to be a stalemate between developers and vulture funds about price.  However, market conditions have worsened considerably within the past six months, due in large part to ever-tightening lending practices.  Even for creditworthy individuals, it has become extremely difficult to obtain financing for condominiums in Miami.  As a result of the new Fannie Mae guidelines, financing has become especially restrictive for condos in recently completed buildings.  Lately, it has been individual buyers strapped with cash, for the most part, who have been the ones pecking away at the remaining inventory in these new condo developments.  Facing the realities of the market, developers - and their lenders - have begun to turn to vulture funds as a quick, easy way to part with unclosed condos.

Recently, two major arms-length bulk sales have closed in Miami-Dade County: the 60-unit bulk sale in the Downtown Miami high-rise called Marina Blue and the 101-unit bulk sale at Harbour House, a beachfront condo-conversion located in Bal Harbour.  Both deals closed in December 2008.  The 60 units at Marina Blue sold for $200 per square foot while the 101 condos at Harbour House sold for approximately $277 per square foot.

There are some who negatively portray vulture funds as entities who feast upon the misery of others.  Personally, I feel that vulture funds are a necessity to a real estate market such as Miami and do more good than harm.  Bulks sales provide instantaneous feedback as to where the intermediate level of pricing resides for condos in the given development, as well as those in the surrounding area.  Bulk sales also provide stability to a condo building which would otherwise have many uncertainties concerning its financial condition.  One can assume that the vulture fund will have the capital resources to pay monthly homeowners association fees on time.  It also has a vested interest to ensure that the condo development is well managed.  The greatest benefit, however, is that thousands of unoccupied condos in Miami will be filled with residents much faster.

Most of the vulture funds that I've come into contact with over the past year have plans to buy condos in bulk, lease them over a period of 5-10 years and resell them for a profit on the back-end once market conditions have improved.

Please feel free to contact me if you have an interest in the bulk sale opportunities that are now available in Miami and Miami Beach.  Investment packets complete with estimated operating budgets, a rental and sale market analysis, neighborhood demographics and projected cash flow statements are available to serious buyers for most of the bulk sale opportunities.
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AJ
15 years ago

Isn’t this what I have been saying in the past few weeks?…..

“There are some who negatively portray vulture funds as entities who feast upon the misery of others. Personally, I feel that vulture funds are a necessity to a real estate market such as Miami and do more good than harm. Bulks sales provide instantaneous feedback as to where the intermediate level of pricing resides for condos in the given development, as well as those in the surrounding area. Bulk sales also provide stability to a condo building which would otherwise have many uncertainties concerning its financial condition. One can assume that the vulture fund will have the capital resources to pay monthly homeowners association fees on time. It also has a vested interest to ensure that the condo development is well managed. The greatest benefit, however, is that thousands of unoccupied condos in Miami will be filled with residents much faster.

Most of the vulture funds that I’ve come into contact with over the past year have plans to buy condos in bulk, lease them over a period of 5-10 years and resell them for a profit ont he back-end once market conditions have improved.”

Kramer
15 years ago

A bulk buyer still cant purchase more than 10% of a larger project – like Icon for example without limiting all owners, including themselves, from selling their units to cash buyers only. In addition they then have to convince eventual buyers owners to buy into what effectively becomes a rental building. This factor has to be reflected in lower values. This is a TRAP. Every owner becomes trapped including the bulk buyer. This is going to get very ugly.

Wild Bill
15 years ago

Bulk sales create an instantaneous rental building. Bulk buyer will control the condo board. Bulk buyer will control the maintenance issues. This is a sad joke. The developer should give people their money back.

Kramer
15 years ago

This is a trap even for bulk buyers because they need to purchase more than 10% of a project to have majority control of the board – yet more than 10% ownership means only cash buyers qualify to purchase.

Muir
15 years ago

“Both deals closed in December 2008. ”

Which means they signed when?
And, since that point in time to now, have things changed substantially?
Will things change substantially in 6 months?
The trap could be for the fund themselves.

Muir
15 years ago

AJ,
I think this is a GREAT opportunity!
You should avail yourself of this and do a mini-bulk purchase (5-10 units)
You will be kicking yourself for the rest of your life if you let this opportunity pass you by.

Angel
15 years ago

So when will the recent Marina Blue bulk sale units hit the rental market?

Muir
15 years ago

“Let’s not mince words…this looks an awful lot like the beginning of the second Great Depression,” says Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman.
(Yesterday)
International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the world’s advanced economies — the U.S., Western Europe and Japan — are “already in depression,” and that the IMF could slash its global growth forecasts further. The “worst cannot be ruled out,” he said.
WSJ

Forget condos.
Got gold?

Muir
15 years ago

Am I the only one here that sees the obvious?
Am not going to attempt to sound smart by using words like “macro economics,” I’ll just state what for me is the obvious; when you buy a condo, technically, you buy the rights to the air between the walls and between the floor and ceiling (this is true.)
Is that what you want to do in a depression?

AJ
15 years ago

Kramer, you can very easily skirt around the 10% rule.

1. The developer can sell no more than 9.9% of the flats to a single entity. This would work very well with a building that is closed 50 or 60 or 70% but not like Icon Brickell which is 0.5% closed. Buildings like that will require 8-10 different bulk buyers.

2. A single bulk buyer can buy more than 10% of the flats but split them into different purchases by floating another company. For example if ACME I company wants to pick up 15% of the flats in a building, float ACME II and buy 9% on one and 6% on the other.

The 10% rule is the easiest to skirt around using loopholes.

chris
15 years ago

Wait for the market to recover to what? The building boom over the last few years was a complete fraud and sham. There was NO real demand for end users. Miami does not have the job base like an Atlanta, NYC, or Chicago that will eventually gobble up urban, downtown condos.

Then, just say the market somehow does have an uptick in strong demand…there are dozens of shovel ready condo sites ready to break ground at any moment. Buyers will want the shiny, new towers versus these old rental units.

BMW M3
15 years ago

Lucas, opportunities? Really? Why don’t you just change your name to Lawrence Yun.

Kelly Thomas
15 years ago

We were looking very closely at Harbour House I am just glad we held off, we are most probably going to hold off until the end of this year.

Doctor
15 years ago

AJ,

You’re right about #1, but I think #2 is incorrect. Parent-child entity relationships will probably be viewed in terms of the parent, and not the children. They’ll define entities by ownership rights, so if the same fund or set of people split their 15% into two child entities, the gov’t won’t recognize the two children as different owners. What could work (depending on interpretation) is if the ownership group differs between the two children, i.e. not everybody has ownership stakes in both children. The fund GP’s own and run both children, but divide the fund’s LPs between the children enough to classify the children as materially different entities, with materially different ownership groups.

But again, this is all based upon an interpretation that hasn’t been legally tested yet, so who knows.

Renter Tom
15 years ago

AJ said: “Kramer, you can very easily skirt around the 10% rule.

1. The developer can sell no more than 9.9% of the flats to a single entity. This would work very well with a building that is closed 50 or 60 or 70% but not like Icon Brickell which is 0.5% closed. Buildings like that will require 8-10 different bulk buyers.

2. A single bulk buyer can buy more than 10% of the flats but split them into different purchases by floating another company. For example if ACME I company wants to pick up 15% of the flats in a building, float ACME II and buy 9% on one and 6% on the other.

The 10% rule is the easiest to skirt around using loopholes.”

– I have figured it out, AJ must have been a former MORTGAGE BROKER! LOL Go to jail, go directly to jail. Actually, I’m waiting for an IRS audit of the guy given his mentality he won’t be around long.

– The fact is bulk buyer WANT control….why would they buy less then the amount to give them control??? They want to control the cost of maintenance, how the building is presented for later resales, leasing rules, etc….

ocean5
15 years ago

Using loopholes to your advantage is perfectly legal and done all the time. Many commercial transactions are done and corporate sturctures created to avoid certain thresholds like this 10% rule. Bulk buyers would still maintain effective control even if all condos are not held by the same entity.

Renter Tom
15 years ago

ocean5 – You are mistaken. If the control is with one entity, then this is an attempt to defraud the fed govt/Fannie/Freddie. Typically these things are drafted to included related entities so the “loophole” will get you in trouble since the fine print will get you. Why not just do it above board? Aren’t we all just sick and tired of creative criminals?

Renter Tom
15 years ago

ocean5 – You are mistaken. If the control is with one entity, then this is an attempt to defraud the fed govt/Fannie/Freddie. Typically these things are drafted to included related entities so the “loophole” will get you in trouble since the fine print will get you. Why not just do it above board? Aren’t we all just sick and tired of creative criminals? I know I am.

RAM
15 years ago

Renter Tom & Doctor,

Private Equity funds (i.e. bulk buyers) are more concerned over the return on their investment (IRR) than control over carrying costs, lease terms, etc.

Besides skirting the 10% rule, bulk buyers set up different LLCs as materially different entities to reduce their liabilities /risks with the units purchased.

ocean5
15 years ago

Renter Tom – Where do you see the rule was written the way you suggested? If that’s the case then you are correct. All I’m saying is that loopholes are exploited all the time and it is perfectly legal until some authority says it is illegal. Using those loopholes may go against the “spirit” of the law but does not violate the “letter” of the law. Why do you think companies use numerous legal structures to do business? Mostly to shield against liabilities and tax reasons. When people take losses on investments at certain specified times to offset gains somewhere else in order to reduce tax liability is that fraud for not paying taxes on gains? No, it’s not.

H20
15 years ago

Ocean5,

That is excellent reasoning.

I’m sure you will even convince the judge you’ll be in front of after trying it.

H20
15 years ago

Off topic but here goes…

What is the closing rate for Trump Tower 1 & 2?

Anybody know?

JL
15 years ago

I got the solution, a bulk buyer can marry that single nut job with the 14 kids and put 7.14% in each kid’s name.

Alex
15 years ago

Lucas,

Questions for you.

Do the funds approach the developers, agents or banks when they have interest? Are the sales fees negotiated up front?

How many funds have now set up shop in Miami? Who are they?

You make reference there are bulk sale opportunities from $3M-$60M. Where can somebody find out which projects these are?

jcrimes
15 years ago

RAM
sorry, but the days of lenders and secondary buyers being that stupid are over. their stupidity these days is primarily relegated to handling all the defaulted loans and REO.

RAM
15 years ago

jcrimes,

I was not referring to lenders / secondary buyers and their current responsibilities.

My reference was about private equity funds (i.e. bulk buyers.) and how they structure their investments.

15 years ago

We are spending a lot of time negotiating how bulk buyers will slip through the 10% loop-hole… it doesn’t matter if bulk investors create a thousand little companies… smart banks aren’t going to lend in Miami condo’s, and will “Black-list” these condos simply due to deceitful Bulk Buyer Purchases, along with high rental percentages… we’re entering a new era, creating new banking rules as we go.

There will not be any bank loans in these buildings, unless the Obama Team is going to subsidize/guarantee loans for home owners.

RCR
15 years ago

Chris said it all. Recover to what?

Renter Tom
15 years ago

ocean5 – I understand business entities and structuring deals using different business entities to minimize risk. However, when the same group forms First, LLC; Second, LLC; and Third, LLC to buy condos in the SAME building…..little risk reduction occurs and if done for the purpose of “evading” the 10% ownership rule….I doubt that will fly. The point is Freddie/Fannie/Whatever don’t want to lend in building where ownership is concentrated in whatever percent ownership. Simple due diligence would reveal that the same parties own all three so Freddie/Fannie then won’t lend or buy those mortgages up as the case may be. I also understand that the cost of such due diligence was going to be pushed down the food chain, unless something has changed. Needless to say, I don’t think using different LLC’s for the same building will really do much anyway except increase legal costs….it would have to be a unique circumstance that I can’t think of right now to justify such an arrangement.

RAM – I do think that any bulk buyer would want as much control over as many things as possible. Control freaks they will need to be.

Renter Tom
15 years ago

RCR – Recovery to 1999….

Renter Tom
15 years ago

CNBC “House of Cards” special is on…..looks to be good.

AJ
15 years ago

RT,
Forget about wishing jail on someone, why don’t you break free from the solitary confinement that you are in right now. You are a loner and forever under house arrest in front of your computer. I sincerely wish some freedom for you.

The Ace
15 years ago

Bulk Buying – A Smart Money specialty @ $125.00 per sq ft average price.

The Smart Money in action.

Muir
15 years ago

The Ace <—— wakes up early (5:48) The Smart money always gets the worm! 🙂

Muir
15 years ago

Greenspan: “greed happens.”

K-Rich
15 years ago

As a bulk buyer, I would absolutely want to invoke the 10% rule. Most bulk buyers want to hold for 5-10 years anyway. The lack of Fannie financing in the short term is not a problem for the bulk buyer, only the individual unit owner. Removing the possibility of Fannie financing from all the individual unit owners will instantly reduce values in the building even further, giving the bulk buyer an opportunity to increase his ownership in the building at even more depressed values as the individual owners throw in the towel + CONTROL OF THE BOARD.

It is now a rental building. Remove amenities, lay off staff, anything to lower maintenance fees substantially and increase returns. When the market returns, these amenities come back to make the units more marketable to buyers again, not renters.

When the market does turn a few years down the road:
1.) transfer some of the units to another entity to eliminate the Fannie 10% rule and/or
2.) lending standards have loosened enough that the rule has been eliminated or
3.) there are alternatives to Fannie & Freddie again (i.e. BofA, Citi, Wells Fargo, etc.)

Realist Bob
15 years ago

Unfortunately, some people are terribly displeased with the Miami media’s reportage on the bursting real estate bubble.

From Miami CBS news reporter David Sutta’s blog:
Feb 11, 2009 4:21 PM
The Realtor Who Created Quite a Stir
Posted by Sutta

God bless Karol of Coral Springs. She sent us an email last night and the forwarding/replies inside our building haven’t stopped since. Here is what she wrote:

Karol XXXXXX
[email protected]
Coral Springs
954-xxx-xxxx

STOP! STOP! STOP! ALREADY WITH THE NEGATIVE NEWS ABOUT THE HOUSING MARKET! YOU’RE KILLING THE REAL ESTATE COMMUNITY!!! WHY CAN’T YOU ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE!!! IT’S THE BEST TIME TO BUY!!! PRICES ARE AFFORDABLE! YOU CAN GET MORTGAGES!!! IF YOU’D STOP WITH THE NEGATIVE AND TELL PEOPLE NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, OUR REAL ESTATE MARKET WILL START TO IMPROVE!!!!! WHY WOULD ANYONE BUY A HOME AFTER LISTENING TO YOU!!!

Karol makes an interesting debate. Are we, the media, responsible for the escalating crisis in our housing market? Honestly, I believe we may be a contributor but not the cause. We are definately a source of information buyers rely on to form an opinion. Does that mean we should not inform them though?

When Carol’s email was forwarded to the newsroom by Consumer Reporter Al Sunshine, that debate began… [google David Sutta’s blog for the rest]

Now, David failed to report that dear Karol sent an equally selfless and thought-provoking missive four years ago. I dug through my archives of awesome sh-t and posted Karol’s previous plea in the comments section of David Sutta’s blog post; here is…

Karol BUBBLEPUSHER’s previous email…

from: [email protected]
Coral Springs
954-BUY-HIGH

STOP! STOP! STOP! ALREADY WITH THE RIDICULOUSLY POSITIVE NEWS ABOUT THE HOUSING MARKET! YOU’RE KILLING THE HOMEDEBTOR AND TURNING THE WORLD’S ECONOMY INTO A HUGE BUBBLE!!! WHY CAN’T YOU ACCENTUATE THE REALISTIC!!! IT’S ALWAYS, ALWAYS, THE BEST TIME TO SELL REAL ESTATE (YES, I NEED THE COMMISSIONS AND I’M NOT QUALIFIED TO DO ANYTHING ELSE BUT THINK ABOUT THE POOR HOMEDEBTOR YOU ARE LEADING DOWN THIS PATH OF DOOM)!!! HISTORICALLY, PRICES ARE STUPENDOUSLY HIGH AND UNAFFORDABLE! HOMEDEBTORS SHOULD SELL NOW OR BE CLEANED OUT FOREVER!!! YES, YOU CAN GET MORTGAGES WITH NO MONEY DOWN AND NO INCOME BUT WHY WOULD YOU!!! IF YOU’D STOP WITH THE RIDICULOUSLY POSITIVE SPIN AND TELL PEOPLE NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO SELL MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, OUR REAL ESTATE MARKET WILL PULL BACK FROM THE ABYSS AND THIS FRANKENSTEIN BUBBLE WILL DEFLATE AND START TO IMPROVE!!!!! WHY WOULD ANYONE SELL A HOME AFTER LISTENING TO YOU!!!

LOVE,
Karol BUBBLEPUSHER, Realtor
xoxoxo
February 11, 2005

Realist Bob
15 years ago

Still waiting for the comment to appear… let’s see if David Sutta approves it.

Here’s the link to the post:
http://pod08.prospero.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?nav=main&webtag=wfor_davidsutta&entry=144

Mike
15 years ago

Ace! You are so ridiculous it’s almost obscene to read. It’s funny how you call yourself “the smart money”. I am taking a wild guess that you still live with your mom and don’t pay any rent, most girls wouldn’t call you “the smart money” but “the pathetic money who knows absolutely nothing bout the market unless you ask his mom”.

Renter Tom
15 years ago

AJ wrote: “RT,
Forget about wishing jail on someone, why don’t you break free from the solitary confinement that you are in right now. You are a loner and forever under house arrest in front of your computer. I sincerely wish some freedom for you.”

– Thanks AJ….love and kisses to you too. Sorry to hear you are a total real estate fraud though. No credibility left I am afraid. Go back to DJing or VJing and rockin’ to the oldies you past primetime investment fool.

[…] have continued to hit the market, financing has become extremely difficult to obtain and a few bulk condo deals have closed in that time.  As a result, it should come as to no surprise that overall condo prices […]

Mark
15 years ago

Hello:

I am interested in additional information on bulk condo sales as mentioned in your note. I appreciate any information you might provide.

Thank you
MK

15 years ago

I have clients that are intrested in bulk condos, must be finished buildings and not so many sold, if you have something please contact me asap. Thanks

15 years ago
anthony
14 years ago

condo package F/S–package consist of 170 units
florida location
great location!
great investment!
serious buyers only please!

contact anthony: Broker
(727) 645-5272
[email protected]

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