How can a lender tell if a borrower is reliable for trust deed investing?

As a real estate lender, you will have hundreds of potential borrowers that will need your financial help. What sets certain borrowers apart the masses that file into your office? In trust deed investing how do you choose which venture will be the most profitable? There are certain characteristics that you should look for when vetting a potential client.

If you are reading this you are probably having a little trouble deciding between a handful of potential clients. You have come to the right place for advice. Hooray for you. In all seriousness, when it comes to trust deed investing you will have hundreds of different venture that will pique your interest. One month it could be the duo that wants to open a local hostel in the neighborhood. The next could be the moonlighter that wants to get their hands in the business.

Who ever it is, there is a litmus test that you should follow before making your decision on who you give your money to. For example, say you have a client that wants to open a boutique that will require a $800,000; they have a nice shiny and well thought out business plan for breaking into the market. The one hiccup that you find is the property value. When you correctly check you find that the property is only worth $300,000.

Since the margin of safety will not be able to cover the loan, this investment may not work in your favor if business were to hit a rough patch. Of course, you can take the investment if you believe that you will be able to make a return on your money. On the other hand, you could potentially find someone that will be able to give you more for the money. Due diligence is the key to trust deed investing.

Foreclosure is a normal thing when it comes to trust deed investing.

There will be ventures that will fail. Nothing in real estate lasts forever, and foreclosure could happen if your client is not careful. So what happens after your client defaults and foreclosure is in the pipeline? If you are in California usually the foreclosure process would last about four months after the client were to default.

As far as the selling process goes, that should take around 60 days; it may take a little longer if the property was improperly valued. Another thing that you have to take into consideration is bankruptcy. If your lender decides to file for bankruptcy that could add more time to the foreclosure process.

Character is everything when it comes to trust deed investing

One of the best tools a lender or investor can use is intuition. Sure you could look at your borrower’s credit file. You could extensively go through their business plan. But at the end of all your research, your gut could be your saving grace. If you do not feel as though the investment is not for you give it you someone else that is willing to take the risk.

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:      (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
http://www.Level4Funding.com
NMLS 1057378 | AZMB 0923961 | MLO 1057378
22601 N 19th Ave Suite 112 | Phoenix | AZ | 85027
111 Congress Ave |Austin | Texas | 78701

About the author: Dennis has been working in the real estate industry in some capacity for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the amazing investment opportunities provided by trust deed investing and hard money loans. His desire to help others make money in real estate investing led him to specialize in alternative funding for real estate investors who may have trouble getting a traditional bank loan. Dennis is passionate about alternative funding sources and sharing his knowledge with others to help make their dreams come true.

Dennis has been married to his wonderful wife for 42 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.