Hard Money Loan Definition:

A Hard money loan is a short-term bridge loan that is used for acquisitions, turnaround situations, foreclosures and bankruptcies. Interest rates, although high on business hard money loans, are less costly than taking on a financial partners or losing the real estate opportunity altogether.

Who are Hard Money Loans Ideal for?

Hard money real estate loans are ideal for borrowers who are unable to obtain funding through a conventional source. The properties or the borrowers are often clouded by legal or operational problems. Business hard money loan lenders can often help solve the problems and get the property repositioned for a conventional refinance.
Hard Money Loan Lenders
All hard money loan lenders are different. The hard money loan lenders we refer clients to will usually consider income producing properties such as apartments, condo/co-op conversions, retail/shopping/strip centers, mixed use properties, industrial, office buildings, hotels/motels, medical, mobile home parks and restaurants, as well as non-income producing properties such as land acquisition, development and construction, bank workouts, foreclosures and bankruptcies.

How long do hard money loans typically last?

Hard money loan terms are typically no longer than two to three years. The reason is simply that a longer term becomes too expensive for the borrower. With hard money loan lending, the goal is to have the borrower in and out of the hard money loan as quickly as possible. The hard money loan lender will analyze each transaction during the due diligence process for "good risk" -- to be sure that a property can be repositioned for conventional refinancing or sale within one or two years.

Business Hard Money Loan Equity

The amount of equity needed for a hard money loan depends on the quality of the real estate and the hard money loan lenders themselves. The hard money loan lenders of 1st Access Funding prefer 20% to 25% equity.

Hard money lenders are Mortgage lending companies offering a specialized type of real-estate backed loan. Hard money lenders provide short-term loans (also called a Bridge Loan) that provide funding based on the value of real estate that has been collateralized for the loan. Hard money lenders typically have much higher interest rates than banks because they fund deals that do not conform to bank standards.

Hard money lenders will offer a range of requirements on the loan-to-value percentage, type of real estate and minimum loan size for a hard money loan.

Hard money risk

Hard money loans are more expensive because they are not based upon traditional credit guidelines which protect investors and banks from high default rates. As hard money lenders do not require the income verification that typical lenders require, they experience higher default rates (and, thus, charge a higher rate of interest). Individuals and companies may opt to take a hard money loan when they cannot obtain typical mortgage financing because they do not have acceptable credit or other necessary documentation.

Hard money collateral

Hard money collateral is typically the real estate loaned on. However it can and does sometimes include other assets of the individual or business borrowing the hard money. In many cases a hard money lender will offer a smaller loan size based upon a lower "Loan To Value Ratio". This means they may opt to loan no more than 65% of the property value. Therefore it is common for real estate investors to offer additional real estate as collateral in order to obtain a larger loan amount. This is known as Cross- Collateralization.

Market

Hard money lenders may serve a regional market, or may offer loans nationwide. Some hard money lenders are represented by brokers who may take a percentage of the loan (called points) in exchange for preparing and submitting the loan documentation (as well as finding a direct lender). Other hard money lenders deal directly with applicants. Other ways hard money lenders may vary include: charging application fees (some charge, others charge fees only when closing); prepayment penalties (some or none); and a focus on investment properties or a willingness to finance owner occupied property as well.
Several online directories offer links to multiple hard money lenders for brokers or borrowers seeking a lender.

Regulation

Several states' usury laws, including Tennessee and New Jersey, prevent hard money lenders from operating with their usual practices. Regulation of hard money not only differs by state, it differs by the status of the borrower in terms of whether or not the loan is made to a business or to a consumer. Consumer's generally have additional protections in individual states. They also have more lending oversight and regulation benefits federally when the loan is issued by a commercial bank, that is federally chartered by the FDIC. Some of the most aggressive loan terms are issued by commercial hard money lenders. DCLXC

Commercial hard money lender

Commercial hard money is issued to a business entity or individual signing on behalf of a business entity or corporation. It can be secured against a commercial property or residential investment property. It can also be secured against a residence in conjunction with a business property as a means of obtaining additional collateral for the lender. That type of additional security is referred to as a blanket mortgage. The sources of asset based commercial hard money loans are generally the following:

• 1. Private Individuals
• 2. Mortgage Companies
• 3. Federal Banks
• 4. SBA Lenders

These commercial hard money lenders all have varying degrees of benefits as well as downfalls in terms of choosing a commercial hard money loan lender. For example, a private individual may offer special terms, however may be unwilling to offer a work out plan as a matter of procedure, in the event the loan becomes delinquent. A federally-chartered bank may offer a competitive loan rate in comparison to an individual, however may demand a high pre-payment penalty fee, costing the borrower more money if they decide to sell or refinance the loan within one to five years.

Hard Money Loan Definition

Loan to Value(LTV) Ratio & Hard Money

Commercial Hard Money Loan Underwriting Guidelines

Types of Hard Money Loans

Investors Hard Money

Mortgage & Real Estate Broker Referral

Hard Money Home