A troubled Hollywood Beach condo-hotel may be heading to auction, where its lender could acquire the property for $43 million.
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Costa Hollywood Beach Resort, Madison Realty Capital Josh Zegen |
If the plan is approved, the lender will open bidding
with a $43 million “stalking horse bid,” which would allow Madison Realty to
use money it is owed from the development group to bid on the property. The
auction will be open to other bidders as well after the $43 million opening
bid. The court has yet to approve the auction plan no auction date has yet
been set.
Adam Stein-Sapir of New York-based Pioneer Funding Group, a bankruptcy
expert who analyzed the Costa Hollywood case, said Madison Realty will most
likely end up owning the development.
“The value of assets is pretty darn close to the value of the senior debt. I
wouldn’t expect any other bidder to come and top the current lender,”
Stein-Sapir said.
Construction at the condo-hotel started in 2013, and the developer began
marketing the condos to investors in South America and Argentina. It opened
in October 2018.
Peter Russin, an attorney who represents the development group in the
bankruptcy, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Madison Realty declined to comment through a spokesperson.
The auction would come as the hotel sector is reeling from the impacts of
coronavirus and people are canceling hotel reservations.
Condo-hotels, which allow investors to own individual hotel units, are
growing out of favor with investors. Some planned condo-hotels, such as the
Palm House and the 550 Seabreeze Hotel project in Fort Lauderdale Beach,
have run into trouble.
Madison Realty has completed more than $12 billion in debt and equity
transactions since it was founded in 2004, and is active in construction
lending. Over the past year, the group has increased its presence in South
Florida. It provided a $225 million construction loan for The Residences at
Mandarin Oriental in Boca Raton in July.
The foreclosure filing could signal growing indicators of distress in South
Florida’s real estate market. Such indicators include an increase in
residential home foreclosures and in vulture funds raising money.