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Tailgate

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  1. Still buying properties. “Nothing to see here...move along”

    https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2019/09/23/amid-foreclosure-battles-world-class-keeps-buying.html?ana=e_du_prem&j=84006491&t=Afternoon&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWmpJMU5qTXpPREUxT0RnMyIsInQiOiJYVFJkem5HTnN1bFNFQ1ZJQW10TGVQZFZibVRVRHIzdDJSSmlhclJuV0pvTmRSa3U4STBoTEYwSjk3TmNPdHFuZUlaWHJ2UHhkYjNiMFhnNWxZdDIyZTdZcjJtSnVpaHMwaGtEWHYzbUl0Nm1UOUFVejFcL0FCdnVEQjRjZnVZd1wvIn0%3D

    Nate Paul’s World Class Holdings has picked up more properties in Austin, at the same time it's dealing with the threat of foreclosure on others.

    World Class wants to develop a 150,000-square-foot class A office building at 1800 Cesar Chavez St., according to LinkedIn posts from Paul. The project would also include ground-floor retail and restaurant space.

    No plans for the project have been filed yet with the city of Austin Development Services Department.

    A limited liability company connected to World Class — 1800 Cesar Chavez LLC — purchased the property at 1800 E. Cesar Chavez St. as well as four adjoining tracts, according to a special warranty deed with vendor’s lien filed Aug. 14 with the Travis County Clerk’s Office.

    The now-closed cocktail bar Weather Up was located in a converted house on one of the tracts: 1808 E. Cesar Chavez St.

    When or if plans for 1800 Cesar Chavez will advance beyond social media is a fair question. The special warranty deed was filed the same day agents from the FBI and U.S. Treasury Department raided World Class’ headquarters at 814 Lavaca St. KXAN News reported law enforcement also recovered material from Paul's home that day.

    Federal officials have declined to comment on the raid. No arrests have been made.

    Travis Central Appraisal District values World Class’ recent purchases, which together make up over an acre, at about $2.9 million. The sellers, which are different based on the tracts, are all connected to Austin-area businessman Marcelo Vera. The vender’s lien on the deed gives the seller the right to take back the property if the buyer doesn't make all the payments.

    Equity Secured Investments Inc. provided 1800 Cesar Chavez LLC with a $4.7 million loan, according to the warranty deed. Barry Johnson, a Dallas-based commercial lending attorney at SettlePou, is the trustee on the loan.

    According to its website, Equity Secured was founded in 1990 "to fund real estate loans that were perceived by traditional lenders to be too risky."

    Equity Secured posted on its website that it lent $4.7 million in a bridge loan on Aug. 12 to a "repeat customer" for a commercial lot purchase, which seems to fit the 1800 Cesar Chavez LLC transaction. The lender said the customer put 20% down and needed a quick closing because the seller had a backup buyer and wouldn’t extend the closing date. The loan closed in five business days, according to Equity Secured.

    Loans for riskier projects can come with interest rates in excess of 10%, said Greg Hallman, senior managing director of the Texas Real Estate Center at the University of Texas at Austin. A rate sheet posted on Equity Secured's website features interest rates beginning at 8.75% for three-month loans, rising to 11.75% for 12-month loans. It's unclear what the terms of the loan are for 1800 Cesar Chavez LLC.

    Paul did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the project.

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