A.CRE

Hold/Sell Analysis

The process of analyzing whether to continue holding (i.e. owning) income-producing real estate, or whether to sell the real estate and reinvest the proceeds in an alternative opportunity. Many professional real estate asset and portfolio managers perform this analysis on regular basis, so as to optimize the overall returns of their respective portfolios and beat their target benchmarks.

Real estate professionals use analysis tools such as real estate discounted cash flow models to calculate the return on the hold scenario, and then compare that to the projected returns on the sell and reinvest scenario to make a more informed investment decision.

Putting ‘Hold/Sell Analysis’ in Context

Bayview Capital Group, a real estate investment firm specializing in value-add opportunities, acquired Skyline Office Center, a 150,000-square-foot suburban office building in Oakland, California, five years ago. The property was purchased at a basis of $45 million ($300 per square foot) and underwent significant upgrades, including a $5 million renovation of common areas and mechanical systems. Despite the improvements, Skyline Office Center is currently experiencing distress due to a combination of higher interest rates, reduced office demand, and tenant attrition. Occupancy has dropped to 65%, and the property’s Net Operating Income (NOI) is below pro forma projections.

The Decision Point

Bayview’s asset manager is tasked with conducting a hold/sell analysis to determine whether it’s more advantageous to retain Skyline Office Center and attempt to stabilize it, or sell the property and redeploy the capital. The analysis involves comparing the potential return of holding the property to the expected return from selling and reinvesting the proceeds.

Hold Scenario

Under the hold scenario, Bayview projects the following:

  • Occupancy can be increased to 85% over the next 18 months by aggressively leasing vacant space at market rents of $36 per square foot.
  • Leasing costs, including tenant improvement allowances and brokerage commissions, are estimated at $1.5 million.
  • Once stabilized, the property is expected to generate $4.5 million in annual NOI, yielding a value of $56.25 million (assuming a 8.0% cap rate).

Key challenges include continued operating deficits during lease-up and the uncertainty of achieving the projected occupancy in a soft office market.

Sell Scenario

If Bayview sells Skyline Office Center in its current condition, brokers estimate the property will trade for $36 million ($240 per square foot) due to its distressed state and suboptimal cash flow. After paying off the remaining loan balance of $20 million and accounting for transaction costs of $1.5 million, Bayview would net $14.5 million.

The firm estimates it could reinvest the $14.5 million into a newly identified industrial project in Dallas, Texas, with a projected internal rate of return (IRR) of 14% over a five-year hold period.

Analysis

To compare the hold and sell scenarios, the asset manager constructs a discounted cash flow (DCF) model. The model calculates the IRR for holding Skyline Office Center versus the reinvestment opportunity in Dallas. Key inputs for the hold scenario include leasing costs, projected NOI growth, and the exit value at stabilization. The analysis reveals:

  • Hold Scenario IRR: 9.5%
  • Sell Scenario IRR: 14.0%

Conclusion

Based on the analysis, the asset manager recommends selling Skyline Office Center and reallocating the capital into the Dallas industrial project. While holding could result in stabilization and higher value, the higher risk and lower projected returns make selling the more attractive option for Bayview Capital Group.

This example illustrates how a hold/sell analysis helps asset managers make data-driven decisions to optimize portfolio performance and allocate resources effectively.

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