Articles, tips and industry notes for lenders and buyers.
SBA's rulebook is a good guideline even when SBA isn't involved — but it isn't the rule. What governs a conventional deal, which report your lender will actually accept, and the one distinction that doesn't depend on their preference.
What our founder saw in the late 1980s — spurious testing recommendations and unnecessary million-dollar cleanups — and why he started Sierra in 1993 to remove that incentive.
What the Clean-or-Free guarantee is, where it came from, and why it removes the conflict of interest from environmental screening.
What an RSRA is, what it must contain, where it sits in SBA's process, how non-SBA lenders use it as a first cut, and lender guidance on why the process matters.
Why a Phase I isn't always required to protect a lender, what the RSRA checks instead, and the case for outsourcing the first-cut screen across a whole portfolio.
Four places a hidden incentive can shape an environmental opinion, and the business model that actually removes it instead of just hiding it better.
Phase I, limited Phase I, transaction screen, SBA, Fannie/Freddie, HUD, Phase II and Phase III — what each one is for.
