A Grade residence, Los Angeles — kitchen and dining room

FAQ

Frequently Asked

The questions people ask before they call.

If what you are after is not here, the shortest route is to ask. Grade would rather have a five-minute conversation than have someone guess.

Working with Grade

What does Grade actually do?

Three things, under one roof: residential development, brokerage, and construction financing. Most firms pick one. Doing all three means a project can move from acquisition through development to sale without changing hands or losing context along the way.

Where does Grade work?

Development and brokerage are focused on the Westside of Los Angeles — Bel Air, Holmby Hills, Beverly Park, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Venice. Grade Capital lends more widely, across the lower 48 states with the exception of Nevada.

Do I have to use all three services?

No. Most people come for one. A client who only needs representation still gets a team that has developed and financed the kind of property they are buying or selling.

Is there a minimum project size?

To be confirmed — Todd and Liz to set the honest answer for development and brokerage. Grade Capital’s floor is documented: $500,000.

Development

What does Grade take on as a developer?

Ground-up construction, substantial remodels, multifamily, and historic rehabilitation. Grade stays involved across all six phases — acquisition and feasibility, design, budgeting, entitlements, construction, and project management — rather than handing a project off between them.

How long does a project take?

To be written — needs real ranges from Todd. Entitlement timelines in Los Angeles are the part people most want a straight answer on, and the one most easily got wrong.

Can Grade take on a project someone else started?

To be confirmed. Glenroy is described on the site as a reconceived ground-up development, so there is a real example to point at if the answer is yes.

Buying and selling

Who is the broker on Grade’s listings?

Grade is a real estate development company. Brokerage services on its active listings are provided through Carolwood Estates, DRE #02200006, a boutique brokerage based in Beverly Hills.

Liz to confirm this wording — it describes the commercial relationship between the two firms, which is hers to state rather than mine.

Does Grade represent buyers as well as sellers?

To be written. The Brokerage page has a Buyer Represented Transactions section written and held back until there are transactions to list, so this answer and that section should land together.

Grade Capital

What kind of financing does Grade Capital provide?

Senior debt and preferred equity for ground-up construction, renovation and major remodel, acquisition and bridge, and multifamily construction. Loan sizes run from $500,000 to $50 million depending on the product, on terms of 6 to 36 months.

Full terms — leverage, rate and fees by product — are set out on the Capital page.

Does Grade Capital lend to owner-occupiers?

No. Lending is business purpose only, and secured against single-family, multifamily, mixed-use, retail, office, land and condominium assets.

How quickly can a loan close?

To be written — needs a real range from Jake. This is the question borrowers actually decide on, so a vague answer is worse than none.

Getting in touch

How does a conversation usually start?

By telephone on (310) 879-0026, by email at hello@grade.la, or through the form on the contact page. There is no obligation attached to a first conversation, and Grade will say plainly when something is not a fit.

Let's Talk

Connect with our team at Grade to explore
how we can work together across your real estate goals.

hello@grade.la