After getting beat up by traditional lenders, I started searching for alternative lending sources. Hard Money, Private lenders, and bridge lenders.
I had many colleagues having the same issue with traditional lenders.
Since this is such a common issue right now, I developed strong relationships with a couple of preferred hedge funds to help get deals done.
You must be careful who you deal with in this market of “Alternative Lending”. You need to be sure whomever you work with is not out to just get an upfront fee.
Additionally, you need to find out where the capital is coming from and you want to make sure that lender has the capital on hand, not just “committed capital.” These types of loans are scrutinized heavily and there is much due diligence that goes on for a commercial property.
You should also perform your own due diligence on your potential lender, the good one’s will expect that and will be more than happy to prove it to you.
Think about this, if you let your EMD go hard, you better be sure that the lender you are working with can actually fund your deal. Once that EMD goes hard, you are going to lose it if your lender can’t come to the table with the capital. How would you like to lose a 250K earnest money deposit because you didn’t do your own due diligence on your lender?
Here are two quick points that you can do once you have an agreement from your lender that they will do the deal.
* References – Ask for references of recent deals similar to yours that they have successfully funded… make sure they are recent.
* Proof of Funds – Ask for a proof of funds letter. Most frequently, this should be on the lender attorney’s letterhead.
Those two steps will save you a bunch of heartache. There are other ways to vet out your lender, but these two are the most important steps.
I am now sourcing deals for several hedge fund lenders that focus on commercial real estate backed bridge loans.
If you have a project that you need funding for and have been turned down by traditional lenders or just know that they will never fund it and you don’t want to waste your time, I would be happy to discuss your deal and see what program it may fit into.
Even if you have a deal that may be able to be funded by a traditional lender, bridge capital may be your best option if you need to get a great deal on a distressed property.
Traditional lenders take typically 90-180 days or more to fund a commercial deal. Contrast that with a bridge loan which can be closed in less than 30 days.
If you were a seller, would you rather get your money in 30 days or 180? Many lenders for REO properties can not wait that long for a property to come off their books.
With this in mind, whom do you think is going to get the best price on an asset, someone with quick close bridge capital or someone with a traditional lender that will have to wait to get funded?
Some borrowers that have been offered principal reductions on their current loan can not even go to a traditional bank. If the FDIC has the loan from a failed institution, they may require that they be taken out by a Non-FDIC insured institution. This is another area where a bridge lender excels.
Once you have taken down the asset with bridge capital and the property is stabilized, then you can refinance into agency paper for a better rate and longer terms.
The bridge lenders I work with do NOT charge upfront fees.
I have a capabilities presentation you can review.
They will provide the proof you need to vet them out.
Leave me a comment here to discuss your commercial loan request or download your report at the link below and then get in touch with me.
http://GetCommercialFundingHelp.com/bizloan/
You need to know this information on how to vet out your real estate lender.