Many investors seeking alternative financing that doesn’t include local banks may have heard about “hard money.”
Hard money lending means a short-term loan acquired from individuals or private investors on conditions that may be more robust than a traditional loan. Although the requirements of such a creative financing option may be stricter, this type of private financing for a real estate typically has more accessible criteria.
When can you use hard money for real estate?
Though the hard money lenders usually issue loans for almost every type of property, few types of property investments were made explicitly for hard money. Construction loans, Rehab projects, & land lendings were made to be financed by hard money. Such as, when flipping a house, investors require access to funds for both the purchase & renovation costs. These projects usually happen on a quick timeline, which means investors do not have much time to wait through the whole approval procedure of a conventional loan.
Other kinds of investments can also be financed by hard money. If you are the buyer of any property and have credit issues, or you have to act quickly for a deal before it expires, the speed & convenience managed through hard money lending can be worth its gold weight. In these circumstances, hard money loans can be utilized to buy residential/commercial properties.
Hard money lenders for the investment in real estate:
Many novice investors worry about how they will seek hard money lenders to acquire their project financing. But here we have explained a couple of easy ways to get this:
- REIA/ Meetup meetings:
Mostly the hard money lenders will try to approach the regional real estate events. If it’s not happening, ask fellow members if they know any reliable lenders.
- A real estate agent or conventional lender:
Ask that realtor/mortgage broker in your real estate web if they know any hard money lender with whom you could do business.
- Google and try to find “Hard Money Lender”:
Be very careful; few unethical individuals exist there. Make sure to approach for a few references & consult with fellow investors for their opinion.
How did the hard money lending work?
Each hard money lender is different from others as they are private individuals. As we have stated above, these hard money lenders have their conditions and requirements, including the procedure of closing their transactions.
The following mentioned points are the usual course that hard money lending takes:
- Try to find a hard lender around you: Research & ensure the lender can be trustworthy. Do they own a legitimate website? Are they have a reputable standing with their previous investors? Do they stuck with the pending law cases over bad loans?
- Set up a meeting with the lender: This is the point of time when you can investigate whether they specialize in a kind of investment property or if they have dealt with the same projects as yours. Inquire the time window mentioned for the loan & check if this is feasible that you can work with.
- Make a contract: Ensure that you provide a great deal with a safe financial plan.
- Inform the lender about your contract price: Many lenders may want to fund 60-70% of the property’s ARV. The rest of the 30-40% is up to you.
- Get the property appraisal: The lender may send a list of trustworthy appraisers or have their own.
- Prepare the extra needed document: Some lenders may have the condition that you provide other documentation, such as W-2s, pay stubs, bank statements, etc.
- Wait for the lender’s approval: If the present deal satisfies the lender, then they may inform you of the amount & conditions for payment.
- Lawyer consultation: Ensure you are legally safe, especially after acquiring the lender’s counter offer.
- Close the loan: Normally, it can be done at the title company/lawyer’s office. The lender will then put the money at the title company. The company would ensure that all paperwork is completed & that cheques are issued to all the involved parties.