The Kramer Companies, Acquisitions

Acquisitions

Buy-side support, screen to handoff

Any asset type: land, income property, condo inventory, SFH portfolios, other CRE, and property under a judgment, in foreclosure, behind a note or bank owned. Screening, underwriting and max price, offer strategy, due diligence, the IC memo, closing and the asset handoff.

Max bid page from the sample deal A offering memo

Who it is for

Buy-side support for any asset type, at every phase, distressed paths included.

  • Family offices and private buyers without an acquisitions team
  • Funds and operators that need underwriting or diligence capacity
  • Buyers looking at foreclosures, notes or REO
  • Investment committees that want an independent read before they vote

Fees. Flat per task or phase, or a recurring monthly fee. Never contingent on a closing.

Asset types

Every asset type, at every phase

Land and development sitesUnderwritten by program, with Live Local where it applies.
Existing income propertyMultifamily first; hold or value-add.
Condo inventory and bulk unitsUnsold or resale inventory, bulk purchases and termination plays.
SFH portfoliosPriced house by house, then as a portfolio.
Other CRERetail, office, industrial and mixed-use.
Property under a judgmentPre-sale purchases from owners facing a final judgment. We do not buy or collect judgments.
ForeclosuresPre-sale deals and auction bids on the court's calendar.
NotesPerforming and non-performing loans, priced against buying the deed.
REOBank and special servicer owned assets.

Services by phase

Support at every step of an acquisition

Take one step, like a check of the seller's T-12 before the LOI, or the whole deal from screen to asset handoff.

Phase 1

Sourcing and screening

Buy box setup and screening

AQ-101

Your buy box encoded once, then every listing or lead scored against it and tracked in one pipeline.

You get: Buy box, Pipeline tracker, Screen record

TurnaroundSetup in 1 week; screens weekly or on demand
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in timeStart to finish
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase; Recurring monthly fee
Asset typesAll asset types

Desktop review

AQ-102

Owner, title and liens from public records, court status, entity, zoning, quick comps and a back-of-envelope value, with a pass, hold or kill call.

You get: Desktop review, acquisition, Desktop review, ground-up, Worked example

TurnaroundHalf a day to 1 day
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in timeStart to finish
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase; Recurring monthly fee
Asset typesAll asset types
Phase 2

Underwriting and pricing

Income property underwriting and max price

AQ-201

Hold or value-add model with taxes reset on the price, sensitivity and a max price solved against your hurdle.

You get: Acquisition model with Max bid tab, Underwriting summary, Worked example

Turnaround2 to 5 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in timeStart to finish
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase; Recurring monthly fee
Asset typesExisting income property, Other CRE, Foreclosures, REO

Land underwriting and residual value

AQ-202

Residual land value under each program that fits, with the max price set by the program that wins.

You get: Program models, Underwriting summary

Turnaround2 to 5 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in timeStart to finish
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase; Recurring monthly fee
Asset typesLand and development sites

Condo inventory and bulk underwriting

AQ-203

Unit-by-unit pricing, carry and assessments, sellout pace and bulk discount, with the association's budget, reserves and inspections read.

You get: Acquisition model, Condo associations one-pager

Turnaround3 to 5 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesCondo inventory and bulk units

SFH portfolio underwriting

AQ-204

Each house priced on its own condition, rent and value, then rolled up with portfolio costs and a portfolio bid.

You get: Acquisition model

Turnaround3 to 5 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesSFH portfolios

T-12 and rent roll normalization

AQ-205

Seller T-12 and rent roll rebuilt into a clean, comparable format, tied out, with one-time items and loss to lease called out.

You get: Normalizer workbook

Turnaround1 to 2 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesExisting income property, Other CRE, SFH portfolios, REO

Rent survey

AQ-206

Like-for-like rent comps by unit type, with concessions and amenities adjusted, for the in-place and renovated rent case.

You get: Rent survey template, Worked example

Turnaround2 to 3 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesExisting income property, SFH portfolios, Land and development sites
Phase 3

Offer strategy and IC

LOI and bid strategy

AQ-301

Price versus max, deposit, diligence period, closing date and contingencies set out as a strategy, with an LOI drafted for the client to send.

You get: LOI template, Worked example, Decision memo

Turnaround2 to 5 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesAll asset types

IC memo

AQ-302

Investment committee memo drawn from the same numbers as the model: the deal, the plan, price versus max, top risks and what diligence must prove.

You get: IC memo template, Worked example

Turnaround2 to 3 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesAll asset types
Phase 4

Due diligence

DD request list and tracker

AQ-401

Request list by asset type, a tracker with owner, due date, status and finding for each item, and a weekly open items list.

You get: Request list, Tracker, Checklist by deal type, Worked example

TurnaroundSetup in 1 to 2 business days; runs the 30 to 60 day diligence period
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in timeStart to finish
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase; Recurring monthly fee
Asset typesAll asset types

Data room setup

AQ-402

A data room built to a standard index so every report, lease and contract has one place and one name.

You get: Data room index

Turnaround1 to 2 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phase
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesAll asset types

Judgment and lien search

AQ-403

Every party in title searched with name variants, every hit pulled and cleared or priced, and every line logged.

You get: Search worksheet

TurnaroundQuick pass in half a day; full search in 3 to 5 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesAll asset types

DD memo

AQ-404

Findings that move cost or value fed back into the model, with a reprice, proceed or walk recommendation.

You get: DD summary memo, Worked example

Turnaround3 to 5 business days after third-party reports arrive
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesAll asset types
Phase 5

Contract and closing

PSA key terms abstract

AQ-501

Price, deposits, hard dates, contingencies, reps, remedies and closing conditions pulled into one abstract with page cites and every date on the calendar.

You get: PSA abstract

Turnaround1 to 2 business days
EngagementSingle taskPoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task
Asset typesLand and development sites, Existing income property, Condo inventory and bulk units, SFH portfolios, Other CRE, Property under a judgment, Notes, REO

Closing coordination

AQ-502

Closing checklist run to the closing date: title, survey, payoffs, estoppels, funds and documents, each with an owner.

You get: Closing checklist, Close and package outline

Turnaround2 to 6 weeks
EngagementSingle taskSingle phaseStart to finish
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase; Recurring monthly fee
Asset typesAll asset types
Phase 6

Business plan and asset handoff

Business plan

AQ-601

Renovation scope and cost, renovated rent premiums, occupancy path, operating costs with insurance and taxes called out, hold period and exit.

You get: Business plan tabs, Business plan summary

Turnaround3 to 5 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phaseStart to finish
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesExisting income property, Condo inventory and bulk units, SFH portfolios, Other CRE, Foreclosures, REO

Asset handoff

AQ-602

Package for the asset manager or property manager: data room, open items, first-year budget, renovation schedule and the reporting template.

You get: Data room index, Handoff memo and open items list

Turnaround1 week after closing
EngagementSingle taskSingle phaseStart to finish
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesExisting income property, Condo inventory and bulk units, SFH portfolios, Other CRE, Foreclosures, REO
Phase 7

Distressed paths

Pre-sale purchase from an owner under judgment

AQ-701

A negotiated purchase before the sale date, priced around the judgment, the liens that survive and the lender's likely position.

You get: Desktop review, acquisition, Search worksheet, Decision memo

TurnaroundInside the window before the sale date
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesProperty under a judgment, Foreclosures

Auction bid preparation

AQ-702

Bid ceiling built up from value as is, less surviving liens, code cures, rehab reserve, holding and exit costs and margin, with the likely credit bid estimated and pre-sale diligence done.

You get: Bid sheet, Sale log, Model with Max bid tab

TurnaroundInside the 20 to 35 day window between judgment and sale; resets add time
EngagementSingle taskPoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task
Asset typesForeclosures

Note purchase underwriting

AQ-703

Note priced as a share of unpaid balance and compared with buying the deed, adjusted for time to title, legal, receiver, NOI collected and doc stamps; collateral file reviewed.

You get: Note vs deed tab, Collateral file checklist

Turnaround3 to 5 business days
EngagementSingle taskSingle phasePoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task; Flat per phase
Asset typesNotes

REO offer preparation

AQ-704

Offer package to bank and special servicer standards: proof of funds, deposit, few contingencies, the bank addendum read and a repair cushion carried.

You get: LOI template, Decision memo

Turnaround2 to 3 business days
EngagementSingle taskPoint in time
Fee basisFlat per task
Asset typesREO

How a deal moves

Six gates. Each one can kill it.

Each gate states what passes, what kills the deal, and the file that comes out. Nothing moves without a sign-off. Times are for a negotiated deal; auctions run on their own track.

Gate 0Weekly run

Screen

Stage: Find
Passes
A Look, or a Maybe a partner wants to review.
Kills
Pass score, outside the buy box, sale already passed, title recorded.
File out
Screener row and the weekly Look list
Gate 1Half a day to 1 day

Desktop review

Stage: Find
Passes
Title and liens, owner and entity, zoning and capacity, quick comps and value all hold up.
Kills
Incurable title, no equity and no lender path, no play fits, any conflict.
File out
Gate 1 desktop review
Gate 22 to 5 days

Underwrite

Stage: Underwrite and design
Passes
A program clears its hurdle at a price the other side could plausibly accept.
Kills
No price works.
File out
Model, schemes and site plan or business plan, max bid or price
Gate 31 to 4 weeks

Pursue

Stage: Acquire
Passes
Terms agreed in writing inside the max, or a bid ceiling and funding approved.
Kills
The other side will not trade inside the max.
File out
Decision memo, plus the LOI or bid sheet
Gate 430 to 60 days

Diligence

Stage: Acquire
Passes
Checklist clear or priced in: title, survey, Phase I, zoning letter, flood and insurance, PCA, rent roll and T-12 audit, estoppels, condo docs, permits.
Kills
Findings that break the model and a seller who will not reprice.
File out
Diligence checklist and findings log
Gate 52 to 6 weeks

Close and package

Stage: Acquire
Passes
Closed, recorded, insured, package delivered.
Kills
Failure to close: title, funding or seller default.
File out
Closing checklist, offering memo, model, scheme, site plan, handoff
Pipeline board with deals in columns from Screen through Diligence

Pipeline board, Screen to Diligence. Every deal at its gate, every kill with its reason. Sample data, fictional leads.

Underwriting and pricing

A max price is a number, not a feeling

The bid is solved from the hurdle, then the model is rebuilt at that bid to confirm the binding test lands on target. Surviving taxes and liens come off the top. Every return names its metric.

Ground-up

Rental

+150 bps

UYOC (stabilized NOI / TDC), 150 bps over the exit cap. TDC includes interest and fees. Podium schemes need 40% overall efficiency, garage included.

Ground-up

Condo

18%

Profit margin, plus unlevered IRR, EM and payback. A higher bar for presale, completion and closing risk; under 15% is a pass.

Ground-up

SFH or townhome for sale

18%

Profit margin; under 15% is a pass. Shorter, phased build.

Acquisition

Hold or value-add

7.25%

UYOC (stabilized NOI / total basis). Taxes reset on the price.

Hurdles are the defaults in the sample models; each deal sets its own. Ground-up timelines start at construction start; acquisitions start at closing.

The package

The offering memo, the gate files and the live model. Tap a page to open it full size.

Budget, capital and returns, Deal A offering memo
Budget, capital and returnsDeal A offering memo
The max bid, Deal A, with sensitivity
The max bidDeal A, with sensitivity
Gate 1, Desktop review
Gate 1Desktop review
Gate 2, Underwriting summary
Gate 2Underwriting summary
Gate 3, Decision memo
Gate 3Decision memo
Max price, Deal B offering memo
Max priceDeal B offering memo

Sample deal, fictional site. Estimates, not an offer.

Sample deals

Two deals, worked end to end

One ground-up, one acquisition. Fictional sites, real method.

Massing of scheme 1, a seven-story Live Local rental on sample deal A
Sample deal, fictional siteSale set
Deal A · Ground-up · Broward County

Tarpon Commerce Boulevard site

A vacant 1984 retail center on a 1.30-acre corridor lot, renovation permit expired. Final judgment for a regional bank; sale set for November 17, 2026. Three schemes tested. At a 150 bps spread the Live Local rental cannot pay for the land; townhomes clear, far under the bank's expected credit bid. The call: no bid at the sale, an REO offer or a walk.

70Maybe
Screener: debt is 143% of just value, over the buy box limit, so it caps at Maybe. It was pulled into review because the Live Local play looked strong.
1.30 ac
Site area, 56,640 SF
$8,450,000
Final judgment amount
130
Units, scheme 1, Live Local rental
$1,162,000
Max bid, townhomes, the only scheme that clears its target

Scheme 1 at the base-case bid of $3,250,000

  • TDC$47,892,650
  • UYOC (stabilized NOI / TDC)5.49%
  • Development spread over the 5.25% exit cap24 bps
  • Target UYOC, 5.25% exit cap plus 150 bps6.75%
  • UYOC with the land free5.93%
  • Profit margin12.2%
  • Levered IRR12.8%
  • EM1.36x

Max bid by scheme

  • Scheme 1: Live Local rental (6.75% UYOC)$0
  • Scheme 3: Townhomes (18% profit margin)$1,162,000
  • Scheme 2: Condo (18% profit margin, 15% floor)$0
  • Unpaid taxes that survive the sale$186,400
  • Code liens$46,000
Sample deal, fictional site. Estimates, not an offer. Live Local items are a flag for land use counsel, not legal advice.Request the sample package
Site diagram of sample deal B, garden apartment buildings around a courtyard
Sample deal, fictional siteFiled
Deal B · Acquisition · Palm Beach County

Palm Hollow Apartments

64 garden units on 3.40 acres, built in 1974. A 2019 CMBS conduit loan matured, went to special servicing and is now in foreclosure. Under-managed, under-rented, not broken. Buy the deed at a discount to the debt, renovate, refinance, sell.

55Maybe
Screener: Filed, 64 units, value not yet known. The CMBS file and the rent roll did the rest.
$9,600,000
Loan balance (UPB)
$7,250,000
Offer price, 75.5% of UPB
7.46%
UYOC (stabilized NOI / total basis)
25.2%
Levered IRR, 5-year hold

Business plan

  • Physical occupancy (rent roll)85.9%
  • Average in-place rent to renovated rent$1,556 to $1,862
  • Renovation with fee and overhead$2,905,892
  • T-12 NOI to stabilized NOI (untrended)$432,560 to $765,371
  • Going-in cap rate (T-12 NOI, taxes reset / price)6.02%
  • Max price at a 7.25% UYOC$7,484,958

Note vs deed

  • Note price (72% of UPB)$6,912,000
  • Basis at title via the note$6,939,000
  • Foreclosure time, legal, carry and lost NOI on the note path+$506,536
  • Note path, deed-equivalent price$7,445,536
  • Deed purchase at the offer price$7,250,000
  • Deed path advantage$195,536
Sample deal, fictional site. Estimates, not an offer. Values are opinions for planning, not an appraisal.Request the sample package

Distressed paths

Auction, note purchase or REO

The approach matches the stage. At auction, the bid ceiling is set before sale day. On a note, the price is tested against buying the deed. On REO, the offer comes with a package the bank's special assets team can approve quickly.

The auction track

An auction runs on the court's clock

The negotiated times do not fit a foreclosure sale. Once the judgment is in, Gates 1 to 4 squeeze into the days before the sale, and diligence shrinks to what can be done from outside the fence. Survey, Phase I and PCA usually cannot happen before the sale, so that risk goes into the ceiling as a cushion.

Sales get reset or cancelled all the time. We check the docket the day before and the morning of. The bid ceiling is set before sale day.

The credit bid

The plaintiff can bid up to its judgment without bringing cash. If the lender's credit bid will run past our ceiling, we stop and look at a note purchase or an assignment of bid before the sale instead.

  1. Day 0

    Final judgment

    Sale set 20 to 35 days out under Fla. Stat. 45.031, unless the plaintiff agrees to a later date or the sale is reset.

  2. Days 1 to 2

    Gate 1, desktop review

    Title and liens from the public record, owner, zoning, quick comps.

  3. Days 2 to 7

    Gate 2, underwrite

    Model by program and the max bid. Surviving taxes and liens come off the top.

  4. Days 10 to 15

    Gate 3, bid ceiling and funding

    Ceiling signed off. The deposit is ready on the county's deadline, and funds are in cash.

  5. Before the sale

    Gate 4, pre-sale checks only

    Title, liens, taxes, code cases and flood. Sales are as is, usually with no interior access.

  6. Sale day

    Bid at or under the ceiling

    Docket re-checked that morning for a cancellation, reset or bankruptcy filing.

  7. About 10 days later

    Certificate of title, then Gate 5

    Issued if no objection is filed. Record it, pay doc stamps (confirm with the Clerk), order the owner's title policy.

Auction rules as of October 2026; confirm with each county before bidding. Public record review only, not a title search. Lien survival, judgment periods and insurability are planning research; confirm with title counsel.

Engagement models

The same vertical, hired four ways

A single task, a single phase, a point in time, or start to finish. Fee structure only; rates go in the proposal.

Single taskOne defined deliverable with a fixed scope, for example one underwriting model or one drawing set review.
Single phaseEvery service in one phase of the vertical, run as one engagement, for example due diligence or entitlement and design.
Point in timeAn independent check at a decision point: before IC, before a draw is funded, before a bid is awarded, before a permit submission or before a bid day. Short, fixed scope.
Start to finishThe whole vertical, from the first phase through the last, under one engagement letter and one lead.

Examples

Single task

Underwriting and max price on a condo bulk purchase

Turnaround: 3 to 5 business days

Fee: Flat per task

Single phase

Due diligence phase: request list, tracker, data room, lien search and DD memo

Turnaround: 30 to 60 days

Fee: Flat per phase or recurring monthly fee

Point in time

Check of a seller's T-12 and rent roll before the LOI

Turnaround: 2 business days

Fee: Flat per task

Start to finish

Buy-side support from screening through closing and asset handoff

Turnaround: Deal by deal, about 3 to 6 months

Fee: Recurring monthly fee

Fees and terms

Structure, not rates

Rates go in the proposal and the engagement letter, scoped to the work. The structure is the same for every client.

Acquisitions support

Flat fee per task. Flat fee per phase. Or a recurring monthly fee while a deal or a pipeline is live.

Never contingent on a closing

The fee is the same whether you buy, pass or get outbid. Finding a seller, negotiating for you or marketing a property is brokerage, and runs only under an agreement with [Brokerage Name].

Terms that apply

  • Advisory and acquisitions support fees are flat or recurring monthly and never contingent on a purchase, sale, financing or closing.
  • Public record review only, not a title search. Lien survival, judgment periods and insurability are planning research; confirm with title counsel.
  • Values are opinions for planning, not an appraisal.
  • Any price or return shown carries "Estimates, not an offer." Sample material carries "Sample deal, fictional site. Estimates, not an offer."
  • Live Local items are flags for land use counsel, not legal advice.
  • Condo work: we never represent an association and a buyer in the same deal. Condo law points are confirmed with condo counsel.
  • Advisory scope does not include finding or procuring buyers, sellers, lenders or tenants, marketing a property or negotiating on the client's behalf. Those run only under a brokerage agreement with [Brokerage Name].
  • Team members may buy for their own account; when we do, we say so in writing first.
  • Abstracts and key terms are a business summary, not legal advice; counsel reviews the contract.
  • Escrow is held by a title company or attorney, never by the team or the brokerage.
  • We do not buy, sell or collect judgments. Judgments are a screening signal and a pricing input only.
  • Out of scope: foreclosure rescue or bailout lending to 1 to 4 family homeowners, lease-backs and equity purchases with repurchase options (Fla. Stat. 501.1377; chapter 494). Confirm with counsel.
  • Auctions run on the court's or Clerk's calendar, not the normal timeline. The lender can credit bid its judgment, and sales are often reset or cancelled. The bid ceiling is set before sale day.
  • Whether the team can broker a note sale, or only buy for its own account, is a question for counsel.
  • We never lend, arrange loan terms or take a lender fee. For a commercial owner in default, the only path is introducing a licensed or institutional lender inside a brokerage engagement.
  • Brokerage services are provided through [Brokerage Name], licensed real estate broker. Compensation is paid only through [Brokerage Name].

Contact

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