Why would anyone need a hard money loan and what is the difference between a hard money loan and a traditional loan?
Hard money lenders take a different approach than traditional lenders. While traditional lenders base approval upon a borrower’s credit score and income—a hard money lender basis their approval upon the value of the proposed property. The hard money lender’s collateral is in the property. In any case of non-repayment the hard money lender will simply repossess the property and sell it to gain their return. There is risk involved for these lenders. Not only will they work with bad credit; they are also working on deals that could easily flop. Take for example a fix and flip loan: an investor finds a property that he wants to rehab. He finds a great property that he believes he can make a 150% profit. He has a great business plan and the house is in a very sought after neighborhood. The hard money lender approves his loan. All is good until an unforeseen event occurs and the investor doesn’t complete the renovations. Now, the loan terms have run out and his balloon payment is due—he disappears.
Because of the larger risk that hard money lenders are taking and because of the shorter terms of the loans (we will get into that in a minute) they charge a higher interest rate than a conventional mortgage. Hard money loans tend to run anywhere from 7.5% to 16%, depending on the lender.
What is beneficial about hard money loans? A lot. We have already discussed bad credit. Flexibility. Hard money agreements are much more flexible than traditional loan agreements. Hard money lenders do not use a standard underwriting process. Not using this standard they are able to look at loans on an individual basis versus just looking at numbers as large corporation do. Depending on the situation, it may be easy to change repayment plans. Need money quick? Another benefit to hard money. Unlike conventional loans that can take up to 90 days—30 if you are lucky—borrowers can be approved within minutes and fully funded within ten days. This is helpful to investors that are competing with cash buyers. A seller will always take a cash deal over waiting up to 90 days for their money. In fact, sellers enjoy working with hard money because they know the deal is going to go through—there aren’t going to be any hang-ups that can delay closing.
Is a hard money loan right for you?
That’s simple. Are you looking for a home to live in for years to come? Do you have good credit and a solid income? If the answer is yes then a hard money loan isn’t right for you. Are you in need of rebuilding your credit, but want to purchase a home? Are you an investor in need of financing to fix and flip a property? Are you a business owner that has a few dings on your credit, but want to expand your business? If you answered yes to any of these—then, the answer is, a hard money loan is for you.
Dennis Dahlberg
Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel: (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel: (512) 516-1177
NMLS 1057378 | AZMB 0923961 | MLO 1057378
22601 N 19th Ave Suite 112 | Phoenix | AZ | 85027
111 Congress Ave | Austin | Texas | 78701
About: 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 43 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.
© 2019 Level 4 Funding LLC. All Rights Reserved.