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5SECONDMODEL COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE UNDERWRITING

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Back-of-the-napkin commercial real estate underwriting, in seconds.

5 Second Model · back-of-the-napkin underwriting

 

 

 

Refinance and Cash-Out

What will the new loan pay off, and what comes back to you?

A cash-out refinance trades current cash flow for a lump sum and a larger obligation. This calculator sizes the new loan against all three lender tests, nets out the existing payoff, prepayment penalty and origination costs, and shows what actually lands in your account. The line to watch is the change in annual cash flow: if it goes deeply negative and the property has no rent growth ahead of it, you have converted a stable asset into a levered bet on the next appraisal.

Statement of assumptions & returnsAll figures USD · annual unless noted · click any number to type it exactly

Cash out after payoff and costs

--

New proceeds against what has to come out of them

How big the new loan can be

Value at today's cap rate--
Constrained by LTV--
Constrained by DSCR--
Constrained by debt yield--
New loan proceeds--

Where the money goes

Existing loan payoff--
Prepayment penalty--
Origination, legal, appraisal, title--
Cash to you--
Tax on the cash out--

What you are left holding

Old annual debt service--
New annual debt service--
Change in annual cash flow--
New DSCR--
New debt yield--
New LTV--
Return on the cash you pulled out--
A cash-out refinance is not income, it is borrowed money — which is exactly why it is untaxed, and exactly why it is dangerous. You are trading current cash flow for a lump sum and a bigger obligation. The line to watch is the change in annual cash flow: if it goes deeply negative and the property has no rent growth ahead of it, you have converted a stable asset into a levered bet on the next appraisal.
On prepayment: agency and CMBS debt often carries yield maintenance or defeasance rather than a flat percentage, and the cost can dwarf the fee modeled here. Check the loan documents before you assume a refinance is available at all.

Common questions

Is cash-out refinance money taxable?
No. It is borrowed money, not income, which is exactly why it is untaxed and exactly why it deserves care. You still owe every dollar of it.
What is a prepayment penalty on commercial debt?
Agency and CMBS loans often carry yield maintenance or defeasance rather than a flat percentage, and the cost can dwarf a simple fee. Check the loan documents before assuming a refinance is even available.
How much can I pull out?
Whatever the smallest of the three tests allows, less the existing payoff and costs. This model shows each constraint separately so you can see which one is limiting you.
Cap Rate Loan Sizing Vacant Retail Box Value-Add Strip Plaza contact@5secondmodel.com New York, NY

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These are screening tools. They round, they assume, and they leave out capital expenditure, income tax, reserves and everything else that matters at the diligence stage. Directionally right is the goal — verify before you sign. Nothing here is investment, tax or legal advice. Every calculation runs in your browser; no data is sent anywhere. © 2026 5 Second Model · New York, NY.