You’ve found a great opportunity to make some money. You’ve heard about hard money bridge loans but you don’t know what to expect? Here are some of the basics:

The biggest advantage of a bridge loan is the lenders are always concerned about the value of the property, not so much you personally. In other words; the property is what secures you the loan not your current credit status. It’s all about the value of the property.

The life of a bridge loan is approximately one to six-months; although you can get an extension of up to 2 or more years. Again, these lenders are not your average banks. The flexibility of this type of loan is why you will either get approved (or not) in as little as 2 days.

You may be asked by the lender why are you looking for a hard money loan instead of a traditional loan? There are many reasons why someone may consider using hard money loans. Most likely your response will be because you need the money now and not three months from now when the window of opportunity has most likely closed, or you may respond that your credit has some blemishes, filed recent bankruptcy, low occupancy levels, etc.

Some of the things your hard money loan lenders want to know will be: the type of collateral, the location and approximate value of the property, the amount owed and most important, the exit strategy of the loan or how will you pay the lender back.

Most bridge loan firms want your business and will work with you to get you 60% – 75% financing. (In some cases you can get 100% financing if you have additional assets to put into the deal.) In 99.9% of most cases, the hard money lenders are private companies, and you won’t typically get 100% of the value of the property. The low loan to value is in place to protect the lender in case of default on the loan.

Be prepared though, the interest rate on hard money loans is much higher than on traditional loans. Expect 10 to 15%, depending upon the overall risk. There will also be points or origination percentages that range between 1 and 5% of the loan amount set forth by the lender and assessed at the close of the deal. However, the higher interest rates, flexibility, and the quick turn-around often offset all the paperwork and time involved with traditional banks.

Some hard money lenders charge a fee for pre-payments, some charge an exit fee for the loan and others charge nothing. Make sure you know exactly what the terms of the proposed loan are before engaging any lender. A detailed letter of Intent is an excellent way for you and the hard money lender to understand exactly what is expected by each party.
One more thing, if you are not familiar with bridge loans do some in-depth research first. Talk to others who have experience with hard money bridge loans or ask your lawyer for some help. Don’t forget, there is plenty of information on the web that you can use to your advantage.

Are you looking for the best deals and rates on bridge loans? Visit http://directmoneylenders.com/ today for more information!

Author: Scott Bowens
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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2.DON’T APPLY FOR NEW CREDIT OF ANY KIND. Including those “You have been pre-approved” credit card invitations that you receive in the mail or online. Every time you have your credit pulled by a potential creditor or lender, you lose points from your credit score immediately. Depending on the elements in your credit report, you could lose anywhere from 1 – 20 points for one hard inquiry.

3. DON’T PAY OFF COLLECTIONS OR CHARGE OFFS during the loan process. Unless you can negotiate a delete letter, paying collections will decrease the score immediately due to the date of last activity becoming recent.

4. DON’T MAX OUT OR OVER CHARGE ON YOUR CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS. This is the fastest way to bring your scores down 50 – 100 points. Try to keep your credit card balances below 30% of their available limit at ALL times during the loan process.

5. DON’T CONSOLIDATE YOUR DEBT ONTO 1 OR 2 CREDIT CARDS. It seems like it would be the smart thing to do. However, when you consolidate all of your debt onto one card, it appears that you are maxed out on that card, and the system will penalize you as mentioned above. If you want to save money on the credit card interest rates, wait until after closing.

6. DON’T CLOSE CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS. If you close a credit card account, you will lose available credit and it will appear to the FICO system that your debt ratio has gone up. Also, closing a credit card will affect other factors in the score such as length history. If you HAVE to close a credit card account, do it after closing.

7. DON’T PAY LATE. Stay current on existing accounts. Under the new FICO scoring model, one 30-day late can cost you anywhere from 50 – 100 points, and points lost for late pays take several months if not years to recover.

8. DON’T ALLOW ANY ACCOUNTS TO RUN PAST DUE- EVEN 1 DAY! Most cards offer a grace period, what they don’t tell is the once the due date passes, that account will show a past due amount on your credit report. Past due balances can also drop scores by 50+ points.

9. DON’T DISPUTE ANYTHING ON YOUR CREDIT REPORT! When you send a letter of dispute to the credit reporting agencies, a note is added to your credit report. When the underwriter notices items in dispute, they will not process the loan until the note is removed and new credit scores are pulled. The word “dispute” CANNOT appear anywhere in the report. Credit scoring software will not consider items in dispute in the credit score- giving false data to the lender.

10. DON’T LOSE CONTACT WITH YOUR MORTGAGE & REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS. If you have a question about whether or not you should take a specific action that your believe may affect your credit report or scores during the loan process, your Mortgage or real estate professional may be able to supply you with the resources you need to avoid making mistakes that could drop your scores or possibly, cause you to lose the loan.

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Generally these Payday loans are processed through the internet so very fast. You can get a loan amount in your account within an hour of application. You can also use these loan amount in any purposes. You can use these loans to shopping or if your paycheck is late and you need to do payment of something then you can think of these loans. Though these loans are basically aimed at salaried people and to fulfill the requirements of the gap period between the two paychecks. These loans are not specified for anything. You can also take it to medical treatments.

The banking technology has evolved beyond our imaginations. You can now avail the services of banks from your bed room. Almost all the lenders are providing the on line facilities. The on line banking is not only convenient but also less time consuming. You can apply for the loan with out paper works and taking a leave from office. For more information you can go to the websites of the bank. There are many lenders in the UK market providing loans in a lucrative terms, find out the best one.

If you intend to jump into foreclosure auctions, follow these tips to help insure a profitable transaction: A? Do your homework: I recently had one of my investors call me and ask me if he would be risking anything greater than his security deposit if he simply walked away from a house he purchased at auction. Because he was intimately familiar with the neighborhood, he didn’t bother to visit the property. After the auction, he learned the damage to the property was more extensive than he anticipated. In a aEoehotaE? market, price appreciation could have bailed him out but, in today’s market, he was sunk. Lesson? Never buy a property sight unseen, and make sure to get the best contractor estimates possible prior to auction day. A? Read the advertisement carefully: The devil is in the fine print. You could buy a lot of trouble if you don’t read and understand every word. Examples: Many auctioneers require a Buyer’s premium. In my area, it could be as much as 10%. If your bidding on a $120,000.00 property, that’s an additional $12,000.00 expense! Even worse, you may be required to pay interest on the prior owner’s defaulting Note from date of auction forward to the date of settlement. That’s an additional 30-45 days of interest expense (or more in some instances). Worst of all, in some cases the auction purchaser could be responsible for certain outstanding liens due at the time of sale, such as water, taxes, or even condo liens. Do you really want to be responsible for the prior owner’s $3,000.00 past due HOA bill because you didn’t read the ad? A? Be careful of flipping: Flips are still possible in this market but could be dangerous to the financial health of an unseasoned or careless investor. If you intend to flip to another investor, remember he or she will be leery of buying anywhere close to retail because of the likelihood of additional price erosion over the next few years.

Did you properly discount your bid price for this? Will the property cash flow at your proposed sales price? Many investors use the 1% Rule as the aEoegold standardaE? aE” a $100,000.00 purchase price should yield a renter at $1,000.00. If you don’t carefully account for these factors, you could get stuck in the property. If you are using short-term hard money and your credit is weak, you even run the risk of loan default because you won’t be able to refinance out of your hard money loan. A? Setting property values: In addition to recent comps, you may want to go back to 2004-05 tax assessment records to review pre-bubble pricing. Is it possible for prices to retrace back to those levels? Maybe yes, maybe no, but it doesn’t hurt to bid based upon worst-case scenarios. A? Keep your cool: Don’t get caught up in the emotion of the auction. Know your absolute high price going in. Once the bidding has exceeded that price, don’t even think about it anymore. Walk to your car and leave. There’s always another deal tomorrow. A? Get finances in order before bidding: You will be required to bring to the auction a cashier’s check for the advertised deposit amount. But you may also be asked to increase the initial deposit to 10% of total purchase price within a certain time period after the auction date.

Check with the auctioneer the day of auction. Also, get lender approval prior to the day of auction. A hard money lender can be your best friend in these situations, as an approval from a hard money source accomplishes 2 things: 1) you’ll know up-front whether you’ll be able to close on the property, thereby reducing any risk of losing your deposit; and 2) you’ll get a second, and often expert, opinion on the conservative value of the property. Even if you end up using conventional lending, the hard money approval can give you great peace of mind. A? Insurance: It is critical to get a hazard insurance policy in place the day of auction. Many times, the risk of loss is contractually passed to the successful auction bidder. If you don’t have insurance and the building burns down, you lose! A? Bankruptcy: Call the auctioneer the night before (for early a.m. auctions) or the morning of the auction to make certain the foreclosed-upon borrower has not filed a bankruptcy. A bankruptcy filing stops the foreclosure process, even if it is filed one minute before auction. Probably 90% of foreclosure auctions get cancelled this way, so you’ll waste a lot time if you don’t call beforehand. A? Default: Always remember that the re-auction of a property is almost always aEoeat the risk and expense of the defaulting bidder.aE? This means if you bid on a property and don’t follow through, you could be sued for a lot more than just your deposit. Jeffrey Shiller, Esq. MD DC VA Hard Money Lender

About Author
Jeffrey Shiller, Esq. www.hardmoneybankers.com MD DC VA Hard Money Lender

Commercial hard money should only be thought of as an option after you have exhausted all other sources and have come to the conclusion that you just won’t qualify for a conventional loan.  The choice, though hard for many borrowers, is normally simple.  Either lose your business or building or accept the terms offered by the hard money lender. 

It’s a survival tactic.  You’re giving yourself something very valuable in exchange for the expense of the loan – time.  Time to repair, time to restore whatever the issues are.  Whether it’s getting the business back to profitability, paying down debt, time to continue leasing out the property, restore personal credit, etc.  We see so many borrowers let the egos get in the way and end up turning this into something it’s not.    

What it really is is an act of courage that you are facing the problems head on and doing everything you can to solve it.  And no matter how bad it is, you can still have some pride in that.  Many people simple hide and let the problems overwhelm them.

Remember the old sales saying of comparing apples to apples.  You just cannot compare a hard money loan to a bank loan you may have been eligible for 3 years ago.  You have to be realistic and compare it to your current alternatives.  And here’s what they are 1. Take on a partner 2. Lose the business 3. lose the building. 

Say you have a building worth $2,000,000 and owe $500,000.  You have $1,500,000 of equity you stand to lose vs. paying for an expensive loan.  Or say you take on the wrong partner because you are pressed for time and need cash.  Now you stand to lose whatever equity you have in the business, building and have additional legal issues by having to get rid of the partner.  And even if it works out with the partner you will likely have to give up much more to the partner than pay in fees to the lender. 

Most hard money lenders charge 6% on the front of the loan, which is obviously very expensive.  Say, using the numbers above you wanted an additional $500,000 to bring the total loan balance to $1,000,000.  You would pay $60,000 in fees…  Versus losing $1,500,000.  It’s hard, but simple.  Don’t let your ego get in the way of this one.  Face the problem head on, and fix it.   

We also know that the few opportunities that may exist from borrowing are made much  more difficult by the banks requiring better credit than ever, and many of you have suffered credit hits because of the current downturn, reduced revenues and increased overhead expenses.  Thus, it is even harder to get a loan.

This is a problem.

Aside from normal operating requirements requiring lines of credit, and the desire to make acquisitions of many sorts, there is also a great need for capital to fund workouts. Workouts reduce debt paying small amounts in consideration of large reductions of debt. But you must be able to support the cash requirement or it cannot be done.

Frequently this becomes a critical issue as a workout may mean you remain financially alive so the capital required to fund a workout is critical to your emergence and survival.
So what does one do when loans are generally unavailable and with an upside down situation even with good credit banks are reluctant to lend to you.

The answer, hard money. Non bank lending, private lending, high points, high interest, low loan to value ratio but flexible terms.
Currently we are arranging a hard money loan with 10 points and 14 – 16% interest…Wow! Who would believe this? Not all hard money lenders are this steep but this situation is.

Why would someone do this? Simple, the nest savings will be many hundreds of thousands of dollars, about a million, and the actual cost of the loan for the first year is about $50,000. Steep? Yes. But compared to saving his business and reducing his debt by a million, the $50,000 is a bargain. It facilitated huge gain and survival, all for a mere $50,000.

This here is a place for hard money even at its hardest. Especially when supporting a workout…

Call us if this issue is holding you back…There is an answer.

Call Norm at 413-584-2581…he will arrange a no obligation teleconference for us to discuss your options.

Difficult to come buy and carrying a high price, Hard Money Loans  are the last resort for those who can afford it.

Let’s start with a quick comparison of conventional loans to hard money loans to create a distinction up front.

Conventional loans are the tool of most home buyers. Lending institutions loan money to the buyer based on credit history and income. Hard Money Loans are less dependent on credit score and revolve around assets, instead. There should be no confusion that one is a substitute for the other. When buying a house there are many choices in loan options, but the choice between conventional or hard money is not one of them. Hard money loans are for unique, often distressed situations.

Hard money comes from private investors who can take the time to assess a borrower’s entire situation, in a way that traditional lenders cannot. The private investor understands that a few missed payments resulting from something like loss of employment, does not mean the buyer cannot repay his loan. This is a perfect scenario of when hard money works. When the homeowner has fallen so far behind on his mortgage that he cannot catch up even though he has gone back to work and resume payments, the private investor can come in, provide hard money to pay original mortgage off, offering the borrower a chance to start fresh and preserve his credit. Soon the damages of the missed house payments are repaired on his credit report and he can refinance in a traditional manner.

The reason for refinancing as quickly as possible is that hard money loans carry stiff terms. Interests rates average between 10% and 18% making it a costly option, albeit a valuable one.

Another motivation to use hard money which is relevant in markets driven by foreclosures is rehab purchases. Investors find a great property to renovate quickly for profit and they want the loan fast because there is already a buyer for the house when it’s done. The hard money loan is available much quicker and without the red tape of a traditional loan.

Don’t be confused, though, hard money loans are not a simple alternative for those with poor credit. Even private investors aren’t interested in a borrower with a history of bankruptcy or non payment. In addition, the closing costs on a hard money loan must be paid up front. These fees could be a couple hundred dollars or a couple thousand, making the hard money loan a non choice for most borrowers in distressed situations.

Hard Money Loans  are difficult to come by. The loan to value rate is a relatively low 50 to 75%. Hard money lenders like to only finance properties that are nearby them in areas they are familiar and comfortable with so they can monitor the property. Be wary of a hard money lender who makes things look too easy and shiny, as there are individuals who prey on homeowners and set up situations that guarantee failure so they can seize the house and profit from its sale.

If you fit into one of the unique scenarios that would benefit from a hard loan, do your research before signing any papers. Get recommendations on the private lender when you can. With no bank regulations on private lending the only one who can separate a legitimate lender from a loan shark is you.

Like every other real estate agent, you know how tough it is to find quality real estate leads. You need potential clients to take action now! Not wait, sit on the fence for a while and eventually slip away. So how can you catch these clients hook, line and sinker? Learn how to market and advertise YOURSELF! Take advantage of the features your realty website offers that allow you to show off.

Write a catchy and creative blurb on your professional skills, attitude and star sales qualities.

Remind your clients to interact with your website. Ask them to fill out a form, contact you and save their favourite properties. Make them communicate with you in any way possible.

Take advantage of every touch point. Store clients’ e-mails, phone numbers and addresses. Make sure to contact every single person that makes contact with you.

Don’t fall into the background. Stay top of mind with a monthly newsletter, deal of the month or open house invitation.

Always show customers what’s in it for them. Sell yourself through your abilities, actions and services not through boasting, bragging or arrogance.

Make an offer they can’t refuse. Promise a free home staging quote, t-shirt, mortgage broker quote or even a useful real estate report if they fill out a form. Remember, everyone LOVES something for free. Tag team with an industry specialist to make it happen.

Identify what makes you different from every other money-hungry agent. Create a Unique Selling Proposition for your services and run with it. Make it the bread-and-butter of your business.

Ask them for referrals, testimonials, questions and requests. Keep your phone number and e-mail visible and in the right places. Present a call to action that encourages them to follow through.

Make your REALTOR® website a real estate research headquarters. Give your visitors ALL the info they need to know. You can bet buyers & sellers will get online to make an informed decision long before they take any definitive action with an agent. Why not be the one-stop-shop? Appeal to their every real estate need, want and desire. With the right marketing and advertising strategies, they will stay on your site longer and visit more often. That’s how you ring in the qualified sales. Cha-ching!

There are always exceptions to any rule, of course. And there are some exceptions here. Assuming your child has had her nap and is in a reasonably good mood, there are a few appointments you can take your small child on:

— If you know the client personally and they have previously met your child

— The client also has a child (or several) who are in the same age range and the client indicates you should bring the child over

— A quick drop-off of paperwork, flyers, etc.

If you’ve been taking your baby to appointments with real estate clients and just chugging along, it’s easy to keep working your real estate business the same as before. But it’s important to think twice before bringing your child along when she’s between the ages of 1 to 5 years old. To your real estate broker’s office, sure. To run errands for your real estate business, fine. But appointments with real estate clients, think again. You don’t want to kill the deal. And a kid could possibly do that, with any client. Even another parent…while she might be understanding and sympathetic when your child has a meltdown…can think of the whole thing as a huge turn-off and wonder about your professionalism.

You know your child’s “limitations” more than anyone. You know the signs of fussiness coming on, the look of hunger. It’s just better not to chance turning an appointment into your worst nightmare.

If you don’t have consistent daycare for your child or baby, you have options. First, set up appointments on evenings and weekends when your significant other or a family member or friend can be relied upon to watch your child.

But what about those last minute calls from your clients who just MUST see you that afternoon? Urgent requests to see properties or to sit down and sign those listing documents can happen. And they can give you less than 2 hours notice.

If you want to be a competitive agent and want to provide service to your client, you want to try and find a way to make it happen. In these cases, you need to set up some last minute “emergency” daycare ahead of time. If you have a family member or a friend who is available during the day for these last minute client demands, that is ideal. Make sure you have a plan A and a plan B (just in case plan A falls thru) for last-minute child care.

Don’t worry, these awkward toddler and preschooler years won’t last forever. Before you know it, you’re child will be in school and she will be a big help to your real estate business if you want to make things a family affair.

Author: Tina McAllister
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Second. For your first investment, buy in a city you know little to nothing about and avoid using a buyers agent who does know the city. Go directly to the sellers agent. The best way to make a truly horrible decision is to avoid any outside advice. The best part of this is that avoiding a buyers agent usually doesn’t save you any money since the selling agent simply makes more when you deal with them directly.

Look for a discount or a distressed property over a good long term investment. Late night infomercials and Carlton Sheets talk a lot about this. Getting equity at the point of sale. One thing about distressed properties with desperate sellers is that they frequently are in crappy areas with low appreciation rates. Buying a property at under market rate in an area with low appreciation potential versus a property in a good area is the kind of short sighted thinking that will really help you reach the goal of bankruptcy and foreclosure.

When you talk to people including your realtor, try to spend time talking about all the crap you learned from your book or light night infomercial. The more you listen to other people, the more you might get different perspectives and the higher chance you might learn new things. This could really hurt your chances of going bankrupt so avoid listening to anyone. Remember you know everything even if you only got interested in real estate last week.

Be positive to the point of stupidity. Alot of investors I know always think about how their situation would be affected by a 10 or 20 percent drop in the market before making a purchase. You should avoid this kind of thinking. You need to be blinded by greed. You should only fantasize about how you are going to double your money.

When calculating your monthly cashflow, assume that you will have 100% occupancy all the time and no maintenance cost. While you are at assume that its going to rain money tomorrow.

Also, be stubborn when renting your properties. Decide upon a number say $900 a month and refuse to budge. Come up with some bizarre logic about how the property deserves $900 a month. Lose months of rent having the property sit vacant instead of going down $50 on the rent. Instead of responding to the market make statements like “Well the markets wrong then”.

As you move closer to foreclosure, don’t alter your spending habits. Don’t move into a smaller house or cut spending. Act like nothing is wrong.

Overextend, overextend, overextend. Are you approved to buy one house. Why not buy 5, heck why not 20. Instead of building up a portfolio of properties over time, gaining experience along the way, just buy alot of properties next Tuesday.

Alot of people are getting into the foreclosure game. Their is no reason you should be left behind. Throwing caution to the wind and filling your eyes with greed and you should find yourself walking down the golden path to foreclosure.

This is not a definitive guide to foreclosure. Alot of people end up in foreclosure due to many things unforeseen events like unpreventable family illness, divorce or job loss. This is simply a guide to what I call elective foreclosure.