“Used Equipment Sale And Leaseback Can Generate Much Needed Capital”

Used equipment sale and leaseback transactions have become quite common in the last few years as people work their way out of the most recent financial down turn in the economy and look to different ways to leverage the equity held in their assets.

A used equipment sale and lease back process involve a business owner selling one or more pieces of their existing equipment to an equipment financing company that funds this type of transaction.

In order to be able to arrange a sale and leaseback transaction, the business owner must own the asset and have considerable equity in it either through no debt owing or a small outstanding loan or lease financing facility still in place.

The equipment that will be considered for sale and leaseback needs to have a high remaining economic and/or useful life and be in good condition.  The equipment also has to have an established resale market so that in the event of payment default, the equipment leasing company has a known and predictable liquidation pathway to get their capital back.

The reason for selling the asset back to the equipment leasing company is to provide them with a stronger security position on used equipment which allows them to better manage their risk and extend more capital to business owners.

And while the business owner will be selling the equipment at below market price to an equipment leasing company, the equity can be preserved in the form of a capital lease whereby the leasing company agrees to resell the equipment back to you at the end of the lease term for a nominal purchase price.

Used Equipment Sale And Leaseback Financing Rates Can Vary Considerably With The Financial Stability Of The Business

Even though you own equipment that would be eligible for a used equipment sale and leaseback transaction, it still may be difficult to find and secure financing depending on the financial stability of your business operation.

For businesses that are in financial distress, there are going to be less equipment lease financing options available and those that do exist are going to have lower loan to value financing ratios and a high cost of capital.

The ideal business scenario for used equipment sale and leaseback is when the business is in need of incremental capital to fund growth that will increase cash flow over time and provide funds for debt servicing for a new leasing facility.

The more financially stable a business is, the more likely it is that used equipment sale and leaseback financing options are going to be available and that better rates and terms will be offered as well.

Leasing companies will typically provide financing on a percentage of appraised value done under conditions of orderly or forced liquidation depending on the requirements of the leasing company.

If you are in need of  used equipment sale and leaseback financing or would like to know more about it, please give us a call and we’ll make sure you get all your questions answered right away.