Learn To Be A Fix and Flip Investor: February 2017

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

When is a Business Loan Right for You?

Are you considering a business loan, but aren’t quite sure if the timing is right loan for your business? If so then you’ve come to the right place to help you figure it out.

The hard truth is that if you are a large business, in many ways, the world of lending is your oyster. However, if you are a small business not only do you have fewer lending options you probably do not have a clue of where to begin or in this case when to begin. Well, that’s okay. Statistically speaking, most small businesses (newer businesses) or rather more like only half of small/ newer businesses in the US apply for financing. So as you can see you are not alone in be wary or fully apprised when it comes to applying or securing a business loan.

Moreover, you are not alone in your uncertain quest for the right business loan because when asked most small business owners admitted to believing that financing was just too hard to find due to the mainstream or traditional lending options available. Well, the truth is they are not completely wrong. Small business owners do, in fact, have a harder time of securing financing generally if they do not explore non-traditional lending options or if they do not truly take the time to understand what’s required of them since they are small business borrowers.

In other words, if alternative lending options are not your thing per se and you are still looking for additional financing then it’s time to understand your eligibility as a small business. In general, you should also decide what are your top priorities are i.e. money today or better terms and a lower interest rate. By simply doing these two things, you can put your small business in the best position in the short-term as well as the long-term. With that being said, let’s go over what it means to be eligible for additional financing as a small business.

Understanding Your Eligibility

Unsurprisingly, most traditional lenders and alternative lenders look for specific factors when approving a business applicant such as your revenue, the age of the business, your personal FICO score, how you plan to use the additional financing as well as the amount you are requesting i.e. the size of the proposed loan. One factor, in particular, that many small business owners tend to not give too much weight to is the age of the business. But, in reality, this factor matters and it matters a lot. Generally, most lending institution will offer you better options if your business has been operational for more than two years.

Timing Is Everything

Thus, it almost goes without saying that the best for securing additional financing is when your business has been successfully operating for at least two years. Are you curious as to why two years is the lucky number? Well, you shouldn’t be. It is because a significant number of small/newer businesses fail in the first two years and even more fail in the first three. Thus, you can see not only is it your best interest, in general, to getting your footing as a business it is also advantageous when it comes to additional financing.

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.

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Hard Money Lenders—Dallas Rehab Financing

By now, you know that there are reputable lenders in practically every state, especially hard money lenders. Dallas lenders of hard money, in particular, are some of the most reputable lenders you can find, even when dealing with rehab financing and rehab projects.

If you are a newcomer, you may not know that lenders that provide rehab financing are, in many ways, just niche hard money lenders. Dallas lenders who specialize in hard money rehab loans, however, are not necessarily on every corner, therefore, you need to know what to look for when it comes to these particular kinds of hard money lenders. Dallas rehab projects, similar to other rehab ventures, are held up to a higher standard in the world of hard money lending, so let us discuss what that standard entails.

For starters, these particular niche lenders, if you will, consider several crucial things when deciding whether or not to approve your hard money financing. For example, what you paid for the particular piece of property is always a discussion topic. These lenders want to ensure that their investment, as well as their investor’s stake in your project, is protected. In other words, if you purchase the property and do not make any improvements there needs to be protections in place.

Similarly, your lender and potential investor will be highly concerned about your rehab project’s upside potential. Of course, this is not to say this will factoring into your loan to value ratio, but rather that it will help everyone determine how potentially risky extending financing may be. In addition to these factors, your lender will want to fully understand the nature and extent of your rehab project, as well as the ins and outs of your personal financials.

Other Things to Consider

Besides the above-mentioned concerns, your future niche lender will also want to ensure that you meet your repayment terms for your rehab loan. Thus, you will quickly see that though you are securing your rehab project via hard money, there are expectations and firm commitments that you won’t often see with other kinds of financing. Of course, there is no need to panic all this means is that you need to work within the timeframe or rather fixed period. However, if you are unable to work within your set time period for whatever reason, then you have to deal with prepay penalties. Prepay penalties are typically standard when dealing with rehab loans, so it is important to keep them in mind when moving forward with your hard money financing.

How to Make Money with Rehab Financing

Ultimately, if you play your cards right you can secure hard money financing for your rehab project or venture fairly easy. It is all a matter of knowing what to expect from your lender, understanding the market and ensuring that your rehab project has what it takes to turn a profit while allowing you to avoid any prepay penalties or fees. Remember, you can earn a sizable return with the assistance of a rehab loan, so if you don’t know where to start your lender search ask around!

Happy senior business man making his notes at work Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC Private Hard Money Lender
Arizona Tel: (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel: (512) 516-1177
Dennis@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.

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Business Purpose Loans –Line of Credit vs. Term loans

So, you have decided that business purpose loans are what you are after, but, you aren’t clear on the difference between choosing a line of credit or a term loan or which option is best.

If you are like most people seeking business purpose loans, you’ve more than likely come across dozens of lengthy and complicated applications or required forms. On the rare occasion, you may have come across a straightforward application and let out a sigh of relief. Maybe, next, you happily grab your pen to fill in the blanks or began clicking on the appropriate boxes on your computer till suddenly you realize that you are halfway through one of the most straightforward application for business purpose loans you had ever seen.

But, more than likely just as you believed that you could fill out this particular application without any obstacles or feelings of anxiety, you came across the loan request information section. There in that section, you were innocently asked to fill out your primary purpose (working capital, purchase inventory or equipment or real estate, debt restructuring, accounts receivables, improvement or other) –no biggie. But, then suddenly almost out of nowhere or just right next to the primary purpose boxes, you see it—loan type requested, check the appropriate box for a line of credit or a term loan.

At first, you may have wanted to clearly check the term loan box; after all, it is all you’ve known when it comes to loans. But, maybe you liked the way “line of credit” sounded in your head. Well, snap out of it. This is your business, though, you do not have the luxury to kid around or make decisions based solely on the way the sound. So, what can you do? Well, first stop filling out the application i.e. put the pen down or stop typing if you haven’t already and let’s go over whether you are in the market for a line of credit or a term loan.

How to evaluate your Loan Type
The best way to evaluate which loan type is right for your business is to first and foremost understand what these terms truly mean. A line of credit, in regards to these particular kinds of loans, is very much still like any other line of credit. This means you have access to a specific amount of business-use only financing. It also means that you are not required to make any payments or deal with those pesky interest rates until you actually use the funds—think of it like a credit card. Term loans, on the other hand, means lump sum financing that you pay back over agreed upon period of time (amortization period).

The Real Deal
So who do you choose? Well, term loans are best if you are talking about specific long-term investments like making improvements or buying equipment. A Line of credit is more about having access to financing when you need it the most i.e. think short-term here. With that being said, mull it over some more, do your research and think about your priorities then you can check your appropriate box.

Happy senior business man making his notes at work

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Monday, February 27, 2017

Common Issues that can keep you from securing a Business Loan

Are you interested in securing additional financing? If the answer is yes, then it is absolutely vital to make sure that you have all of your ducks in a row before you begin the application process.

Securing a business loan involves careful planning, to say the least. You need to be clear on things you need, things you want, what assets you have and how you are going to pay it all back regardless of whether or not your business, itself, survives. Thus, long story short, getting a business loan is more than filling out an application.

In fact, even before you start filling out applications, you should make sure that you’ve successfully avoided any serious missteps or common issues to ensure that you are denied down the line. For instance, many business owners, much like regular people have a few skeletons in their closets. If your business has a dark past for some reason like say you had trouble paying past debt, you better believe that, in many ways, securing your business loan just became a pipe dream.

Similarly, having a lack of cash flow is also another non-starter for most lenders. Unsurprisingly, your cash flow tells your potential lenders how much cash you have available to, wait for it, pay back a loan. Of course, if you have tons of cash on hand, you may be asking yourself, why apply for a loan in the first place? Well, as you very well know, loans help businesses of all sizes accomplish a variety of projects, ventures, and business upgrades. Nevertheless, you should always ask yourself if you and your business are actually able to afford additional financing.

Other Issues that scream Danger beware Danger

Having bad credit and a lack of cash flow aren’t your only concerns, you also need to make sure that you have a clear plan for the future and that your head is not in the business clouds sort of speak. For instance, if you approach a lender will a careless or hopelessly romantic attitude about your business plans or your plan for additional financing you better believe you are going to turn off some reputable lenders. So, again be clear about your projected earnings, your plan for business and be organized—nothing is worse than not having the right documentation on hand or appearing unprepared i.e. being disorganized. Other common issues that can easily derail your additional financing plans for your business include being too picky or reserved when it comes to your lending options as well as letting a rejection impact your plans ( at least one of your loan applications will be denied that is the nature of business; remember you cannot be everyone’s cup of tea).

Make Your Dreams come true

At the end of the day, you can easily address these above-mentioned issues with just a little elbow grease and once you do remember it is still important to have a strong pitch prepared for your potential lenders and to be passionate about your future plans when dealing with lenders. Lastly, if you are a small business or a newer company take your time making this decision as it is everyone’s interest to not bite off more than you can chew.

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Hard Money Lenders—Dallas Refinancing

There are a variety of things you can accomplish with hard money lenders. Dallas lenders who offer hard money financing, for instance, are more than willing to work with you no matter your financing or refinancing needs.

Generally, when people are looking to refinancing in the real estate market, it is for several reasons, with the most prominent reason being foreclosures. Nevertheless, if you are like most borrowers, you more than likely believe that foreclosure cannot be overcome with the help of hard money lenders. Dallas lenders, in particular, actually have a clear record of helping borrowers avoid foreclosure via refinancing.

Thus, at this point, you are probably wondering, just how can one accomplish this with hard money lenders? Dallas lenders, as well as the majority of other lenders of hard money, can easily help you avoid or rather overcome foreclosure via refinancing by following a few simple steps. This means, for starters, compiling a list of lenders who offer hard money financing in your area.

Upon doing so, you more than likely know you need to investigate every potential lender that is offering the kind of assistance you need. In this case, you would be doing your research on refinancing with hard money. While narrowing down your lender options, make it a point to compare interest rates, fees, and loan terms. It is important to do so, especially with refinancing, so that you do not put yourself in further debt or in a situation where you are unable to pay back the hard money you borrowed. During this stage, you will also want to obtain as much information as possible about the value of your home, the terms of the pending foreclose and of course, your financial documents (tax returns, bank statements, credit report and so on).

How to Secure your Hard Money Refinancing

Once you have taken care of the basics, you need to shift your focus a bit and make sure that you everything you need for hard money financing. Upon completion and submission of your hard money financing package, you should find out in approximately a week or so whether or not you can move forward with your refinancing. Once approved, you will clearly use the secured funds to overcome your pending foreclosure. With that being said, however, it is important to continue looking for financing as hard money financing is only short-term or rather a band-aid for the foreclosure.

A True Helping Hand

In the end, the securing hard money refinancing is not overly complicated or too different from secure standard financing. Thus, you should be able to use the financing you obtained to save your home. Typically, as briefly mentioned, hard money financing is short-term regardless of its intended use, therefore, you should not only use this time to find long-term financing, you should also fix whatever credit issues or financial problems that brought you to lenders of hard money in the first place. Of course, this may be difficult to do in such a short period of time, but the good news is it is possible and most loan terms for hard money refinancing can be extended to up to 2 years.

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Business Purpose Loans and You

Using your home as collateral in order to secure a loan for major purchases used to be a way of life for many homeowners. However, in today’s world, gone are the days where you can use your home as collateral for just about anything rather today you have very few loan options at your disposal if you want to use your home as collateral—enter business purpose loans.

Business purpose loans are not necessarily all the rage right now and oddly enough it’s not because they aren’t a great option for individuals who are seeking additional financing. Instead, business purpose loans are just that—for business purposes. Of course, many people did not and still don’t like this restriction that has developed in recent years. But, truth be told this fairly new restriction on using the equity in one’s home is actually doing more good than harm.

For instance, everyone remembers the housing market a few years ago and the horrible state of the economy. It was at this time, unfortunately, that people were essentially borrowing against their homes for expensive non-everyday purchases and when they could no longer afford the items they purchased so too went the collateral for the loans. In fact, many people outright lost their homes for defaulting on the loan itself. Thus, you can see why it was time for a serious change.

With that being said, securing a loan using your home as collateral can be extremely beneficial for your business. For example, you can use these particular loans to start a business (obviously) or improve your business (make upgrades or new construction, new equipment or inventory, etc.). Furthermore, you can use these particular loans to even pay off business-related debt that you incurred if you so choose. Moreover, many or rather some of the lenders that offer loans for business purposes want to now ensure that you can still keep your home in the event of default or inability to pay.

Risk Less and Gain More

So at this point, you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with me? Well, the answer is nothing, unless you want to use your home as collateral in order to start or maintain or improve your business. If that’s not something you are interested in at the moment or you are perfectly content running your startup from your home office then, by all means, it’s your business and you can run it how you want to. But if, on the other hand, you are interested in the potential of these particular loans, which more than likely you are, then why not take some time to do a little research and find out how a loan of this nature can work for you.

Becoming a Savvy Business Owner

Just as a side note, additional financing for your business, in general, is never a bad idea if it will ultimately help your bottom line. Ultimately, there are dozens of reasons you may need a loan of this nature; so do your homework and remember there’s never any gain without a little risk.

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