Many buyers ask, "can I get an SBA guarantee loan for my senior care operation?" Years ago, that would be an emphatic "No." Times have changed. The Small Business Administration (SBA) now allows guarantee loans for the senior care industry. Under the SBA 504 program, buyers can quality for up to $5 million to purchase real estate, pay for construction, or buy equipment for an assisted living facility.
For buyers of home care agencies, home health agencies, adult daycares, or small assisted living facilities, the SBA 7(a) program may be a better option. Under the SBA 7(a) program, a participating lender could lend up to $5 million. In reality, most SBA 7(a) loans are under $1 million. Loan terms are generally up to 25 years for real estate loans and up to 10 years for other purposes (e.g., agency acquisition, working capital, equipment purchase, leasehold improvements). Interest rates depend upon the lender and the loan amount; some banks offer fixed rate loans, but most offer variable rate loans. The SBA 7(a) loan guarantee program, however, does impose a prepayment penalty on loans with terms over 15 years. The penalty is 5% of the outstanding balance if prepaid in the first year, 3% of the outstanding balance if prepaid in the second year, and a 1% of the outstanding balance if prepaid in the third year. For most senior care acquisition cases, the SBA charges the borrower a guarantee fee of .25% of the guaranteed part of the loan.
For more information on these programs, contact Charles Moss (cmoss@crimsoncardinalllc.com) on our team.
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