HomeFeasibility studies
When a lookup has to become a document a lender will accept.
A feasibility study answers one question in writing: can this project, at this site, carry its debt. It is written to be relied on by a credit committee, which is a different job from persuading an investor.
The frameworks
Written to the structure the lender is checking against.
SBA 7(a) and 504
The SOP sets when a feasibility study is required and what it must address for special purpose properties. The delivery is structured to those headings so the lender can map it to their checklist without translation.
USDA Business and Industry
The USDA B&I regulation carries its own requirements for economic feasibility and market analysis. The structure follows the regulation rather than a generic template.
What this is not
These are feasibility studies and market analyses, not appraisals. Where an opinion of value is required, that is a separate engagement by a licensed appraiser and we say so rather than blurring the line.
Asset classes
What we actually cover.
Engagements are concentrated in the asset types where lender-required feasibility is common and where special purpose collateral makes the market question hard.
Client names and site addresses from past engagements are not published. A study is a confidential document prepared for a credit file, and a consultant who lists their borrowers is telling you how they will treat yours.
The escalation
From a workspace session to a signed study.
The platform and the studies run on the same data layer. That means the figures in a delivered document are the figures you already looked at, carrying the same source and period, rather than a separate research effort that happens to reach a similar number.
It also means the parts of a study that are mechanical, the demographics, the corridor traffic, the lending record, the hazard picture, are assembled before the engagement starts, so the time goes into the parts that need judgement.
What a study is not
It is not an appraisal and carries no opinion of value. It is not a guarantee of approval; the lender underwrites, not us. And it is not a marketing document: a study that concludes a project does not work is a normal outcome and is delivered as written.
Common questions
What people ask before engaging.
What is a feasibility study in this context?
A written analysis of whether a specific project at a specific site can support its debt. It covers the market, the competitive supply, the demand case, the operating assumptions and the resulting coverage, and it is written to be relied on by a lender rather than to persuade an investor.
Who relies on one?
SBA 7(a) and 504 lenders, USDA Business and Industry lenders, and banks underwriting construction or acquisition where the collateral is special purpose. The requirement usually comes from the lender, not the borrower.
Is a feasibility study an appraisal?
No. An appraisal is an opinion of value under USPAP. A feasibility study asks whether the project works. Lenders frequently require both, and they answer different questions.
What does the platform have to do with it?
The platform is the same data layer used to write the studies. A workspace session can be escalated into a signed study, which means the underlying figures in the document are the ones you already looked at, with the same provenance.
How long does one take?
Typically nine to sixteen business days from a complete information request, depending on asset type and how much primary research the market requires.