Who Needs Private Money Loans? Different Borrowers, Different Reasons

Introduction: Debunking Private Money Loan Myths

There are a lot of people that mistakenly believe that private money, non bank loans are for people who can’t qualify for bank loans. They wonder why people would pay the higher interest rates that typically come with hard money loans unless they have bad credit, a past bankruptcy, a past foreclosure, or another credit problem. But there are countless reasons that people need hard money loans, and trust me, it’s not because they don’t qualify for a bank loan.

In fact, some hard money borrowers are A+ borrowers, which means they have no problem qualifying for a traditional bank loan at the lowest interest rate available. Then why do people get hard money loans?

Understanding Private Money Loans: Key Definitions

In this article, the term, ‘hard money loans,’ will be used interchangeably with the term ‘private money loans.’ But check out this article defining hard and private money loans for more explanation about these terms. Here are some of the most common uses for hard money loans; I’ll bet that some of these will surprise you.

Why Choose Hard Money Loans: the Advantages for Real Estate Investors

One of the most common uses for hard money loans is to purchase real estate similar to an “all cash” purchase. Hard money loans, often utilized for making an all-cash offer with hard money, tend to take the appearance of an all-cash offer. This is because these loans close very fast and don’t have many of the same requirements as bank loans for approval. Bank loans can take weeks or months to close, while private money loans have the advantage of closing in under a week.

And if you can purchase a property quickly, with cash or cash equivalents, you may get a better deal on the property. This is why hard money loans are crucial to the success of real estate investors. Real estate investors are able to make money in real estate and scale faster their portfolios faster because of hard money loans. View our article to learn more about how real estate growth through hard money.

The Use of Hard Money Loans in Purchasing Distressed Properties

Vacant properties, or even partially vacant properties, seldom qualify for traditional bank loans, even if the borrower does qualify. Properties that need tenant improvements, repairs, and those that are not generating income often do not meet the lending standards of banks. Even if a property is fixed up and rented, some banks still won’t lend on it until the property has been showing consistent rental income for a specific period of time.

This leads us to another common use of hard money loans which is to fund the purchase of distressed assets. If a property becomes distressed, it can either be sold at a discount, or the loan (note) can be sold at a discount. People who buy distressed property assets often use non bank, private money loans to purchase them.

Partner Buyout Loans: An Often Overlooked Use of Hard Money Loans

And then what about “partner buyout” loans using real estate as collateral? A partner buyout loan is where you buy out a partner’s interest in a property using a loan. Partner buyouts are another common reason people get hard money loans. Banks and other traditional lenders aren’t the type of lenders that will typically make partner buyout loans for a variety of reasons. This is a way for real estate investors to replace equity (a partner) in a property, with debt (a lender), on a property.

Divorce Settlements and Hard Money Loans: a Unique Solution

In divorce settlements, often the partner that wins the property in the divorce is required to get the other partner’s name off the title to the property. If there is an existing loan on that property, the partner that wins the property in the divorce is required to refinance the loan in order to get the partner’s name off the title to the property. And it’s not just as easy as calling the lender and getting the ex partner’s name removed from the loan. Usually it means the loan will need to be paid back in full to remove the ex partner’s name from the title.

Removing a partner from a property in a divorce using a traditional type of loan is not fast or easy. If the process takes too long, some divorce attorneys will try and force a quick sale of the property. In this situation, a type of hard money loan often called a “bridge loan,” can be used to pay off the existing loan on the property and remove the other partner from the title without being forced to sell it.

Paying Off Reverse Mortgages with Hard Money Loans

A hard money loan is a good solution to pay off a reverse mortgage when parents pass away or move out of a home. Often children will inherit a property in the event of a parents death. If the children want to keep the property rather than sell it, they will have to pay off the reverse mortgage fairly quickly in order to take title to the property. This is another common situation where a private money loan is used; to pay off a reverse mortgage on a property.

Entrepreneurs and Business Owners: an Unexpected Beneficiary of Hard Money Loans

Business owners or entrepreneurs who are seeking funds to operate, or start a new business, will often seek out private money loans against real estate assets they own. Funds can be difficult to source for business owners who need them on short notice, for example, to fulfill obligations of new contracts. Hard money loans can be taken out against the real estate assets of a business owner for short term business needs of under 12 months. In other words, a business owner can use real estate as collateral for a business purpose, hard money loan.

Gap Loans and Mezzanine Financing: Meeting Real Estate Investor Needs

And then there are real estate investors who need what’s called a “gap loan“, or “mezzanine financing.” This is a loan in a second lien, or even a third lien position on the property. This means that a real estate investor has a first mortgage loan on the property in a first position (first lien). And then on the same property, the real estate investor also gets a second mortgage loan, or second position (second lien). Gaps loans and mezzanine financing are almost always from private money sources because they are perceived as being too risky for most traditional bank lenders who only lend in a first position on a property.

Bridge Loans: Solving the New Home Purchase Dilemma

There are home buyers who want to buy a new home but they have to sell their current home first. This is because many homeowners need the down payment funds from the sale of the current home to put towards the purchase of the new home. But how do you time it just perfectly to be able to purchase a new home at exactly the same time you sell the current one? Nothing short of magic!

Home buyers in this position risk being temporarily homeless if the current home sells before they find a new home to buy. Home buyers also fear the idea of having to deeply discount their current home to sell it quickly in order to be able to purchase the new home they already identified.

The type of private money, non bank loan that is most frequently used by homeowners in this situation is referred to as a temporary bridge loan. This is a loan that acts like a bridge to connect the home buyer to a new home, while the current home is listed for sale. Using a bridge loan, home buyers are able to purchase and move into a new home, without having to discount the price on the former home for a quick sale.

Transactional Loans: a Quick Solution for Real Estate Investors

Can you imagine getting a loan and paying it back, all on the same day? Transactional loans, also called transactional financing, allow real estate investors to purchase real estate that they’ve already pre sold to someone else. In other words, they have a buyer for a property before they even purchase it. This is called a “transactional” real estate purchase, also referred to as a “double close.”

Transactional real estate deals must be able to close with all cash, or as quickly as all cash. These types of loans are almost always non bank, hard money loans because they must close so quickly, and often with very short notice. Transactional loans most commonly fund, and get paid back, all in the same 24 hour period.

Conclusion: the Versatility of Private Money Loans

There are so many other reasons why people take out hard money loans, these are just a few examples. If you’re wondering if a private money loan is the right fit for your situation, leave a question below, or reach out to us using our contact information on this site. And if you want to learn more about private money loans, please subscribe, or follow us on our online channels.

How to Use Hard Money for Seller Financing Deals

As a hard money lender, I often get asked how to use hard money in a seller finance transaction. In this article I will explain two possible scenarios you may come across when using hard money in a seller financing deal. With the right knowledge and funding sources, using hard money in seller financing transactions can be done successfully.

Seller financing can be an attractive option for buyers and sellers of real estate alike, especially when a seller has motivation, a low interest rate mortgage, or a lot of equity. Seller financing can allow real estate investors to purchase or control real estate investments without the need to take out a traditional mortgage loan from a bank. Meanwhile, sellers benefit by getting a higher asking price and earning additional income.

But here’s the thing. Most sellers want you to bring in a down payment on a seller finance transaction. This is the part where many real estate investors don’t know how to proceed because they don’t have cash for a down payment.

Hard money loans are used by real estate investors to fund real estate purchases, so why can’t you use hard money in seller financing deals? Understanding how hard money loans work in seller finance transactions is an essential lesson for newbie real estate investors. Keep reading because I am about to give you a crash course for how to use hard money in seller financing deals.

Using Hard Money Loans in Wrap-Around Mortgage Transactions

A real estate investor offering to purchase a property from a seller may ask if the seller is willing to finance the purchase. When a seller has an existing loan on a property, the seller may offer financing through the existing loan already in place. This type of seller financing is often called a “wrap-around mortgage” because it allows a buyer to control a property while using the seller as the lender. In this scenario, the seller is able to finance the purchase for the real estate investor at a higher interest rate than the interest rate on the underlying loan on the property. This means the real estate investor is able to purchase the property without having to get a bank loan.

However, most sellers want to see a down payment from the buyer of anywhere between 5% to 20% of the purchase price. You can get a hard money loan for the down payment to the seller, however, it needs to be funded by a hard money lender that is willing to take a “junior lien” position behind the seller’s first mortgage. If you go to a hard money lender to request down payment funds on a seller financing deal with a wrap around mortgage, you will be asking for a 3rd position mortgage loan. If this is confusing for you, it will make more sense once you learn how to structure a seller financing deal with a wrap-around mortgage.

Wrap-around Mortgage Example

Let’s consider an example. You find a property listed for $300,000 that isn’t selling and it has been sitting on the market for a long time. So you approach the seller with a full price offer of $300,000, but only if the seller is able to offer seller financing. The seller has a first mortgage loan on the property and wants 10% down payment from you, or $30,000.

You don’t have the down payment of $30,000 so you will need to find a hard money lender that is willing to enter into a junior mortgage position behind the seller’s first mortgage in order to provide that 10%. This means there are three loans. The seller’s existing mortgage is in a first position and the seller’s financed loan is in a 2nd position, wrapped around the existing first mortgage. Then you have the down payment funds from your hard money lender for $30,000 in a 3rd position. This means the hard money lender is in a junior lien position, or a subordinate position to the other financing.

Many hard money lenders won’t go in a junior lien position. This makes it more of a challenge to get the down payment funds from a hard money lender on a seller financed deal with a wrap around mortgage. But there are always hard money lenders out there that will lend in a junior lien position, even though some of them won’t!

What if a Seller Does Not Have a Mortgage?

In this scenario, you approach a seller to purchase a property with seller financing and you discover that there is not a loan on the property. The seller will ask for a down payment, but you don’t have the down payment funds. You may get a hard money lender to loan you the down payment funds to give to the seller. However, the hard money lender will usually want a first mortgage position where the seller’s financing takes a junior position.

Most sellers won’t take a 2nd mortgage position behind your hard money lender, but some sellers will, if it’s a small amount. In this case you can offer your hard money lender a 1st mortgage position with the seller carrying the remainder of the financing in a 2nd mortgage position.

However, if your seller will not take a 2nd mortgage position behind your hard money lender, then you will need to find a hard money lender that is willing to go in a second position behind the seller financing loan.

Let’s consider the same example that we used before. You find a property listed for $300,000 that isn’t selling and has been sitting on the market for a long time. So you approach the seller with a full price offer of $300,000, but only if the seller is able to offer seller financing. The seller does not have a first mortgage loan on the property but the seller wants a 10% down payment from you, or $30,000, in order to seller finance the purchase.

You don’t have the down payment of $30,000, so you will need to find a hard money lender to loan you the down payment funds. You will need a seller that is willing to enter into a second mortgage position behind the hard money lender’s first mortgage. Or, you will need to find a hard money lender that is willing to go into a second mortgage position behind the seller financing. Most hard money lenders will insist on a first mortgage position so it would be easier to find a seller that is willing to go in a second position behind the hard money lender. However, if your seller is unwilling to go into a second position behind the hard money lender then you need to find a hard money lender that is willing to go into a second position behind the seller financing.

Qualifying for a Hard Money Loan

Hard money loans are considered to be much easier to qualify for than traditional bank financing. However, even hard money lenders need certain information from borrowers in order to make an informed decision. Submitting a loan to a hard money lender is easier than you may think. Check out this article where we explain how to make loan submissions to hard money lenders to get a yes or no answer quickly.

Negotiating Terms on Hard Money Loans

When applying for a hard money loan, it’s important to be aware that there may be room to negotiate the terms of the loan. While traditional banks often have inflexible terms, hard money lenders tend to be more flexible on the terms of the loan. This includes flexibility on interest rates, fees, and extension options.

Potential Pitfalls of Seller Finance Transactions

Seller finance transactions can provide buyers a way to purchase properties without having to obtain loans to do so. However, it’s important to be aware of the potential pitfalls involved with such transactions. These risks include: the seller may be behind on loan payments, the seller may have liens on the property, or there may be a divorce in process that is not disclosed by the seller.

Legal Aspects of Seller Finance Transactions

When engaging in a seller finance transaction, both the buyer and seller should be aware of the legal implications. This includes understanding the rights and responsibilities associated with each party, as well as any potential liabilities that might arise during the course of the loan. Each state has its own set of laws and regulations regarding seller finance transactions, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the rules in your jurisdiction before entering into any agreement. This includes information on things like maximum loan amounts, required disclosures, and licensing requirements.

An experienced real estate attorney can provide guidance and help ensure that everyone involved is protected by creating a solid, legal contract. Whatever money you spend on a good real estate attorney is worth every penny to make sure you are getting into a good deal, with a binding contract, that won’t come back to bite you!

Structuring Financing to Meet Your Needs

When financing a seller financed purchase with a hard money loan, it’s important to carefully consider the terms of the loan in order to structure the financing in a way that meets your needs. This includes understanding what types of loans are available, as well as the repayment terms and interest rates associated with each option. It’s also important to consider any potential tax implications of taking out a loan.

Conclusion

Seller financing can allow real estate investors to purchase investment properties without the need to take out traditional bank loans. Getting access to a down payment in a seller financing transaction should not deter a real estate investor from engaging in these deals. If you understand how to use hard money loans correctly to source a down payment, you can make a seller financing deal work for all parties involved.

Property won’t sell? What to do if you have a hard money loan

If you are a fix and flip investor, you may be holding a property that just won’t sell. Whether it’s because prices are going down, or whether interest rates are too high. Whatever the reason, you’re stuck holding a flip. So, what do you do?

If you have a hard money loan on the property, you really have a dilemma because it usually means interest is racking up fast on the loan, which is eating into your profit on the deal. And the clock is ticking on the loan due date as well because typically these are short term loans. And once the loan term is up, the lender wants the loaned funds returned.

The good news is that there are solutions at your fingertips that may help you navigate this difficult situation. Here we go:

Communicate With your Hard Money Lender

Never make the fatal mistake of keeping your problem to yourself. I can’t emphasize this point enough. Communicate with your hard money lender at the earliest stage possible when you know you’re in trouble. And don’t be afraid to over communicate, every week at the minimum. Don’t wait, because it may be too late for your lender to help if you wait too long. Many hard money lenders are well versed in real estate, and many are also very well connected, so they may be able to provide advice or resources. And even if your lender can’t help your situation, at least the lender won’t be surprised if you miss a payment, or need an extension.

Pivot

Doing a pivot means changing your plan or course of action. In this case it means renting the property and holding it, rather than flipping it. If you have a hard money loan on the property, renting it will help you generate immediate income to offset the loan payment. But you have to communicate this pivot with your hard money lender so the lender knows your plan. You can try and negotiate with your lender and suggest a loan modification by either extending the loan for a longer term, and/or negotiating a lower interest rate. This can provide some breathing room, and allow you more time to sell the property. If you can’t negotiate a loan modification with the current lender, you will need to pay the lender back by refinancing the current loan. This point leads us to our next solution, under number 3 below.

Refinance the Property with a Long Term Rental Property Loan

If you’ve made significant improvements to the property and have it rented, you may be able to refinance the property with a long term, rental property loan to pay off the hard money loan. A long term, rental property loan, sometimes called a “DSCR” loan, has a lower interest rate as compared to a hard money loan. These loans also have longer terms such as a 5 year term, 7 year, or a 30 year. Refinancing the hard money loan with a lower rate can help to lower your monthly payments. If you refinance with a lower interest rate, it will take off some of the financial strain that comes with holding the property. But remember, you won’t be able to qualify for a loan like this until you take the property off the market.

Refinance the Property with another Hard Money Loan

If you can’t qualify for a long term rental property loan, you could try to refinance out your hard money loan using another hard money lender. This would give you more time, say another 6 to 12 months, to either sell the property or rent it. This type of hard money loan is often called a bridge loan because it helps to “bridge you” from one phase to the next. And then ask yourself if you know an associate, family member, or friend that would be willing to become your new hard money lender and pay off your current loan? If you can negotiate a lower interest rate with this individual, this arrangement could be a win-win for both you and the new lender.

Find an Equity Partner

You could try to find an equity partner that wants to have co-ownership with you in the property. This person could bring in cash equity to pay off the hard money loan and thus become a partner in the property with you. This means you’ll need to create a joint venture agreement with the equity partner, or form a business entity to hold title to the property whereby you are partners in that business. If you decide to pursue this solution, I recommend finding a real estate attorney and a CPA to help you structure the partnership in the property.

Sell the Property at a Loss

If you’re unable to make any of the other above solutions work for you, then you may need to consider selling the property at a loss. You can use this loss to offset your tax liability. Talk to an accountant or CPA about how this would work for your personal situation. While selling the property at a loss may not be the ideal solution, it can help to minimize the financial impact that holding the property could have on your life over the long term.

Trying to sell a fix and flip property in a declining real estate market, or in a market with rising interest rates, is a tight spot to be in. By taking no action at all, and just waiting for the property to sell, you are just sitting on a ticking time bomb. However, with careful consideration of the solutions that are outlined in this article, it is possible to minimize the financial impact on you.

If you have a hard money loan on the property, communicate with your hard money lender early and often. Always seek advice from professionals when considering these solutions, for example, involve your real estate attorney or your accountant/CPA in your decision making and planning. If you are considering refinancing your hard money loan on a property, we have both bridge loan options, and long term, rental property loan options available, so reach out to us! You may be glad you did.

Don’t Risk It! Make Sure You Have the Right Insurance for Your Investment Property

Liability Insurance
Builder’s Risk Insurance
Theft Insurance & Vandalism Insurance
Vacant and Unoccupied Dwellings
Rental Insurance Coverage
Loss of Use Coverage
Fire Insurance
Wildfire Insurance
Earthquake Insurance
Flood Insurance
Windstorm Insurance and Tornado Insurance
Summary and Conclusion

Did you know that real estate investors tend to be the most underinsured group of property owners? This truth is hard to believe considering most real estate investors are putting their life savings into their investment properties. In fact, insurance is one of the things that real estate investors tend to cheap out on the most! Stick around for a bit because I’m going to outline some of the biggest insurance risks to help you understand what type of investment property insurance you probably need.

Insuring your investment properties is one of the best ways to mitigate risk in real estate investing. But that starts with making sure sure you have the right insurance for your investment properties. You need property insurance to not only protect yourself, but if you have a loan on your property, it also protects your lender. It doesn’t matter if you have a hard money loan or traditional mortgage, as you will responsible for loss

There are different types of insurance to consider when you own an investment property, and for many people, it’s overwhelming. In order to protect an investment property from loss, you’ll need to have coverage for things like fire, theft, and vandalism.

You’ll also want to be sure that you’re protected in the event of an accident on your property or from natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, tornados, and wildfires. And then what about the loss of use of the property while it is being rebuilt or repaired?

We are not a licensed insurance agency, so please consult with a licensed insurance agent when purchasing insurance policies. But as a private money lender, we often find that the property insurance is the least known area by real estate investors who are usually the borrowers of our loans.

Because a lender is essentially a borrower’s debt partner on a property, it is important that the borrower have the right type of coverage because a potential loss will impact the lender as well. Here we explain some of the most commons types of insurance coverage that our borrowers need to protect their investment properties.

Make Sure You Have Enough Dwelling Replacement Coverage!

One of the most important aspect of any insurance policy is the amount of coverage needed to rebuild the property in the event of a total loss. For most residential policies, the dwelling replacement coverage is the dollar amount that will be available to rebuild the property.

Because the cost of construction is never fixed but is always fluctuating, property owners must revisit this dollar amount frequently to make sure they have adequate coverage or coverage limits are not exceeded. Particularly if building supplies and labor costs are increasing year after year, your coverage may need to be increased slightly every year. Some insurance policies have guaranteed replacement coverage which takes into account inflation of construction costs.

Liability coverage Insurance

Why would you need liability coverage? What if someone gets hurt on your property and sues you? The liability coverage amount listed on your insurance policy is the dollar amount the insurance company will pay if someone is injured on your property. Always make sure your insurance policies have a high dollar amount of liability coverage for renters and other people that enter the property premises. An accident could happen on your property that could cause injury or death to another person and this is why every real estate investor should take liability insurance very seriously! Liability costs will vary depending on the amount of coverage you need. Personal liability policies are also available that cover all of your properties.

Builder’s Risk Insurance

Builder’s risk is a type of insurance coverage that you can obtain on an investment property that is under renovation or construction. If you are building an investment property from the ground-up, or if you are renovating an investment property, builder’s risk insurance may be a type of insurance that you should look into. Builder’s Risk Insurance can be purchased by a property owner, or can be held in the name of the general contractor who is doing the construction work on the property.

Theft Insurance & Vandalism Insurance

Thieves often target vacant properties under construction, so it’s important to have theft insurance coverage if you have a vacant property under construction. Theft insurance is a type coverage that falls under a builder’s risk policy. But if you don’t have a builder’s risk policy, make sure your insurance coverage will protect you from loss if your building materials, tools, equipment, or appliances are stolen.

Vandalism insurance covers the premises and personal property from intentional damage caused by a third party. Builder’s risk policies usually cover vandalism but if you don’t have a builder’s risk policy, just make sure the policy you have covers vandalism. A broken window, tagging/graffiti, exterior property damage from eggs being thrown at the exterior of the property, are just a few examples of vandalism damage.

Vacant or Unoccupied or Property Insurance

If your property is vacant for longer than 30 days you should look into a vacant or an unoccupied insurance policy. What’s the difference between the two types of policies? If your home has personal belongings in it but it is not occupied for longer than 30 days it is considered “unoccupied.” When there are no personal belongings in it and it is empty for longer than 30 days it is considered “vacant.”

When a property is vacant or unoccupied for extended periods, it is considered higher risk, so the premiums for this type of insurance are a higher cost. Particularly in areas with high crime, it’s important to have vacant and unoccupied insurance for any properties that will be vacant for extended periods to protect it against vandalism or theft. Because vacant property insurance is more expensive than rental property insurance, property owners sometimes declare a vacant property as being tenant occupied to save money on insurance costs. Don’t do it!

Never say a property is occupied by a tenant when it is actually vacant in order to save money an insurance policy premium. This is because an insurer may not pay an insurance claim if the true occupancy status of the property is not declared. The good news is that you can have different types of insurance for the different stages of your property’s life. For example, you may need vacant dwelling coverage for your investment property while the property is under renovation for the first six months. Once the property is rented, you can change the insurance to a landlord/tenant policy (rental property insurance).

Landlord and Rental Property Insurance on an investment property

Rental property insurance or landlord insurance on an investment property is important for 3 important reasons.

First, it protects your investment in the event of damages caused by tenants, such as a fire or water damage.

Second, it protects your income if a tenant skips out on rent payments.

And, finally, rental insurance can help protect you from liability and cover medical costs in the event that someone is injured while on your property.

For these 3 reasons, it’s important to have rental insurance on any property you own that is rented to tenants. And your insurance won’t cover your tenants’ personal affects such as furniture, bikes, etc., so make sure your tenants are aware of this and if they are concerned they should purchase their own rental insurance or landlord policy coverage.

Loss of Use Coverage

Loss of Use Coverage is critical for tenant occupied rental properties. This type of insurance coverage will pay if your tenants are unable to occupy the property due to a loss. Sometimes loss of use coverage will put your rental property tenant in temporary housing or a hotel if the property is uninhabitable. This could possibly cover rental income as well. Loss of use coverage usually comes standard with most insurance policies, but be sure that it is a stated coverage on your specific policy.

Fortunately, there are ways that real estate investors can protect themselves from suffering too much financial hardship due to loss of use. One option is obtaining loss of use insurance, which helps to cover expenses related to lost income during such periods. This type of coverage is typically included with landlord insurance policies and can help minimize potential losses due to having a vacant rental property.

Fire Insurance

Fire insurance is a standard coverage found on most insurance policies. Fire insurance covers the cost to rebuild or restore a property that has been damaged or destroyed by a fire. It also covers the replacement of personal property that has been damaged or lost due to a fire. And fire insurance coverage will also cover costs associated with the loss of the use of a property while it’s being repaired or rebuilt.

For example, if your tenants are displaced from a property after a fire, your insurance coverage ought to reimburse you for loss of rents and cover the cost of relocating your tenants temporarily. Because investment properties with tenants are treated differently than owner occupied properties, make sure your fire insurance coverage will cover all of the potential losses associated with a fire.

Wildfire Insurance

In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in wildfires and, as a result, the demand for wildfire insurance has also gone up. If your investment property is located in an area where it has exposure to wildfires, wildfire insurance is specifically designed to insure property owners from damage to their properties caused by wildfires.

If you already own one, or you are considering purchasing an investment property in the western United States, be sure to ask your insurance agent about wildfire insurance. It could be the difference between losing your investment and keeping it safe and protected.

Earthquake Insurance for your Investment Property

If you’re an investor with a property located on or near an active earthquake fault line, it’s important to make sure you have adequate insurance coverage. One thing that most people don’t know is that earthquake insurance is not covered under most hazard or homeowners insurance policies. This is because it is a speciality insurance coverage that will cover the cost of rebuilding your property if it is destroyed by an earthquake or suffers structural damage. It will also cover other structures on your property, such as driveways, garages, warehouses, and small storage buildings.

For example, the Wasatch Fault in Utah represents one of the biggest earthquake risks in the interior of the western U.S. In 2020, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake in a suburb of Salt Lake City, caused over $60 million dollars in property damage. For property owners without specific earthquake coverage, this meant the potential for a total loss! Because many people have their life savings tied up into their investment real estate, a total loss from an earthquake would be utterly devastating. That’s why it’s important to make sure you have adequate coverage in place before an earthquake strikes. As a private money lender, it is important to us that our borrowers have earthquake insurance coverage on any property we lend on that is located on, or near, an active fault.

If you own a property in an area that is prone to earthquakes, earthquake insurance will cover the cost of repairing or rebuilding that property if it is damaged by an earthquake. It will also cover the cost of temporary living expenses if you need to relocate while your property is being repaired. Make sure your policy has a low replacement deductible and enough dwelling replacement coverage to rebuild the property in the event of a total loss from an earthquake.

Flood Insurance for your investment property

Because flood plain maps are always changing, a property currently located in low flood risk area may be at increased risk of flooding in the future. This means the risk profile for a certain location may change over time with regard to flooding and flood zone classification. Flood insurance will cover the cost of repairing or rebuilding your property if it is damaged by a flood.

If you’ve owned a property for a long time that is located in an area with potential for increased risk of flooding, it is important to assess this risk every few years. This type of risk is something that a property owner needs to assess frequently with the help of a licensed insurance agent.

And, even if you do have flood insurance, it’s important to make sure you have enough coverage to rebuild your property should it be damaged by a flood.

Windstorm Insurance, Tornado, and Hurricane Insurance for your investment home

Windstorm insurance is insurance that protects investors from damage to their investment properties caused by gales, winds, hail, and other gusty hazards. When big winds harm roofs and windows, rain and debris can also damage the personal belongings inside a property. Ensure that your windstorm insurance policy covers physical damage to the property and possessions inside the home. Also, make sure you have the right amount of coverage in place to protect yourself from potential losses!

In some states, insurance for tornados, cyclones, and hurricanes require you to purchase a special policy which is typically more expensive. This type of coverage is something you really need to discuss with a licensed insurance agent that specializes in issuing coverage for properties in areas that are prone to destructive storms.

Conclusion

Real estate investors tend to be underinsured as compared to typical homeowners. Many real estate investors either skimp out on insurance, or just don’t get the right type of coverage. If you are a real estate investor, get the maximum amount of insurance coverage that you can qualify for your investment properties. You local insurance agent will know what insurance products you will need and explain any policy limits. Depending on the location of your properties, you may require different types of insurance for each location.

As a private money lender, we see real estate investors making the same mistakes when it comes to insuring their investment properties. Don’t let that be you! Find a qualified insurance agent that understands how to insure your properties right. Finding the right insurance agent to issue the right type of insurance coverage could mean the difference between making a good investment or having a total loss of your life savings.

How to Buy a BRRRR With a Hard Money Loan

What does BRRRR mean?

“Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat,” is a new initialism to describe a classic, real estate investment strategy. Savvy real estate investors have been employing this investment strategy for a very long time, so the concept of BRRRR is nothing new or innovative. But its importance to building a real estate portfolio cannot be understated.

When done correctly, a BRRRR can be an excellent way to build wealth over time from your real estate portfolio. In this article, we’ll explore why funding for a BRRRR is the fastest and easiest when funded with a hard money loan. We will also consider some pitfalls that should be avoided when funding a BRRRR purchase with hard money loans.

To cover the basics super quick here, the initialism, BRRRR, is a method that is described as follows:

Buy: Identify the property you want to purchase and buy it using a hard money loan.

Rehab: Renovate the property as needed .

Rent: Get the property rented.

Refinance: Refinance the hard money loan used for the purchase with a long-term, 30-year mortgage. By refinancing the current loan with a lower interest rate loan, called a “cash-out refinance,” you can take out a slightly larger loan against the property than what is currently owed to the hard money lender. These “cash-out” proceeds from the cash-out refinance loan serve as the down payment used to buy another rental property using a hard money loan.

Repeat: Do it all over again so you can buy more rental properties to add to your real estate portfolio.

Why Buy a BRRRR with Hard Money?

It can be difficult to find a bank loan if you don’t have experience with a BRRRR, in fact, most traditional mortgage companies are unfamiliar with BRRRRs. Using a hard money loan to buy a BRRRR can be a great way to get started in the world of real estate investing if you don’t have the credit, or if you don’t have experience. Many hard money lenders will lend to borrowers with bad credit, some do not require income documentation, and still others will lend to real estate investors with no experience. With a hard money loan, you still may need to bring in a solid downpayment in most cases.

Another challenge that people face is getting a bank loan quick enough to be able to purchase the property. Particularly in a competitive market with lots of investor buyers, a bank loan can be too slow to compete with cash offers. In a sellers market for example, realtors are usually very selective about who they work with and won’t consider offers that are not cash offers.

A hard money lender can get you pre-approved to buy investment properties in advance of making any offers. Because hard money funding is so fast, it is similar to an all cash offer.

How to buy a BRRRR with Hard Money

When it comes to buying a BRRRR investment property with hard money, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. It’s important to note that, even though a hard money lender may not care about poor credit, not everyone will be approved for a loan. Make sure you know what the lender’s requirements are, and make sure you meet those requirements, before you apply. For example, some lenders will require prior real estate investing experience, while other lenders will lend to beginners. Understanding the various requirements of different hard money lenders will help you decide which ones you should pursue for a loan.

Shopping Around for a Lender

There are many, different hard money lenders out there that you can go to for financing, but it’s important to do your research first. Make sure you know which lenders are real and reputable first, by searching for every piece of information you can find about the lenders online and reading each of their online reviews. There are a lot of loan scams in which fake lenders pose as real lenders, just to scam you out of money.

If you can, get recommendations from other people in your target market who have successfully purchased BRRRRs using hard money loans. Make sure you search the lender’s name on search engines, check on sites like Ripoffreport.com and the BBB website, and look for “real” online reviews (it’s pretty easy to spot the fake ones). And then make sure you are comparing “apples to apples” when comparing among hard money lenders. For example, how fast can a lender fund and a lender’s appraisal requirements are two considerations when comparing among hard money lenders.

Providing Documentation
Hard money lenders differ greatly on what type of documentation each will require in order to fund your deal. Some lenders have almost no documentation, while others require a lot of documentation to get a loan. Do your research and make sure you know what the lender is looking for before you apply. This will make it easier, and much faster, to get the funding you need to purchase a BRRRR property.

What the Lender is Looking for
Lenders want to know that the property you are buying is in a desirable area where potential tenants want to live. All lenders prefer experienced borrowers, but that doesn’t mean that lenders won’t make loans to beginners.

And then there’s the property value. Because the property is the lender’s collateral for the loan, value is a very important consideration for a lender. Is the property worth what you’re paying? Or will you have to increase rents in order to achieve the property valuation you will need to do your refinance?

Many banks require a seasoning period, which is a period of time you must own a property before you can refinance your hard money loan with a long term mortgage. After the seasoning period ends banks require an appraisal to be performed and will only lend you a certain percentage of the appraised value. This is another reason why the property value is such an important consideration for both you and your hard money lender.

And, what if you don’t have a lot of cash to purchase a property? Despite the popular myth that you don’t need your own money to get started in real estate investing, yes, most lenders will require you to bring some money to the table. Even rehab lenders will still want you to show that you have enough liquidity to cover some of the repairs, or at a minimum, show you have enough cash to cover carrying costs.

How much cash does a lender require from a borrower? Some rehab lenders will require minimum borrower cash of 10-20% down of the total project cost if the property needs rehab. While many other lenders will only loan you a percentage of the purchase price for the property, usually between 70% to 90% of the purchase price.

Loan Denial for a BRRRR Purchase

In some instances, your loan might be denied by a hard money lender for one or more of the following reasons:

They don’t like the deal for whatever reason.
The home might be in a bad location, it may be priced too high, it may require too much work, or maybe the numbers just don’t add up.
You don’t have enough experience, a solid plan, or enough money.

The Advantages of Buying a BRRRR with a Hard Money Loan

The Ease of the Application Process
Many hard money lenders make applying for a loan very easy. For example, our application process for BRRRR properties consists of a one-page form to fill out. Once we have the one-page form and a few photos of the property we can give you a yes or no answer on your loan request. And because hard money loans are primarily asset-based loans, these loans require far less documentation than a bank loan.

The Fast Turnaround Time on Funding
In competitive markets where good rental properties are in short supply, you need a lender who can fund quickly. This is probably one of the biggest advantages of buying a BRRRR with a hard money loan, which is fast funding. Look for smaller, lending companies because they can typically fund a loan much quicker than larger companies with high loan volume.

Many hard money lenders will use a local broker’s price opinion to determine property value rather than using an appraisal. Because appraisals can often increase the time it takes to close on a property, this is another advantage of using a hard money lender to fund your BRRRR purchase.

Low Cost to Borrow Short-Term
Interest rates can vary from 8- 12% and the rate depends on the lender. As compared with bank loans, these rates seem really high. But if you’re planning to keep the hard money loan in place for a short time until you refinance, this can be your lowest cost financing.

For example, say you purchase a BRRRR using a hard money loan with a 12% annual interest rate. You keep the hard money loan for 5 months and then you refinance into a 30-year loan with a much lower rate. In this example, the hard money loan only costs you 5%, not 12%. This is a small price to pay as compared with the cost of taking on a partner, or the drama that can come from borrowing money from family or friends.

The Disadvantages of Buying a BRRRR with Hard Money

There are far more advantages to using hard money than there are disadvantages. However, there are two important disadvantages that you should be aware of when buying a BRRRR with hard money.

Excessive Junk Fees
All lenders have junk fees associated with funding the loan, and these fees are different from loan fees, or points. Some hard money lenders have excessive junk fees, so make sure you are aware of all of the fees associated with the loan. Especially when selecting one lender over another, use the total fees as a tool for comparison among various lenders. One lender may have a lower interest rate than another, but his junk fees may be higher as compared with a lender with a higher rate and no junk fees.

Not Everyone Will be Quickly Approved for a Refinance Loan
One thing to be aware of when using a hard money loan to purchase a BRRRR is that not everyone will easily qualify for the refinance. This means you may hold the hard money loan longer than you anticipated. Because hard money loans are far easier to qualify for than bank loans, some real estate investors are confronted with a challenge when refinancing. Someone may not be able to refinance because of a low credit score, while others may not qualify from a DSCR perspective.

For example, if the price paid for the property is very high but the rental income is not high enough to cover the mortgage payment on the refinance. A real estate investor may be betting on future appreciation of property value and is willing to take a loss on annual rents. But banks like to see the rental income is enough to cover the mortgage payment, taxes, and insurance. If the rental income doesn’t cover all of these expenses, a bank will look at your personal income to cover the loss. If your personal debt to income ratio is high you may have trouble qualifying for the bank refinance.

If you are unable to refinance quickly, this could leave you stuck paying a higher interest rate on a hard money loan for much longer than you expected. In the worst case, you may need to sell the property if you are unable to refinance out of the hard money loan you used to purchase it.

Prepayment Penalties
Some lenders require that you keep the loan for a minimum period of time before you pay it off. Always ask your lender if there is a prepayment penalty on the loan, sometimes this is called a guaranteed interest period. If there is a prepayment penalty, it is usually the sum of the interest from the day you pay off the loan through the lock out date. Some hard money lenders want a minimum of a three month loan term, while some want a minimum of six months.

You’re Approved for a BRRRR from a lender. What’s next?

Once you’ve found a hard money lender that has approved your purchase of a BRRRR property, then what’s next?

-Plan Your Exit Strategy: Make sure you qualify for the refinance to take out your hard money lender. What is the seasoning requirement of your take-out lender? Will the property value be high enough to pay off the loan and cash out for your next purchase? Does your rental income cover your loan payment, taxes, and insurance?

-Start Looking for Properties: Once you’re approved by your hard money lender and you’re 100% certain you can qualify for the refinance, it’s time to start looking for properties. Make sure the properties you are looking at will meet your hard money lender’s requirements. Really understand the property value, look at market comps, look at market rents, make sure you’re not overpaying for the property. And don’t make assumptions about rents, make sure your projections are accurate. And then finally, make sure your projected rents will cover the loan payment on your hard money loan.

Build Wealth Faster with BRRRR Properties
When done correctly, a BRRRR can be an excellent way to build wealth over time from your real estate portfolio. Using a hard money loan to buy a BRRRR can be a great way to get started in real estate investing if you don’t have the credit, or if you don’t have any experience. And by using hard money loans to acquire BRRRR properties, you can scale your real estate portfolio faster, and as a result, you will build your wealth faster.

If you’re looking for a BRRRR loan, reach out to us to discuss your financing options.

Insurance for Investment Properties: Get it Right!

This is THE MOST forgotten about thing for real estate investors.

You would think that insuring a property would be the most important thing real estate investors do but it’s usually the last thing they think about.

Don’t wait until the last minute before you’re closing on a property to consider the insurance.

Here are some tips for making sure your property is insured properly

Get the right type of insurance for your specific investment property., e.g. vacant dwelling versus landlord/tenant
Dwelling Replacement Coverage: Don’t cheap out, make sure your coverage is adequate. If the cost to build the home new in your market is $250 per square foot, make sure you insure your property at $250 per square foot. If there’s a loss you won’t be able to rebuild the property because the dwelling replacement coverage is not enough to rebuild the property.
Rehab? Make sure your policy has builder’s risk and liability to protect your improvements and protect you from liability if someone is hurt on the job site.
Addtl Coverage: Is your area prone to flooding or earthquakes and does your insurance policy cover those?

This is your life savings in most cases that you’re putting into these properties. If anything your properties should be OVERinsured and not underinsured.

Don’t fall short on your insurance!

Hard Money Loan Prepayment Penalties: What You Don’t Know!

Anytime you’re getting a hard money loan, whether you’re purchasing a property, or refinancing to a lower rate, early payment penalties could cost you. For example, let’s say you have recently refinanced a property but there’s a chance you may sell that property within 12 months of getting the loan. Things happen in life that are not always planned, such as a sudden job transfer to another city, an unexpected divorce, etc.

The bottom line: if you sell a property unexpectedly and pay a loan off early, you may have to pay a steep penalty for doing so. This early payment penalty is called a Prepayment Penalty, sometimes referred to as “PPP,” or a “Prepay.”

What is a Prepayment Penalty

A prepayment penalty? is simply a penalty for paying off a loan early. Many hard money loans, including 30 year mortgages, have prepayment penalties so this is something that all loan borrowers should pay attention to and fully understand.

How Do You Calculate the Prepayment Penalty on a hard money loan?

And what if your hard money loan does have a prepayment penalty, how do you calculate it? A prepayment penalty is equal to the accrued interest from the loan pay off date through the end of the prepayment period.

For example, let’s say your loan has a prepayment period of 3 years. This means if you pay the loan off after 3 years there’s no penalty, but if you pay the loan off prior to 3 years you pay a penalty. In order to calculate the penalty, you will need to know the loan payoff date. If you pay the loan off after 2 years, you will owe 1 year of interest as a penalty. (3 years – 2 years = 1 year). As I said before, the penalty is equal to the interest that accrues from date of payoff to the end of the prepayment period. In this example, you will owe one year of interest as a penalty.

Still confused? Let’s try another example. In the second example, let’s say your prepayment period is 365 days and you pay the loan off in 180 days. This means you will owe the interest from day 180 to day 365 as the penalty, or 185 days of interest (365 – 180 = 185).

Why do Prepayment Penalties for Hard Money Loans Exist?

Prepayment penalties exist because many private and hard money lenders need to make a minimum amount of interest when making a loan. This is because of the high opportunity cost involved for a lender in the commitment to make a loan.

Are Prepayment Penalties Always a Bad Thing?

Sometimes hard money lenders will offer a lower interest rate, or lower fees, on a loan with a prepayment penalty. For example, if you are fairly certain you won’t pay a loan off early, you may be able to lock in a lower interest rate on a loan with a prepayment penalty. If a loan comes with no prepayment penalty, you should ask the lender if there is an option for a loan with a prepayment penalty. Why? Because a loan with a prepayment penalty may come with a lower interest rate, or lower fees.

How Do Hard Money Loan Prepayment Penalties Work?

Because hard money loans tend to be short-term loans primarily used by real estate investors, the prepayment period is usually much shorter than with traditional, long term loans. For example, a hard money loan might have a prepayment period of 90 to 120 days, while a traditional loan might have a prepayment period of 1 to 3 years.

Most real estate investors are using hard money loans to acquire new properties, or for short term, cash out refinances. Because most real estate investors need hard money loans for between 6 to 9 months, they are not so concerned with 90 to 120 day prepayment penalties. Some exceptions are real estate investors who are using hard money loans for short term “fix and flips,” or for fast acquisitions that will be refinanced in 30 to 60 days. If a real estate investor really only needs a hard money loan for 30 to 60 days, it’s important to ask the hard money lender if the loan has a prepayment penalty.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a prepayment penalty is simply a penalty for paying your hard money loan off early.

Anytime you are getting a loan, whether it’s for the purchase of a property, or if you’re refinancing a property that you already own, make sure you always ask if the loan comes with a a prepayment penalty. If you have a sudden life change and pay a loan off earlier than expected, you may have to pay a high penalty for doing so.

Let us know if you have any questions about hard money loans!

Four Investment Property Types to Buy With Hard Money

If you’re looking for a way to get into real estate investing, hard money loans may be a good option for you to fund your purchases. With hard money loans, you can purchase all different types of investment properties. In this article, I will go over the main investment property types that we commonly lend on and how to acquire investment property.

These include multi family properties, commercial buildings, fix and flips, and Single Tenant BRRRR properties. Each investment property type has its own unique benefits and risks. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at each one.

Multi Family Properties

A multi family is one type of rental property we lend on often. Any structure that has multiple, individual dwelling units, is known as a multi-family property. Examples of a multi family investment property include a duplex or an apartment complex, just to name a few.

condo complex — hard money loan for condo

Duplexes, threeplexes, and fourplexes are different types of multi family properties with a smaller number of units for investors who want to get their feet wet in multi family. These properties usually have two, three, or four units, respectively, so only a small number of units to manage and maintain.

When you get a hard money, private money loan to purchase multi family properties, lenders will often require a slightly larger down payment than on a residential, single unit purchase.

Apartment Complexes

We do a lot of hard money loans for rentals, especially apartment complexes. Apartments are a subtype of multi family property with a larger number of units, usually 5 or more units. Although more units translates to more rental income, apartment complexes require more repairs and maintenance, and thus often demand that their owners have more cash reserves.

hard money loan to buy apartment building

Multi Family properties are located in both rural and urban areas and can provide a steady stream of income for a real estate investor (if bought at the right purchase price and managed properly). One of the benefits of investing in multi family property, is that you can get multiple rents coming in from different units. If one of the tenants does not pay rent, or if there is a vacancy, you may still have rental income from the other tenant(s). This lowers your risk as compared with renting a single unit property.

Some hard money lenders prefer multi family property loans over single tenant property loans because multiple units means more tenants paying rent if there is a vacancy, or if one of the tenants doesn’t pay rent. When lending to buyers of multi family properties, hard money lenders usually want to make sure their borrowers have prior experience owning rental real estate.

This is because rental real estate tends to come with more ownership headaches, and particularly with a multi family property with a larger number of units. Also with multi family you need cash reserves for maintenance because multiple units means multiple repairs and improvements that may be necessary after purchase.

A hard money lender may be expecting you to bring in a larger down payment and show more cash reserves for the purchase of a multi family property than in the purchase of a single unit dwelling. Also, if you plan to manage the property yourself you will need to plan on spending time collecting rents and doing groundskeeping. This is one of the reasons that some hard money lenders may want to see experience, to know that you have a plan for how these things will be managed.

Commercial Buildings

Commercial buildings can be a great investment for those looking for stable returns with longer term leases. There are many different types of commercial buildings, the most common include:

Retail buildings
Industrial buildings
Office buildings
Warehouses
Apartment Complexes

hard money loans to purchase a warehouse

One of the main benefits of commercial buildings is that they have historically provided a good hedge for inflation and a reliable income stream, often with higher yields than residential real estate. Urban, retail buildings often lease to niche tenants with established businesses in prime locations. Leases with these kinds of tenants are usually longer term and more likely to renew.

Some building types perform better than others in certain locations, and this is usually based on supply and demand in the area. Another risk associated with commercial buildings is that they can be hard to sell quickly, or can be trickier to finance, particularly single tenant commercial buildings.

Fix and Flip Properties

A fix and flip is a type of investment property where the investor purchases a property, makes repairs or renovations and then sells it for a profit. This can be a great way to make money in the real estate market, but it does come with some risks.

Some of these risks are

Increased competition in your resale price range
Being underfunded in the deal, e.g. having less money than is needed to complete the remodel, not being able to make payments on the loan used to purchase the property, etc.
The remodel takes longer than expected or the property takes longer to sell than expected. Either way the project takes way longer than expected.

There are many hard money, private money lenders that lend on fix and flip properties. Loans for fix and flips are often called “rehab loans.” Some lenders will provide money for repairs but the borrowers are always expected to bring in some of their own cash.

There is a lot of competition for fix and flip properties, for this reason, you need to be able to close quickly when the right deal comes along. Get preapproved with a private lender prior to looking for properties. Here are 6 things that you’ll need to provide to a hard money lender to close on a property quickly.

BRRRR Properties

BRRRR is an initialism that means “buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat.” This type of investment is similar to a fix and flip investment property, but instead of selling the property after making repairs or renovations, the investor keeps the property and rents it out. BRRRR properties are the most common rental property loans we do.

BRRRR properties most commonly are single unit properties such as a single family home or a townhome. Rental properties can provide a steady income stream and may appreciate over time. Many private money, hard money lenders will approve this type of property for purchase based on the asset characteristics with no minimum credit score, no experience, etc.

If you purchase a BRRRR property using a private money, hard money loan, make sure you’re covered on the “refinance” part of the BRRRR, e.g. make sure you qualify for 30 year mortgage to pay off the private money used for the acquisition of the property. Read more on how to purchase BRRRR properties using private money loans

Conclusion
This article has focused on 4 types of investment properties that you can purchase using private money loans. But there are so many other investment property types that real estate investors purchase using private money, hard money loans including raw land, residential development, new construction, to name a few.

Purchasing an investment property does require upfront research, due diligence, and an understanding of the real estate market in the area where the property is located. You will need some cash reserves to cover ongoing repairs and maintenance. And if you pay too much for a property, you may not be able to cash flow the property, or worse you could be losing money. Never bet on future appreciation of any property as your reason to buy, but instead focus on the present and future cash flow. Also, make sure you inquire about interest rates as well.

Hard money financing is a great option for many real estate investors who want to purchase an investment property but don’t have traditional financing available, have poor credit or no credit, or need to close on a property quickly. If you would like to get preapproved to purchase an investment property, reach out to us today.

What is an Exit Strategy for a Hard Money Loan?

When you get a hard money, private money loan to purchase an investment property, a lender may ask you, “what is your exit strategy?” An exit strategy is simply, your plan for paying the loan back, or your “exit” for that loan. Here are a few examples.

Let’s say that you use a hard money loan to purchase a property to fix and flip. In this case, your exit strategy would be to renovate the property and resell the property as your exit strategy for paying the loan back.

What about a rental property? Let’s say you use a hard money loan to purchase a rental property. What’s your exit strategy? Typically, your exit strategy is to get a long-term, permanent mortgage on that property to pay off the hard money loan.

If you use a hard money loan to buy an investment property, another example of an exit strategy is that you may have other assets that you could liquidate and then take that money from the liquidation of those assets and pay off the hard money loan.

When you take out a hard money, private money loan that tends to be a really short-term loan with a high interest rate, you need to have at least two plans for paying that loan back. If your first plan fails, then you have a secondary exit strategy for paying that loan back.

Cash Out & Refinance Loans with Hard Money

What is a cash out refinance loan in real estate?

Cash out refi on investment property, we explain how it works. Do you have equity in real estate that you own? A cash-out refinance loan is a type of loan that allows you to take equity out of investment properties that you already own, in the form of “cash out.” Cash out refinance loans can be done for a variety of reasons, including business purpose, home renovations or repairs, new investment home purchases, for partner buyouts, and more.

The main benefit of taking a cash out refinance loan is that you can pull out equity from a property that you own and use it for specific purposes, such as those in the example above. This article will also cover the popular inquiry, “refinance my house with cash out.”

Cash Out Refinance Loans with Hard Money

Because of low credit scores, or insufficient monthly income, some borrowers are unable to qualify for a cash out refi loan from a bank or credit union. A private money loan, sometimes referred to as a “hard money loan,” or private money mortgage, is a type of loan from a non-bank lender, rather than from a bank or from other traditional lenders. These loans are most commonly used in real estate investing but are used by all types of people for different purposes. A private money loan and hard money loan are interchangeable terms and mean the same thing, a loan against a hard asset like real estate.

Hard money refinance loans can be a great tool for real estate investors to purchase another investment property quickly. The cash out proceeds from the loan are used as a down payment on the new property being purchased.

Sometimes a cash out refinance using private money is appropriate and sometimes it’s not. Shortly we will discuss examples of when it’s appropriate and when it’s not appropriate to use hard money loans to fund cash out refinances.

The Importance of an Exit Strategy

When getting a cash out refinance loan from a private lender on any type of property, you need to have a solid exit strategy for the loan. And what is an exit strategy? Click to get some examples.

Do you plan on selling the property to pay the loan back? Or will you refinance the hard money loan with another loan, later down the road? Private money loans are short-term loans, and are not intended to be used as long term financing. The loan terms of private money loans typically range from 6 months to 2 years. If you don’t have a diehard exit strategy for paying the loan off within 1-2 months, you probably should NOT get a private mortgage on any type of property.

Hard Money Cash Out Refinance Interest Rates

A cash buy out refinance loan will usually have a higher interest rate than a standard refinance with no cash out. And the interest rate for a hard money cash-out refinance loan will be higher than the rate for a traditional mortgage. Typical interest rates can range from 9% to as high as 12%.

Usually the higher the loan to value, the higher the interest rate will be. But the interest rate and costs for a cash-out refinance loan from a private lender can also vary greatly depending on the lender, on the loan to value, and on various other factors.

And these loans are short term so they are interest only payments, and not principal and interest payments. For example if your loan amount is $200,000 and the interest rate is 10% interest only, the monthly payment is calculated by taking the loan amount $200,000 x 10% and then dividing by 12 months, which give you a monthly, interest only payment of $1,666.67 per month.

Unlike a 20-30 year loan from a bank, an interest only payment doesn’t include a principal reduction payment, taxes, or insurance. This allows you to free up more cash flow, that you may need when you’re using the cash out proceeds to make an investment purchase or for business purpose.

How much does a refinance cash-out cost?

The loans fees that are part of any cash out refinance, from any lender including banks, are often called, loan origination fees, points, or even loan funding fees. The fees are usually between 1-3% of the loan amount. Loan fees are part of the total loan closing costs.

Real estate investors will often use a loan from a bank or credit union to purchase a new property, taking the cash out proceeds from the hard money refinance of the existing loan on the property to use as the down payment. They will later sell the property with the hard money loan on it, or refinance the property again at a bank or credit union later down the road. Sometimes this can be a better move than tapping into your cash reserves.

Is there a difference in cash out refinancing from a private money lender and a direct hard money lender?
No, there is not a difference in cash out refinancing from a private money lender and a direct hard money lender. Both terms refer to a non-bank source of financing and mean essentially the same thing.

Why would you get a hard money loan to cash out instead of a conventional mortgage loan?

There are a few reasons why you might want to get a private money loan instead of a traditional mortgage. First, hard money loans tend to be easier to qualify for than conventional loans with looser underwriting guidelines.

And the time it takes for private money lenders to approve loans and fund them is much faster than a bank. This is important if you need the money quickly to purchase another investment property, or for other business purpose.

Once you refinance and existing loan to get cash out of a property, if you use a hard money loan, you will have a higher interest rate. Will the properties generate enough cash flow to cover the monthly mortgage payments at the higher loan amount, and the higher interest rate? Since hard money loans are short term and usually under 2 years in length, before you pull equity out of your property you need to have a plan for paying the loan back within 1-2 years. Cash out refinance work can help people reach their financial goals but can cause trouble as well.

What types of properties can I get a cash out refinance on?

-Residential properties

-Rental properties

-Multi family properties

-Commercial properties

-All Investment Property Types

Can I refinance my primary home with hard money?

As home values continue to rise across the U.S., many people are looking to take advantage of their equity by doing a cash out refinance loan or home equity loan on their homes. But many don’t qualify for traditional loans because they have income from investments and not W-2 income, or for other reasons.

Yes, you can refinance your owner occupied primary residence with hard money. However, your exit strategy is very key in determining if a private money loan is right for you to do a cash out refinance on your home.

In most cases, the answer is no, unless your exit strategy for paying off the private money loan is to sell the property, or if you plan to liquidate another asset to pay off the private money loan in a short time. If you don’t have an extremely certain, die hard exit strategy within a short period of time like 1-2 years, you should not refinance your primary residence with a private money loan.

Another crucial consideration is your purpose for the cash out funds from the loan. Your cash out loan purpose must NOT be to pay off credit cards, pay off other consumer debt, go on a vacation, pay for your child’s school tuition, etc. Lenders will want to make sure your debt to income ratio is in line with what they are looking for.

Your purpose to cash out of a primary home is confined to very specific things such as improving the property for a higher resale price, to divest a partner out of a property in a divorce settlement for a short term, or for a specific business purpose. These examples are acceptable uses for a cash out loan on primary home, but to cash out of residential owner occupied property for any consumer-related use is prohibited. One thing of note, an owner occupied hard money 2nd mortgage might be hard to come by as most hard money lenders want to be in the first position.

What is the maximum loan to value for a cash out refinance?

How much equity can you take out of your property? Let’s say for example that you purchased a rental property for $200,000 6 years ago and now it’s worth $350,000. After the 6 years you’ve owned it, it has appreciated in value and you have a mortgage of $153,000 on it. You would like to purchase another investment property so you decide to get a cash out refinance on the existing investment property to cash out the funds needed for the down payment on the new property.

Most lenders will have an appraisal done on the rental property and then will base the new loan amount on a certain percentage of the appraised value. For example, if the home appraises for $350,000 and the lender give you 75% of that value as a new loan amount. You take $350,000 x 75% and you get $262,500. If you only owe $153,000 on the existing mortgage, that means you could cash out $109,500 ($262,500 which is the amount of new loan, minus $153,000 which is what you owe on the current loan).

In the above example, the lender will give you a cash out refinance loan for 75% of the appraised value of the existing property. However, some lenders will do lower loan amounts (like 65% of the home’s appraised value), if you have poor credit, or if the property is in an area with a small population size for example. But then some lenders may do a higher amount! Some lenders will lend up to 85% of the home’s appraised value on a cash out refinance. Ask your lender, what is the max loan to value you will do on cash out refinances of investment properties?

Are there Restrictions on a Cash-out Refinance?

Residential owner occupied properties do have restrictions on cash out refinances. If the cash out proceeds from the loan are being used for a consumer purpose or personal loan, you cannot get this type of loan.

On residential rental properties, some lenders will want you to hold an investment property that you purchased for a “seasoning” period before they will let you do a cash out refinance on it. For example, some lenders want you to own the property for at least 6 months before they will do a cash out refinance. Ask you lender, what is the seasoning requirement if I buy an investment property and then want to do a cash out refinance with you?

What is the process for getting a cash out refinance loan?

The process for getting a cash out refinance from a bank or credit union can be tedious and time consuming. This is one definite benefit of using a private money lender to cash out of an investment property rather than using a conventional loan. Particularly if you are buying another property and need to move quickly to close on the purchase.

Many private lenders have a more straightforward process with less documentation requirements, they may not require tax returns, and often do not have a min credit score requirement. The process for getting a cash out refinance from a hard money lender is fast and painless, which is why many real estate investors use them over bank loans.

How long does it take for approval on hard money refinance loans?

Unlike traditional loans, it can take as little as 48 hours to get a loan approval for cash out refinance loans by hard money lenders. Once the loan is approved, the time until funding can be between 2-14 days.

Can you Refinance Reverse Mortgage Loans with Hard Money?

Private money loans can be an excellent tool to refinance reverse mortgages. When someone inherits a property with a reverse mortgage, they must decide if they want to keep the home or sell it. If they decide to keep it, they are obligated to repay the mortgage immediately. In this situation, you could refinance the reverse mortgage loan using a hard money loan because loan approvals happen quickly.

A hard money loan can help heirs to acquire a home. Once the heirs are on title to the home, they can either refinance the hard money loan with a conventional mortgage or fully renovate the home and resell it for a higher price. Because an older home may be dated and in need of renovation, by renovating the property, the heirs would be able to resell it later for a higher price. This is an example where a private loan is the perfect way to refinance reverse mortgages to maximize profit on an inherited property.

Conclusion

We evaluate each deal to make sure it’s a good fit for. One thing to be on the look out for is hard money scammers, do your due diligence. If you’re looking for a cash-out refinance on one of your investment homes, reach out to us.

Who Needs Private Money Loans? Different Borrowers, Different Reasons

Introduction: Debunking Private Money Loan Myths

Understanding Private Money Loans: Key Definitions

Why Choose Hard Money Loans: the Advantages for Real Estate Investors

Partner Buyout Loans: An Often Overlooked Use of Hard Money Loans

Divorce Settlements and Hard Money Loans: a Unique Solution

Paying Off Reverse Mortgages with Hard Money Loans

Entrepreneurs and Business Owners: an Unexpected Beneficiary of Hard Money Loans

Gap Loans and Mezzanine Financing: Meeting Real Estate Investor Needs

Bridge Loans: Solving the New Home Purchase Dilemma

Transactional Loans: a Quick Solution for Real Estate Investors

Conclusion: the Versatility of Private Money Loans

How to Use Hard Money for Seller Financing Deals

Using Hard Money Loans in Wrap-Around Mortgage Transactions

Wrap-around Mortgage Example

What if a Seller Does Not Have a Mortgage?

Qualifying for a Hard Money Loan

Negotiating Terms on Hard Money Loans

Potential Pitfalls of Seller Finance Transactions

Legal Aspects of Seller Finance Transactions

Structuring Financing to Meet Your Needs

Conclusion

Property won’t sell? What to do if you have a hard money loan

Communicate With your Hard Money Lender

Pivot

Refinance the Property with a Long Term Rental Property Loan

Refinance the Property with another Hard Money Loan

Find an Equity Partner

Sell the Property at a Loss

Don’t Risk It! Make Sure You Have the Right Insurance for Your Investment Property

Table of Contents

Liability coverage Insurance

Builder’s Risk Insurance

Theft Insurance & Vandalism Insurance

Vacant or Unoccupied or Property Insurance

Landlord and Rental Property Insurance on an investment property

Loss of Use Coverage

Fire Insurance

Wildfire Insurance

Earthquake Insurance for your Investment Property

Flood Insurance for your investment property

Windstorm Insurance, Tornado, and Hurricane Insurance for your investment home

Conclusion

How to Buy a BRRRR With a Hard Money Loan

Why Buy a BRRRR with Hard Money?

How to buy a BRRRR with Hard Money

Loan Denial for a BRRRR Purchase

The Advantages of Buying a BRRRR with a Hard Money Loan

The Disadvantages of Buying a BRRRR with Hard Money

You’re Approved for a BRRRR from a lender. What’s next?

Insurance for Investment Properties: Get it Right!

Hard Money Loan Prepayment Penalties: What You Don’t Know!

What is a Prepayment Penalty

How Do You Calculate the Prepayment Penalty on a hard money loan?

Why do Prepayment Penalties for Hard Money Loans Exist?

Are Prepayment Penalties Always a Bad Thing?

How Do Hard Money Loan Prepayment Penalties Work?

Conclusion

Four Investment Property Types to Buy With Hard Money

Multi Family Properties

Apartment Complexes

Commercial Buildings

Fix and Flip Properties

BRRRR Properties

What is an Exit Strategy for a Hard Money Loan?

Cash Out & Refinance Loans with Hard Money

What is a cash out refinance loan in real estate?

Cash Out Refinance Loans with Hard Money

The Importance of an Exit Strategy

Hard Money Cash Out Refinance Interest Rates

How much does a refinance cash-out cost?

Why would you get a hard money loan to cash out instead of a conventional mortgage loan?

What types of properties can I get a cash out refinance on?

Can I refinance my primary home with hard money?

What is the maximum loan to value for a cash out refinance?

Are there Restrictions on a Cash-out Refinance?

What is the process for getting a cash out refinance loan?

How long does it take for approval on hard money refinance loans?

Can you Refinance Reverse Mortgage Loans with Hard Money?

Conclusion