How to Lock in 99 Years of Cash Flow (Today) with Commercial Ground Leases | Ep. 997

Imagine owning a property with enormous upside, but one that’s operationally complex and requires hundreds of thousands or even millions in capital improvements. What do you do? Selling leaves value on the table. A joint venture dilutes control and introduces unnecessary risk. So what’s the alternative? One of commercial real estate’s most underutilized capital structures: the ground lease. Danielle Ash, partner and co-chair of the ground lease practice at Adler & Stachenfeld, has helped countless investors generate predictable cash flow, preserve long-term ownership, and even unlock trapped equity with this often-overlooked strategy. She unpacks the three main “buckets” of ground leases, along with the sale-leaseback option that allows owner-operators to create liquidity for other projects. Danielle also shares a real-world case study involving a New York City property with massive potential and a $200 million renovation, managed and paid for by the lessee.  Whether the goal is to free up capital for future acquisitions or create a long-term passive income stream while benefitting from capital improvements, the ground lease is a powerful tool worth exploring. Insights from today’s episode: How to create long-term cash flow with commercial ground leases A real case study of a New York City ground lease deal involving a $200 million renovation (paid by the lessee!) The biggest risks to consider before entering into a ground lease agreement Why a ground lease is often a win-win for both owner and operator What lenders look for when underwriting ground lease tenants How owner-operators can create liquidity through sale-leasebacks