By Amar Brown

Since the sub prime situation hit critical mass there has been a lot of interest in hard money loans. In this article I hope to clear up some of the hype surrounding hard money. Also to offer anyone looking for hard money a practical guide to seeking hard money funding.

Here are the 5+/-2 things you should know about hard money.

1. What Hard money is.

2. The Hard part of hard money

3. The Best Uses for Hard money

I’ve never been big on intros so let’s get into it.

1. What Hard money is.

Of course the first thing we want to do is define hard money. It seems this product has become hot in today’s market yet a lot of people are still unsure as to exactly what hard money is. I define hard money as non conventional or private financing with private funds.

Since hard money loans are not backed by government safeguards, the guidelines are less stringent and the documentation required is minimal. This means that they are easier to qualify for.

The credit scores you need to qualify for hard money loans is lower then you will need from a conventional lender and in some cases you need not to worry about your credit because most hard money lenders have no minimum credit guidelines.

You may hear the term bridge loan being used in place of the term hard money which is okay it describes one of the main purposes of hard money a short term loan to quickly get from point A to point B. IE to get from acquisition to a point where maybe you can secure some long term financing.

To sum it up the main things to remember about hard money is quick closings, lower credit guidelines and minimum documentation.

Hard money is not conventional financing (I told you that in section earlier). You should never use hard money where you need long term financing, because over the long run, the rate on a hard money loan will kill you (more on hard money rates later).

And as far as terms go most hard money lenders have no long term products

2. The hard part of hard money.

In this section I want to talk about the drawbacks of a hard money loan. Now when I say drawbacks it’s not saying that hard money loans are any worst then conventional financing, but it would be unfair to talk about hard money and offer all praise and no criticism.

Quick closings, lower credit guidelines, minimum documentation needed, your saying to your self what more could I want from a loan and how can they call a loan like that hard.

Well once you know the answer to that question you will know whether you can stomach a hard money loan.

The first hard part of hard money is the fees. Whether you go to a lender or broker expect to pay anywhere between 2 points and as many as 10 points in fees for a hard money loan. (I’ve heard rumors of being charged even more)

If you are extremely rate sensitive or even mildly rate sensitive then a hard money loan is definitely not the way to go for you. You can expect a rate in the range of 9% and as high as 24% depending on the lender and the terms. (I’ve heard rumors of lenders charging higher rates). Usually the shorter the term or the more complex the loan the higher the rate.

I know you are thinking where are the feds to shut down the loan sharks? But since this is private money not institutional, not federally regulated this is all fair. In this case it is their money, their rules their rates.

You can not borrow 100% of the value of the property. Now this is a thing most people get confused about. Some conventional lenders still offer 100% loans but since the sub prime situation, hope your credit score is off the charts and you have a lot of money in reserve, because qualifying for one of those now is almost is almost impossible.

If you do not qualify for the 100% loan a traditional lender will only loan you a portion of the purchase price, even if there is equity in the property they will want you to put money toward the purchase. So for instance if you qualify for 80% and the purchase price of the property is $80,000 even if the property is worth $100,000 (which would leave 20% equity in the property) the bank would cap you out at $64,000 (80% of $80,000). In order to get the $80,000 from the bank you would need to contract for $100,000, but you will still need $20,000.

Most hard money lenders will give you 100% of the purchase price but not 100% of the value of the property. Most hard money lenders have a ceiling of 70%-75% (of course I have heard rumors of hard money lenders going higher) of the current value of the property or of the A.R.V. (after repair value, more on that in the next section) they want you to leave equity in the property. This is their protection in case of default, a property they can possibly sell quickly because of the equity. This is the main reason behind the relaxed guide lines. The trick is to buy below market value, hard money lenders like good deals.

Now these may seem like drawbacks but in the right situation the benefits of hard money usually outweigh the drawbacks. This brings us to the next section.

3. The best uses for hard money

Hard money is not for every situation, here are some ideal hard money situations.

You need to move on a deal and close fast. Conventional financing with the rate rollercoaster, paper work requirements, underwriting guide lines, etc. can sometimes take a little while longer then you have to close (anywhere from 30 days to never). If you have a deal you need to move on quick you can use hard money and close in as little as 2 days.

You want to purchase multiple properties over time. A traditional lender will want you to complete the entire process for each loan, some hard money lenders once they are familiar with you, and of course you have a good payment history, will not even need you to submit applications for future loans.

You have a property that needs rehab or renovation. Hard money and rehab properties (fix and flips) go hand in hand. This is one of the best scenarios for hard money.

Most conventional lenders will only lend on properties in move in condition, and if the property does need renovation or repairs that is on you. And like I said before you must qualify for 100% financing if you want to get more then a portion of the acquisition costs. So if you are investing in properties to flip or wholesale, and they need repairs or renovations before they are in move in condition then you need hard money.

Hard money lenders will lend on the current value or ARV (the value of the property after repairs and renovations.) And you can include renovation costs in the loan amount as long as the total costs don’t exceed the limit. Most lend up to 70%-75% (and of course I’ve heard rumors of some lending even more). So for instance say you have a property under contract for $50,000 and it needs $20,000 in rehab, to get it into move in condition and has an ARV of $100,000. You can go to a hard money lender and get a loan of $70,000 ($50,000 + $20,000) or 70% of the ARV, which is 100% of the acquisition costs meaning you have just completed no money down deal. (And I bet you didn’t think that was possible nowadays)

You have different types of property. Most conventional lenders lend on either commercial or residential, if you find the right hard money lender, you can finance most property types with one lender.

You have a well defined exit strategy. This is the key, make sure you have a well defined exit strategy, sell, refinance etc. Because as I said before hard money loans do not have long terms but they do have high rates. So make sure you have a well defined well timed exit strategy.

Hard money can be easy, once you know what it is and how to use it. Hope this has helped make hard money a little easier for anyone looking for info on hard money.

Amar Brown is the CEO of Gateway Real Estate Inc. a real estate service company located in New York City. His company specializes in creative real estate, mortgages, hard money loans for investors, credit repair and improvement, and consulting.

He is the owner of http://www.GatewayREInc.com and [http://www.Your1stMillion.net] a website which features information and education on wealth building techniques using Real Estate, Stocks, The Internet, Network Marketing (MLM), Mental Preparation and Motivation. He is an author and speaker on the subjects of , Real Estate, Credit Repair, Hard Money, Wealth Building, and Motivation. For info on these subjects or any of his services please contact.

Gateway Real Estate Inc

615 W 164th St

New York, NY 10032

Abrown@GatewayREinc.com

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By Aurora Cortez

If you’re new to the world of real estate investing, the phrase “hard money loan” might sound a little intimidating. But many times, a hard money lender can be a real estate investor’s best friend–helping to make private money readily available for investment opportunities, at little or no risk to the investor.

What is a hard money loan?

Basically, a hard money loan is one that is issued at a much higher interest rate than a conventional residential or commercial mortgage. However, the real estate investor who uses a hard money loan to purchase a property actually saves money, because he doesn’t have to share as much of their hard-earned net profit with a money partner.

Another attractive feature of hard money loans is that they are asset-based–the collateral is the quick-sale value of the investment property itself. That means that even a real estate investor with no credit or bad credit can obtain a hard money loan from a private lender, with no personal guaranty required and no risk to his credit.

Hard money loans on non-owner-occupied (NOO) properties–the investment properties many real estate investors are looking to buy–can carry terms as short as a year or less, making such loans attractive to investors who are interested in “flipping” investment properties for a quick and easy profit.

How hard money lending works

Most conventional mortgage brokers work with institutional lenders–big banks and mortgage companies. Hard money lenders, on the other hand, work with private lenders who have made their private money available for investing. These private lenders are often retired or wealthy individuals who have money to invest, and their involvement in the loan process may be either active or passive.

If the hard money lender is working with active private lenders, then for each new loan request, the hard money lender must first decide if it fits the loan criteria for the lenders s/he works with. If so, the hard money lender approaches the individual private lenders to determine their interest in participating in the deal.

Once enough private money has been raised from the private lenders, the hard money lender places the money in escrow and the private lender(s) are on the mortgage or deed of trust as lenders. Once the deal is done, a loan servicing company collects the payments from the borrower and sends them to the private lender(s).

A hard money lender with a securities license can also work with passive private investors by raising a pool of money from private lenders and establishing specific, predetermined terms for lending the money. If a loan request fits those terms, the hard money lender makes the decision about whether to approve the loan, and the private lenders simply collect the loan payments sent to them through the loan servicing company.

How do you find a hard money lender?

Anyone considering using a hard money loan for investing in real estate must make sure that the mortgage broker is really a hard money lender–because using a conventional mortgage broker could be a costly mistake.

Without using a hard money lender with direct access to private money for real estate financing, the real estate investor could end up paying thousands of dollars in multiple layers of fees and “points” that chip away at the borrower’s profit.

Fortunately, determining who is a “real” hard money lender is relatively simple. S/he must be knowledgeable in both federal and state predatory lending laws, and most conventional mortgage brokers may not even be aware of these laws–so quizzing a potential broker on their knowledge of those sections of law is a good place to start.

Hard money lenders can be found in many different ways–for instance, through closing attorneys, insurance agents, real estate classifieds or other mortgage brokers. One easy way to get a list of hard money lenders is to visit http://www.hardmoneycourse.com, which offers an e-book directory of hard money lenders.

So what does hard money mean to the potential real estate investor? It means that anyone can invest in real estate, regardless of their credit or financial situation–and from there they can learn to rehab or flip properties for a quick (and often very large) profit.

Hard money makes wealth building through real estate a possibility for anyone who takes the time to learn the system. For more information about hard money lending, tips for keeping hard money lenders and private lenders happy, ways to structure deals that work for everyone, and other valuable insights into the world of real estate finance, visit http://www.hardmoneycourse.com. You’ll be on your way to real estate investment success before you know it!

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EnergyStar.gov –  Check Out Energy Rebates

This is a government site that offers lots of energy saving tips as well as explains what energy saving grants or credits might be available.

Here is the latest issue of my foreclosure trends newsletter.  As you can see, the trend is not our friend, in the sense that the housing market has not recovered.  Until jobs come back and people are employed and feel safe in their employment, they will tend to avoid making a committment.

ForeclosureTrends.pdf

Besides the board of realtor sites:  http://theThing.mplsrealtor.com and market data posted elsewhere at http://www.MplsRealtor.com I have a subscription to Realty Trac.  My subscription gives me additional data about foreclosures and trends within certain zip codes.  This is in addition to my daily subscription to Finance & Commerce (a business newspaper that prints all the foreclosure information as well as very timely articles regarding the business community).  If you are looking for someone who has experience and access to information about distressed sales, we need to be working together.  Whether buyer or seller-I can help you understand the market we are in and the options and opportunities available to you.  Give me call today.

These are a couple of my newsletters that have a ton of valuable information. Go check them out.

Foreclosure Market Trends Newsletter
http://www.realtytrac.com/MarketTrends/NewsLetter.aspx?guid=131bd355-1b69-4bd1-99cd-2f0c9a936810

Real Estate Cyber Space Tips
http://www.REcyber.com/cybertips/r11627

Thinking about buying a home but don’t know where to start? Why not start by reading the home buyer hand book that we have provided below. It is a great place to start to get the information you need. When you’re ready, we would love to help you find and finance a new home.

If you’ve never visited http://www.Archive.org, you are missing a wonderful site.  From this site, you will find many resources that are out of copyright and you can download and use them as you wish.  You will find all the classics and some fun things as well.  Just for fun, I have the download of a book called “Little Gardens” which is a book about setting up a garden on a city lot.  This is just one of the MANY fun things you’ll find.  You can download and watch old music, movies, and cartoons as well.  Plan to spend some time on the site should you decide to visit, as it is very cool.  Click here to download the book Little Gardens

VTMM9CRBDMEV

Here is a special report that outlines over 450 ideas on how to sell your home faster.  This report is just one of the many home buyer, home seller, and investor reports that I can make available to you.  Read this report and call me to arrange a time to see how I can help.  Download Now