Saturday, April 21, 2018

Why Hard Money Finance Suits Your Commercial Real Estate Investment Portfolio

By Janet Olson


Much can be said about the benefits of investing in property, but there's no getting around the fact that it requires a huge capital outlay. In particular, it's not unusual for commercial real estate Westlake Village to command prices running well into the 6-figure territory. This means that most deals have to be financed, and it's here that hard money loans are emerging as the perfect option for investors.

Hard money lenders are usually concerned about the borrower's ability to turn a profit. This translates to faster approvals, especially if you've already established a working relationship with the particular lender. In such a case, you can expect the funds to be released within 5 days, which means you can close deals much faster than you would when using a bank loan.

Cash deals have plenty of power behind them, especially in competitive markets. From an investor's perspective, however, it's much better to close without committing too much cash into a single purchase. The most practical solution for this dilemma is hard money finance. With such a loan, you can secure properties without affecting your ability to pounce on other opportunities that might come your way.

One of the roadblocks you might face as an investor is the inability to borrow when some elements exceed the lender's guidelines. For instance, most banks limit the number of loans one can have active at the same time, credit scores notwithstanding. However, private lenders don't use such arbitrary restrictions. In fact, most of them view such cases as worthwhile investments with less risk.

Hard money lenders are quite flexible, particularly when it comes to structuring their terms. Depending on the prevailing economic climate and lender in question, it might be possible to create terms that work for the both of you. This could involve delaying interest payments or deducting a percentage of your profit for their fee. It's also possible to payoff the amount early without attracting a penalty.

Working with a private financier often means getting free advice from an expert. The vast majority of them actually have lots of experience with the ups and downs of property investment, having worked with other borrowers in the past. An established lender will therefore provide solutions to help you succeed, in addition to pointing out issues that can't be spotted easily by an untrained eye.

Simply put, hard money loans have more to do with the merit of your plan than anything else. This means it's possible to qualify even if your financials are plagued with negative issues, such as bankruptcies, foreclosures and the lack of experience. If this sounds familiar, you're hardly ever going to be burdened with a handful of requirements when working with a private lender.

Because hard money loans tend to involve more risks than their standard counterparts, their interest rates are considerably higher. The average borrowing period ranges between six months and a year, but some lenders deviate from this to offer 5-year terms. It's also worth stressing the need to be cautious when taking this route. As a rule of thumb, have an experienced lawyer review any documents before you sign them.




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