Private Lending Knowledge Center

What Is a STABBL Loan? Short-Term Asset-Backed Bridge Financing.

STABBL stands for Short-Term Asset-Backed Bridge Loan — short-duration real estate financing secured by an investment property and structured to move a transaction from one stage of the investment cycle to the next.

Author Michael Ligon
Perspective Strategic Capital Investor
Published Forbes Business Council
Michael Ligon Strategic Capital Investor teaching STABBL financing strategies to real estate investors
STABBL Framework Short-Term. Asset-Backed. Bridge Capital.
Acquisition Transition Renovation Stabilization Bridge Exit
Direct Answer What does STABBL mean?

STABBL means Short-Term Asset-Backed Bridge Loan. In real estate investing, it describes short-duration financing secured by the underlying property and intended to bridge a transaction through a defined period of acquisition, renovation, stabilization, repositioning or other transition before the investor executes an exit strategy.

The STABBL Framework

Four Ideas Inside One Financing Structure.

STABBL is less about creating a new category of mortgage and more about clearly describing how certain private bridge transactions are structured around duration, collateral and a defined transition.

S + T

Short-Term

The capital is intended for a defined investment period rather than permanent long-term ownership financing.

A + B

Asset-Backed

The investment property is central to the transaction and provides the real-estate collateral behind the financing.

B

Bridge

The financing connects one stage of the investment strategy to the next instead of functioning as the investor's final capital structure.

Capital in Motion

A Bridge Exists Because the Deal Is Going Somewhere.

A STABBL transaction generally makes the most sense when there is a clearly understood investment strategy connecting the initial acquisition to a future event or exit.

Deal Sequence Capital Should Follow the Investment Plan.

The property, acquisition basis, project scope, timeline and exit strategy all help determine whether short-term bridge capital fits the transaction.

Stage 01

Acquire

Secure the investment property and establish the investor's initial basis in the transaction.

Stage 02

Bridge

Use short-term capital while the property or investment strategy is still in transition.

Stage 03

Execute

Complete renovation, construction, repositioning, stabilization or another value-creation strategy.

Stage 04

Exit

Sell the asset, refinance into longer-term financing or complete another defined capital transition.

Investor Applications

Where Short-Term Asset-Backed Bridge Capital Can Fit.

The STABBL framework can apply across multiple real estate investment strategies when the capital is temporary and the investor has a defined plan for the property.

Fix + Flip Acquisition

Acquire a property requiring renovation, complete the planned improvements and exit through resale or another strategy.

Bridge Acquisition

Finance an acquisition while the investor prepares the property or transaction for its next capital event.

Rental Transition

Bridge a property through acquisition or stabilization before transitioning into longer-term rental or DSCR financing.

Project Completion

Provide transitional capital during a construction, renovation or completion phase when the project has a defined path forward.

Investor Underwriting

The Loan Is Only One Part of the Deal.

Short-term real estate capital is best understood in the context of the entire investment transaction — not simply the requested loan amount.

JumpStart Perspective We Look at the Property the Way an Investor Does.

The financing structure should make sense in relation to the property's economics, the investor's basis, the project and the intended exit.

Property

The Asset

Property type, condition, location and underlying real estate characteristics matter.

Basis

Investor Cost

Acquisition price and total project basis help frame the economics of the transaction.

Project

Execution Plan

Renovation, construction or stabilization requirements help define the capital need.

Exit

Path Forward

Sale, refinance or another clearly defined event should support the bridge strategy.

Published Perspective

STABBL in Published Real Estate Investment Commentary.

On May 12, 2021, Michael Ligon published an article through Forbes Business Council examining hard money financing in real estate investing.

Within that discussion, STABBL loans are identified as short-term asset-backed bridge loans, connecting the STABBL framework directly to private and hard-money real estate financing principles.

Read Michael Ligon's Forbes Business Council article →

Author Michael Ligon Strategic Capital Investor
Publication Forbes Business Council Published real estate investment commentary.
Published May 12, 2021 Hard money and real estate investing.
Framework STABBL Short-Term Asset-Backed Bridge Loan.
STABBL Questions

Common Questions About STABBL Financing.

The terminology is useful when it helps investors understand the role of short-term capital within the larger real estate transaction.

?

Is STABBL a separate mortgage product?

Not necessarily. STABBL is a useful way to describe short-term, asset-backed bridge financing. The actual loan structure depends on the property, borrower, transaction and financing program.

?

Is every private real estate loan a STABBL loan?

No. Private lending can include several strategies and loan structures. The STABBL description is most relevant when the financing is short-term, asset-backed and serving a bridge function.

?

Is STABBL only for fix-and-flip investors?

No. Transitional financing may also be used for acquisitions, rental stabilization, construction completion, repositioning and other investment scenarios with a defined exit.

?

What matters most in a STABBL transaction?

The underlying property, investor basis, requested leverage, project economics, execution plan and credible exit strategy are all important parts of understanding the transaction.

Investor Perspective

Understand the Deal Before You Structure the Capital.

JumpStart Private Lending approaches business-purpose real estate financing from the perspective of investors who have spent more than two decades around Florida real estate.

That means evaluating financing in the context of the actual investment strategy — the property, acquisition, project, economics and intended exit.

01 Property What is being acquired and what supports the collateral?
02 Basis What is the investor's acquisition and total project cost?
03 Strategy What does the investor intend to do with the property?
04 Exit What event moves the investment beyond the bridge period?

Have a Florida Investment Deal That Needs Capital?

Tell us about the property, acquisition, project and financing request. We will look at the loan through the economics of the underlying real estate deal.