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Hard money lenders explained
I recently attended a real estate investment seminar in Las Vegas. Between speeches by different gurus I would mingle with other investors and explain that I owned a hard money brokerage firm. Even though it has been around for almost a hundred years now, I was amazed how hard money lenders still seem to be mysterious to many investors. They either did not understand how the hard money lending industry worked or had heard that it was something they should avoid like the plague.
To put it simply, hard money loans are short term loans that are used for various real estate projects. The most common projects are house flipping, but they are also used in commercial construction and land development. Essentially, a hard money loan is often the best choice for money that is needed on a short term basis.
Unlike conventional financing, a hard money loan also known as a private loan originates from a private individual or institution unlike a bank. The loans are generally short term between 6 and 12 months and have a high, interest only payment generally between 10% and 14%
Another major difference between a hard money loan and a conventional loan is that a hard money loan is not based on a persons credit but instead on the value of the project after its completion. A good example is if John has a house that he wishes to rehab and sell for $100,000.00 a hard money lender will lend up to $65,000.00. This is what is known as Loan to Value or LTV. Most hard money lenders lend anywhere from 55% to 70% LTV depending upon what type of project the borrower has.
Now you are probably asking yourself what the catch is, how do these lenders make there money? Hard money lenders make there money 3 different ways. The first way they make there money is the closing costs. These are anywhere from 1 to 4 percentage points of the overall loan. These points are paid when the loan is completely paid off in full. The second way they make there money is the interest only monthly payments on the loan which is anywhere from 10% to 14%. The third way they make there money is if the borrower happens to default on the loan. Being as the loan is not based on the persons credit, hard money loans are secured by the property itself. If a borrower defaults, the hard money lender now has a property or piece of land for 65% of what it is worth. However, it should be stated that this rarely occurs as most hard money lenders are not in the business of foreclosing on properties.
So should a borrower use a hard money lender? The simple answer is if a borrower has a real estate project that needs short term financing that a conventional bank will not lend on, yes.
What are Hard Money Loans?
For the purpose of financing your investment properties there are two options- Hard Money & Soft Money.
Soft Money- is simply money that is borrowed from banks and other lending institutions. This is the normal loan process where the loan is underwritten by an underwriter. There are rules and guidelines that are made by the lenders or by the groups that buy the loans from the lenders. This would include all loan types and verities.
Hard Money- is money from investors to fund your investment property. Hard Money is normally sort term. Hard Money is normally used when the property needs some repairs and rehab. With Hard Money you can finance the expense for repairs as a part of your loan. If you are able to locate a home with good equity you will be able to do the entire purchase and rehab with no money out of your pocket.
The Rules- since the money is coming from private investors they can make their own rules, unlike soft money above where the rules can be more restrictive. For this reason you can obtain money and eventually additional money based upon your track record and performance with a particular Hard Money Lender.
After Repair Value (ARV) – This is what the property would be worth after your rehab is competed and this value is normally determined by appraisers that work with your hard money lender. Normally Hard Money lenders will loan 65 of the ARV. This is how it works
if you buy a home for $100,000 you can borrow $65,000, 65 of that amount or $130,000, now you have money to buy the house for $100,000 and pay for your rehab.
Escrows- This is money that is held by a 3rd party, normally a Title Company, for a specific purpose. In the case of Hard Money Lending they would escrow your repair money and in some instances they would escrow your first couple of payments. This is done to ensure that the work on the property is actually completed. When you first apply for your Hard Money Loan for a specific property you would prepare a work sheet of what needs to be done and the cost of that work. This would be used to set up your escrow account.
Draws- The way the money for repairs is disbursed is by using draws. The Hard Money Lender would physically inspect the property to ensure the work was actually done and disburse the money accordingly. The money is not released all at once, rather in gradual portions as the work is completed. Each portion is a draw.
When & Why- There is a time a place to use Hard Money Loans. Normally for Soft Money to be used the property needs to have a roof, windows, doors, floor coverings. If the property does need some work this is called deferred maintenance. This would be noted by the appraiser when the appraisal is done. Traditionally if this number is over $2,000 you would not be able to receive a Soft Money Loan. The other reason investors use Hard Money Loans is so they do not need to use any of their money or to personally fund their project. As you can see a good portion of the properties an investor buys would be financed with a Hard Money Loan. This is due to the fact that most foreclosed properties are not well kept. However, there are always exceptions to this.