Tag Archives: commercial real
Business Loans – 7 Reasons Not To Use A Bank (Page 1 of 2)
So you’re a small business owner and you need a business loan to further the objectives of your company. Where do you turn?
When it comes to a business loan or commercial real estate loan, there are many good reasons NOT to turn to a traditional bank. Here are some of the most important reasons. Many small business owners, will find most of these points directly applicable to them.
“THE BANK TURNED ME DOWN”
Of course the biggest reason most small businesses go looking for alternative sources of commercial real estate loans is because they have been declined by the banks. Small businesses are often forced to look for other sources of funding because the banks will not provide it. This is not even listed below, since there are many positive reasons to prefer non-bank funding, EVEN IF YOU CAN get an approval from a bank.
REASON 1 – The minimum loan amount available from banks is too high
In many cases banks will not offer a commercial real estate loan for less than $250,000. So if you only need $100,000 you will be pushed to borrow more than you actually need. Or if your property will not support a $250,000 loan you are out of luck with the banks.
The solution is to look for an alternative funding source that can provide a lower minimum amount. Some commercial financing services will go as low as $100,000, and will often give you better terms and much better service than the traditional banks.
REASON 2 – Many traditional banks will charge you an up-front “commitment fee” just to examine and process your application
Banks usually think they are doing you a favor by processing your application, so they will often make YOU pay for their attempts to win your business.
The solution is to find other established and credible lenders who are eager to offer you better service without charging you a fee for processing your application.
REASON 3 – Most traditional banks will severely limit the amount of cash you can get from a commercial real estate loan.
Banks usually have very narrow rules about where you can use the cash derived from a commercial real estate loan. If you need a cash injection for your business, or want to use the proceeds from a commercial mortgage as a down payment for another property, most banks will not be interested in that type of loan.
Look for a lender who does not restrict your use of the cash derived from commercial real estate loans. Some services, (see links below) can provide commercial loans that give you up to $1 million in cash to use however you want.
REASON 4 – Most traditional banks require detailed business plans before approving a commercial real estate loan.
Many small businesses have business plans, but they are usually not sufficiently detailed to satisfy the banks. As a result, applying for a commercial real estate loan from a bank can turn into a very time consuming and expensive process. Creating the type of business plan that is adequate for the banks will usually cost thousands of dollars.
Are Banks funding Apartment Loans, ReFinancing and Commercial MultiFamily Construction Projects?
A common question being asked in todays financial climate, “Are apartment financing, MultiFamily property refinancing or apartment construction loans still available?” The answer to this question is a resounding YES. I continue see loans funded for apartment purchases, apartment refinances and construction lending. This is awfully good news in a time of a protracted credit crunch; a credit squeeze which has now gone global in its scope.
A source close to my company, one with ties to the top counsels of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, recently confided that Fannie and Freddie have been making money ONLY in the Apartment and Mobile Home Lending sectors. The upshot is this: These two venerable institutions of probity are determined to increase liquidity and strengthen apartment lending programs. The Fed needs to hang its hat on something, so why not strengthen an already existing stable lending platform to promote future growth in an industry already doing well: Apartments.
This protracted credit squeeze began as a virus. This virus started with the housing industry and contaminated the commercial real estate market along with just about every stock, financial instrument, business man, woman or line of credit in the country. Apartments have been the least impacted the credit crunch, but sales volume has still registered sizeable decline.
What a mess it has become. The chill in the credit markets began in October 2006. By October of 2007, this chill had become a deep freeze.
To understand the steep decline in the commercial real estate industry, one need only look at the numbers: Total commercial sales volume for October 2008 was barely one-quarter of its October 2007 level and just over 20% of the levels it achieved in 2006. Now that is a drop!
The aggregate deal volume and sales volumes for commercial real estate as a whole is down 75%, October 2007 to 2008.
For apartments, the fall off in deal volume has been sharp and steady: The number of properties trading hands has fallen 60% from October 2006 to October 2007 and has fallen another 75% this past 12 months.
There are several explanations for this but perhaps the number one reason is price risk, as measured between the spread of cap rates and the 10-Year Treasuries. In the apartment sector, this spread has more than tripled, (not Good) to a spread of 263 bps from their narrowest point in July of 2006, when it was 81 bps.
Between 2000 and 2004, the total renter households declined by 1.9 million as home ownership increase from 66.9 percent to 69 percent.
In 2005 this house-hold, rental-living trend began to reverse itself. Since the beginning of 2007,the home ownership rate has fallen by 110 basis points, resulting in 1.5 million additional renter households. This reversal is most pronounced in the younger age segment but it cuts across all age lines. The trend is up for rental-living-units.
In the end, Apartments are holding up well. Financing IS available and more people than ever are in need of rental housing.