What Kind of Debt is "Good" Debt?

IRVING, TX-During the heyday of the Great Recession and its aftermath, available debt for student housing (or any other type of commercial real estate, for that matter) was limited. A few years after the financial meltdown, however, more lenders have entered the field and are offering more product, from permanent fixed-rate loans, to bridge and mezzanine financing, to flexible-rate mortgages.

As such, one issue tackled in various panels at the May 14 RealShare Student Housing conference involved flexible versus fixed-rate debt. Though no clear winner emerged from these discussions, it did make for some lively discussion throughout the day.