Monthly Archives: April 2018

Important Considerations when Choosing a Hard Money Lender

April 5, 2018Uncategorizedbigdaddydennis

Hard money lenders are many real estate investors choice for funding, yet many just getting into the field know little to nothing about this lending option. Let’s take a look at what this type of lender can bring to the table.

Hard money lenders are not held by the same regulations that banks and credit unions must operate under. Because of this, they can offer loans to individuals and businesses with less than stellar credit. Many are private individuals who specialize in several types of real estate investment strategies from multifamily to office to the fix-and-flip model. These types of loans are asset based, meaning that the lender will look at your collateral as the prominent element of the loan. These types of loans are good for investors just getting in to the real estate investment model.

Another positive to those that operate under less regulation is that they are much quicker to funding. This becomes important when an investor is looking to get into a property, do some quick renovations, raise the property value, and get it on the market or obtain a loan from a traditional lender that is based on the property’s new value. If you end up developing a long-term relation with a hard money lender, you will find that you can often receive the funds you need for that next investment property in as little as a few days, compared to a month or more from other types of lenders.

Be sure to check the small print. Are you working with a hard money lender that offers a no-penalty clause for early payments? A pre-payment penalty states if you pay your loan back in full before the actual due date, a penalty will be assessed. The fee is percentage-based or the amount in interest that you would have paid for a set number of months. This can lead to tens of thousands of dollars. If you have an existing loan with a pre-payment penalty, be sure to assess fees before paying off the loan in full to determine if this is the right strategy for you.

Know Your Exit Strategy

While your property may be acting as collateral, hard money lenders do not want to be in a position of laying claim and having to foreclose on a property due to unpaid debt. For this reason, they will want to know your exit strategy. An exit strategy is how you plan on paying off the debt. Most of these loans are short-term, anywhere from 3 months to five years, making this component an important consideration for both the lender and the borrower. A few options are to refinance with a commercial mortgage, renovate and sell, or pay the debt off with business capital.

Know your exit strategy before considering a hard money lender. Going in with strong collateral and a good exit strategy are keys when considering going after a hard money loan.

At Level 4 Funding, we work with hundreds of private hard money lenders. Our rates start as low as 7.99 percent with terms that run anywhere from 3 months to 5 years. Call us to see if we are the right brokers for your next real estate investment deal.

About the Author: Dennis has been working in the real estate industry in some capacity for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the amazing investment opportunities provided by trust deed investing and hard money loans. His desire to help others make money in real estate investing led him to specialize in alternative funding for real estate investors who may have trouble getting a traditional bank loan. Dennis is passionate about alternative funding sources and sharing his knowledge with others to help make their dreams come true. Dennis has been married to his wonderful wife for 42 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.

Technorati Tags: commercial loans,commercial lending,commercial mortgage

How to Obtain a Commercial Loan Despite Bad Credit

April 2, 2018Arizona private hard money lender, Commercial Real Estate, Deed of Trust, Hard Money Lender phoenix arizona, Hard Money Loanbigdaddydennis

While commercial lending rates are up, there are still many individuals and businesses that are finding it difficult to obtain the commercial loan they need. Fortunately, there are lenders that offer greater flexibility.

In 2017, small banks approved 49 percent of funding requests—quite a jump from 2008 when about 80 percent of small business owners received a rejection. That still leaves over 50 percent that are not getting approved and you may have found yourself one of these. Don’t give up on your dreams. There are other lenders that you can turn to when banks say no.

Hard money lenders are one of these options. They are usually private lenders that base their loan qualification standards on the collateral or assets of the property or business. While most banks require credit scores in the 700 range, private hard money lenders do not have these strict qualifications. They will want to know what your plan is for the business or property and what your exit strategy is. After all, this is how they will receive their capital as most offer interest-only payments for a set amount of time. These lenders offer short-term loans with terms that usually extend from 3 months to 3 years. Because they approve loans that have been declined by traditional lenders, there is usually an increase in risk and, therefore, a higher percentage rate often applies to the commercial loan.

These types of loans are helpful for young or new entrepreneurs who may not have the credit score required by traditional lenders. If you have a high-risk, high-return business strategy, a hard money lender may very well have the capital you seek. Many of these types of lenders are not risk adverse. In fact, if you can get them excited about your proposed business plan, have the necessary collateral, and some experience in your chosen segment, chances are good that you will leave with a loan. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all the required assets must come from the proposed business. Many individuals start their own business by using the collateral that has been established in their home or other investment properties.

What are Possible Exit Strategies in a Hard Money Commercial Loan?

Your exit strategy is an important part of obtaining this type of loan and one that you will want to consider before interviewing potential lenders. Here are a few of the strategies that businesses use: they sell the property or refinance with a more traditional lender after a property has been renovated or a business is showing a profit. Self-amortizing can also be considered, though it is a little risky. While most hard money lenders allow you to pay interest-only payments while you are developing your business or property, you may want to consider paying both principal and interest during the full duration of your loan so that it is paid off upon maturity. You will need to determine just how you will create this cash flow in order to be able to make the scheduled payments.

At Level 4 Funding, we offer hard money commercial loans that are quick to funding and require little paper work.

We offer three simple steps to obtaining your loan: a loan application, purchase contract and written approval, all of which can be accomplished in as little as 24 hours. Call us today to see if we may just be the lender that can make your dreams come true.

Technorati Tags: commercial loans,commercial lending,commercial mortgage

How to Develop an Exit Strategy When Obtaining a Hard Money Loan

April 1, 2018Arizona USDA Home Loan Program, Mortgage servicing Arizona, Mortgage servicing neveda, Non-Performing Notesbigdaddydennis

An exit strategy is, in essence, your plan for paying off your hard money loan. It is a plan that you will want to develop before you sit down with a lender.

Exit strategies are crucial for obtaining a hard money loan. Many of these lenders offer interest-only payments as you develop or renovate your project. They obtain the big payoff upon completion when you have succeeded in your “exit strategy” and can repay them in full. For those of you in the fix & flip model, your exit strategy is fairly easy to define. You rehab and then sell the property.

Selling the property, then, is your exit strategy. Because timelines can change in the world of construction and rehab as well as finding qualified buyers, it will be important that you look for a hard money lender that does not charge a prepayment penalty. You’ll also want to come to the table with improvement plans that include costs and potential market value as well as comps and average time on the market.

If your real estate segment falls into the buy-and-hold model, selling will, obviously, not be an appropriate exit strategy. A strategy that does work is refinancing. Many traditional lenders that offer lower interest rates with longer terms will not loan on properties in poor conditions. Once you have the property renovated and a suitable tenant, your chances of obtaining a traditional loan are greatly elevated. It could be that you needed a loan quickly to jump on a property that just hit the market. Many investors obtain funding from their hard money lender in order to accomplish a quick buy and then refinance at a later date.

The Sale of Assets

The sale of other assets such as real estate or accessing additional funds such as money from IRAs, the stock market, or business interests is another exit strategy. You may wonder why, in this case, the borrower wouldn’t just dip into their additional assets and bypass the loan process all together. For many investors, time is a crucial component in their investment strategies and waiting while other assets sell may cause them to miss a prime property or opportunity. In essence, you are obtaining a bridge hard money loan. These types of short-term loans simply “buy some time” and act as a “bridge” from either one loan to the next or one property to the next.

Don’t feel like you have to stick with one exit strategy. Blended strategies can often be the best solution depending on the situation.

And just what is a blended strategy? This type of exit strategy utilizes a combination of all of the above to create a strategy that works the best for your particular situation. For instance, if you cannot obtain the full loan amount upon completion of the project, you can sell an asset and reduce the LTV so that a traditional lender will consider financing. Whatever your exit strategy, be sure to check with Level 4 Funding before obtaining your hard money loan. We have years of experience and can help you develop an exit strategy that works well for your project.

Technorati Tags: commercial loans,commercial lending,commercial mortgage

How to Avoid Phony Hard Money Lenders

April 1, 2018commercial loan, Commercial Texas Loan, hard money lender Texas, hard money lenders Texas, Hard Money Loan, Hard Money Texas, home loanbusiness loan, commercial hard money, commercial hard money loan, hard money Arizonabigdaddydennis

Some phony hard money lenders have ruined it for a lot of lenders in the industry, as now many are looked at as money sharks. It is important to steer clear of the fake lenders and only deal with the real ones that you can trust.

There are many respectable hard money lenders out there and you can easily spot the fakes one if you pay attention to the red flags. Nothing can be a bigger sign than poor grammar and misspellings in the actual documents. This is one of the biggest signs that you are probably not dealing with a lender in the United States. It is always a smart move to work with a local lender. Also, be cautious of the number of types of loans they offer. You want to find a lender that specializes in hard money. It is usually a scam when a lender offers multiple types of loans like business loans, personal loans, home loans and car loans all in one place.

When it comes to a hard money loan, it usually requires some form of collateral to secure the loan. If you get an unsecured loan, that could be a sign of trouble. You never want to deal with those and also be wary of having to pay any large upfront payments. A large amount required at the beginning of the process is always a bad sign. Usually, only a small amount should be required as upfront payment.

A very low interest rate, ranging between 2 percent to 4 percent, along with no requirement of monthly payments, is also a sign that you should probably not deal with those hard money lenders. There is such a thing as too good to be true and these types of terms is usually what that means. Also, avoid lenders who do not have any websites or establish company emails. Scammers are known to use generic emails like Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail. There should be no reason that you need to search hard for any proof of their reputation.

All reputable lenders will have a website that contains basic information about them.

It is always a good idea to do your research and homework on any company that you decide to work with when it comes to dealing with finances. The website should always include information about where their physical location is, contact information, information about recent loans they have closed on and reviews. Scammers will often not have a website at all, or try to include as little information as possible. If you are still unsure, you can always check on their licensing. It is not a requirement to be licenses with the Better Business Bureau, but it is always a good sign when they are.

Pay attention to all of the documents and offerings.

Reputable hard money lenders will always be upfront about the programs they offer. They usually provide a sheet listing their terms along with a commitment letter. If you are being pressured on the spot to make a decision right away, then you should probably look for another lender. You will usually be given enough time to do your own research to make the right decision.

Technorati Tags: commercial loans,commercial lending,commercial mortgage

Fix and Flip

News and Information on buying, fixing and selling homes for a profit

Monthly Archives: April 2018

Important Considerations when Choosing a Hard Money Lender

How to Obtain a Commercial Loan Despite Bad Credit

While commercial lending rates are up, there are still many individuals and businesses that are finding it difficult to obtain the commercial loan they need. Fortunately, there are lenders that offer greater flexibility.

How to Develop an Exit Strategy When Obtaining a Hard Money Loan

An exit strategy is, in essence, your plan for paying off your hard money loan. It is a plan that you will want to develop before you sit down with a lender.

How to Avoid Phony Hard Money Lenders

Some phony hard money lenders have ruined it for a lot of lenders in the industry, as now many are looked at as money sharks. It is important to steer clear of the fake lenders and only deal with the real ones that you can trust.

All reputable lenders will have a website that contains basic information about them.

Pay attention to all of the documents and offerings.