Hard Money Loan – How to Get It?
Category : Hard Money Loans , Real Estate Loans
Believe it or not but getting hard money loans are very easy – IF you know where to find it. The easiest way of finding hard money lenders is through web.
It is important to realize that there are many companies, which claim to be a hard money lender but they aren’t in a true sense.
The reason behind getting hard money easily is because you don’t need to go through the conventional requirements of showing your credentials, such as job or credit history. Hard money loans are ONLY given on the basis of property you are buying.
That’s why, it is better to stay away from the places which will ask for a credit score requirement or bank statement before qualifying for the loan.
All the lenders will check your credit report or documents at some point of time but true lenders will only evaluate it to determine your interest rate, origination points and the duration of loan.
Another place to look for a hard money lender is your local REI (Real Estate Investment) club. You can talk to the other investors and find out whose services they are using.
OK, so I have given you some tips here about finding a hard money lender. Now, I would like to answer the main question.
Getting a loan is absolutely different from getting a traditional mortgage for your personal residence. You can only apply for loan after you have taken the property under contract that you are willing to buy.
True lenders work really fast and they can fund you within 7 business days as well but they can’t tell you the exact loan amount, until you show them the property.
As long as you haven’t faced bankruptcy in the last 24 months or you don’t have any current tax liens, you could easily get a hard money loan.
Few things which acts as a hurdle for those who submit their first application are:
1) The amount of loan you’ll get from a lender would be different from what you need.
Hard money lenders usually lend up to 70% of the estimated ARV (After Repair Value) for the property and this amount could be used for purchasing and rehabbing the property.
They will send independent property evaluators who will determine the ARV. A real lender will consider at least 10 comps before finalizing an ARV for the property you want to invest in.
This could be a bit different then what you have expected. If your purchase price and rehab costs are more than the 70% ARV, then you will have to bridge the difference yourself.
This is the biggest mistake which investors make. They think that if a lender is advertising that they will finance 100% of the purchase price and rehab costs, then it would work every time.
But that’s NOT the case. For getting 100% financing, you need to have your purchase price and rehab costs within 70% of ARV.
2) No proper planning for loan fees or origination points.
Hard money lenders are paid on loan points. There’s no other way out. They can’t fund you for points and it is usually of 00.
The borrower will have to pay for those points at the closing table if they want funding.
Even if a lender is advertising “no money down”, they are basically talking about the loan, which doesn’t include points.