LOS ANGELES -- What money is available for real estate projects is being steered toward companies with strong balance sheets, strong management, good track records and long-term relationships with institutions, according to Stan Ross, Chairman of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate (www.usc.edu/lusk). Lenders are clearly taking a harder stance on underwriting, looking more closely at the developers, the project, the cash flow and loan-to-value requirements. Opportunity funds have plenty of capital right now to provide equity or mezzanine debt while smaller deals benefit from equity supplied by a growing number of high-net worth individuals, according to Ross, one of several real estate experts on the faculty of the USC Lusk Center.
For reporters and editors searching for insight and commentary on issues affecting commercial or residential property markets, the USC Lusk Center provides direct access to expert sources. They are available to answer your questions on a variety of topics including affordable housing, foreign investment, real estate capital markets, public/private partnerships, smart growth, urban planning and demographics. A full list of Lusk faculty experts with telephone and e-mail contact information can be found at:
http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/lusk/press/experts.html
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