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Due Diligence Jenga: One More Estoppel And We're Out
Broker: LOI signed, PSA clean, we're cruising Lender: Need fresh estoppels, SNDA, ALTA, Phase I that says 'no vibes,' and a 1.35 DSCR in a 1.10 world 😵💫 Buyer: Underwrote at 6.25% cap; Seller heard 4.00% cap + free parking for my descendants Attorney: Found a 1998 co-tenancy clause - if the RadioShack leaves, so can half the rent 🧨 Me (updating the model): T-12 says 'maybe'; T-3 says 'lol'; Excel says #REF! 📉
ricklahkar
3 days ago1 min read
Broker Brain vs Lender Brain vs Appraiser Brain - Cap Rate Cage Match
Broker: It’s a pristine 6-cap, NNN, pre-leased - slam dunk Lender: Need T-12, T-3, T-now, estoppels, SNDA, roof report, and your 3rd grade attendance 📑 Appraiser: After market-supported adjustments, value = vibes and a 7.94% cap My Excel: 31 tabs, 6 #REF!, DSCR whispers 1.18 then rage-quits 🫠 Client: We still closing Friday? Me: Sure - if Friday is post-ALTA, revised rent roll, and two cosmic extensions
ricklahkar
3 days ago1 min read
Turnkey Listing: Comes With Free Roof From 1989 and a Surprise TI Bill
Owner: It's turnkey Me: Then why does the TI budget start with a 4 and end with /sf Lender: Need updated rent roll, SNDA, estoppels, Phase I, and your firstborn by 3pm Excel: Throws #REF! at 2:59pm 🤡
ricklahkar
May 151 min read
DSCR 1.30* (Do Not Touch Column D)
Broker: DSCR 1.30, rock solid—assuming no one touches column D Lender: Send T-12, rent roll (not the sideways scan), and 19 versions of the model Excel: #REF! after inserting 1 row; Argus watching like cute 😐 Client: Can we close Friday if we start underwriting today? Sure—if the appraiser uses vibes 😂
ricklahkar
May 101 min read
When the CAM Reconciliation Gaslights You
Tenant: 'Our HVAC is broken' Me (PM): it's on HEAT… in August… in Phoenix ☀️ Broker: LOI signed! Also Broker: no COI, wrong suite, forgot janitorial spec Excel: CAM rec balanced; Excel 5 sec later: #REF! there goes NOI 😵💫
ricklahkar
May 91 min read
Final_v28_REALFINAL2.xlsx vs Reality
Broker: Cap rate 6, totally market 🧮 Excel: #REF! in DSCR, debt constant shifted, T12 roasted my pro forma Lender: Need T12, T3, rent roll vFinal, and your soul by COB Me: renaming Final_v28_REALFINAL2.xlsx while modeling 30-yr roof at 15 😵💫
ricklahkar
May 91 min read
Cap Rate Catfish: Turnkey Until You Turn the Key
Expectation: Turnkey 6% cap, zero deferred maintenance Reality: roof older than my license, HVAC wheezing in Morse code 🧯, estoppels signed by the dog Lender: need final rent roll + updated T-12; Excel: #REF! as a service Seller: no issues; Title: three surprise liens and a buried UCC; Me: casually screaming 😵💫
ricklahkar
Apr 291 min read
CAM Season: Where Spreadsheets Go To Cry
Expectation: CAM smooth, HVAC purring, tenants happy Reality: Insurance +23%, April blizzard, after-hours HVAC for a ‘book club’ of 60 Me: BOMA remeasure + roof deductible + utility true-up = math nobody asked for Excel: #REF! #DIV/0! Printer: out of toner again 😬
ricklahkar
Apr 251 min read
Broker vs Lender vs Reality: The Estoppel Hunger Games
Broker: LOI signed, we're cruising to close 🛩️ Lender: need updated rent roll, SNDA, estoppels, and the tenant's 3rd grade report card Owner: no estoppels-but here's a 2011 flyer and a fax number Me in Excel: proforma says 7.0% cap, Actuals say #REF!, cash flow rage-quitting 😵💫
ricklahkar
Apr 181 min read
Expectation: 6 Cap. Reality: DSCR 1.19 and a Surprise Phase II
Expectation: 6% cap, 30-day close Reality: DSCR prints 1.19, lender wants 'one tiny rent roll clarification'… from 2016 Seller: 'NNN, except roof, structure, parking, sprinklers, and mercury retrograde' Excel: turns green if deal pencils; it’s redder than my escrow balance. #REF! 4:59pm: 'Phase II?' Me: perfect timing—right after I renegotiate life 🤡
ricklahkar
Apr 161 min read
Underwriting at 2AM: When Excel Pleads the Fifth
Broker: DSCR 1.35x, lender will love it Lender: Send T-12, T-3, T-0.5, and the lease your dog barked at Excel: #REF! also your 10-year reversion cap = 'maybe' 🙃 Me: Renaming 'Other Income' to 'Miracles' before compliance wakes up
ricklahkar
Apr 131 min read
CAM Reconciliation Starter Pack: Coffee, VLOOKUP, Tears
Expectation: “Quiet Q2, just renewals.” Reality: 7 roof leaks the minute a tour shows up Tenant A: “HVAC = Arctic.” Tenant B: “HVAC = Sahara.” Me: hosting a climate summit in Suite 204 😵💫 Vendor: “COI expired at 8AM.” Me: “So did my patience for CAM caps.” Excel: #REF! | Owner: “Quick update?” | Me: emailing a pivot screenshot like it’s gospel ☕
ricklahkar
Apr 121 min read
Term Sheet Speedrun: Broker vs Lender vs Client (Nightmare Mode)
Broker: Easy office refi, 65% LTV, DSCR 1.35—bow-wrapped model Lender: Need SNDAs from all tenants, 2018–present estoppels, and a rent roll notarized twice Client: Also convert 30k SF to lab + $2M TI/LC by Friday, zero prepay pls 🧪 Me: Underwriting 19 cap-rate universes at 2am, whispering to Excel, “don’t #REF me now” 😅
ricklahkar
Apr 91 min read
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