Marina Financing with Madison One

The following information was featured in the 2021 Marina Investment Report issued by Leisure Investment Properties Group. You can view the full report by clicking the button below.

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Financing Your Marina

Marinas are a specialized asset class with many lenders exercising caution when a buyer seeks out loan. The lack of lending could force out buyers who either do not have the necessary equity to meet LTV (loan-to-value) requirements, or it could push an investment group’s returns beyond a threshold of reasonable comfort for making the purchase. For owner-operators, this is typically the “make-or-break” to getting the deal done and successfully closing on their new business. Avoiding these pitfalls is why working with a partner who understands the inner workings of the marina business is so important. Issues like land leases and water rights are just two examples of the many nuances specific to the marina industry that your lending partner needs to know when successfully closing, and ultimately funding, the transaction.

SBA & USDA Financing

SBA & USDA financing is a credit enhancement offered to federal lending institutions. These guarantees incentivize the Small Business Administration and United States Department of Agriculture Business & Industry to lend to businesses that have unique challenges in the underlying credit, such as inconsistent cash flow, lack of collateral, or special-purpose nature of the business or collateral.

Many marinas are in rural or tertiary markets, have significant capital requirements in terms of acquisition and necessary improvements, and tend to have routine maintenance and repairs. SBA and USDA lenders can provide significant leverage and minimize the capital contribution for owners who either own or want to acquire marinas. For this reason, marina owners can conserve capital while leveraging the value of their assets to maximize their return on investment.

How You Can Apply

Like any lender, there are numerous factors that indicate a borrower’s strength when financing a marina. Some of those include: current cash flow of the marina; borrower experience in operating marinas; borrower financial strength (savings/liquidity/net worth); market feasibility; credit worthiness; ability to repay the loan/source of repayment; and ultimately the collateral. As you can see, the overall application is a blend of property AND borrower background/history to ensure that the asset will “pencil out” and the borrower will service the debt.

To proactively dig a little deeper into borrower preparedness, the key documentation required for SBA and USDA loans include:

1. Standard documents

Borrower Application
Personal Financial Statement
Form 4506T – Verification of Tax Transcripts

2. Financial Documents

3 years of most recent tax returns
Current year statement of income (if applicable)
Detailed business projections & assumptions

3. Business Plan

Description of the business
Marketing plan
Analysis of competition
Background of ownership & key personnel

Outlooks

While 2020 was an anomaly year, with many lenders retracting from marinas altogether, the 2021 lending environment has been somewhat scattered depending on the region. Some regions see many lenders entertaining marina (especially those local to the property), while others see a complete avoidance. Stimulus funding has paved the way for SBA & USDA guaranteed financing to be the leading source of capital for all business owners. Key incentives include: 1) waiver of guarantee fees; 2) payment relief; 3) longer terms; and 4) longer amortizations (up to 40 years).
As many new business owners are relocating out of the cities and seeking out either primary residences and/or new businesses to grow, demand for marinas in rural markets has risen and created more opportunities for business owners to find that dream business and/or active retirement. While lenders, in general, are less inclined to finance special purpose properties like marinas or are likely very conservative on terms, SBA and USDA guaranteed financing has quickly become the best alternative and a popular choice for new marina owners that qualify.

In summary, these nationwide programs differ from conventional financing primarily by allowing for higher leverage, longer terms, fewer loan covenants, and lower transaction costs than conventional financing. Additionally, the programs offer government guarantees of up to 90% which is an attractive credit enhancement to prospective lenders.