How do we secure a loan in St. Louis as a newly formed LLC?

How do we secure a loan in St. Louis as a newly formed LLC?

Member since 2021 · 2 posts · 0 votes

Hello there!

I'm having difficulty breaking through gatekeepers for loans and am looking for advice. Here are the details

  • We (my brother and I) have a newly formed Series LLC (this year) with no assets tied to the LLC or any income
  • We are looking to purchase a small multi-family (2-4 units) in the St. Louis area and are looking for homes between 225k and 375k (we can go slightly outside this range if it really makes sense)
  • We have enough of our own capital for 25% down at the above range and then some for renovation/upgrade costs along with personal capital as reserves
  • We have extensive aggregate analysis done on the St. Louis market using MLS data (I'm trained in applied statistics) and have case-by-case analysis tables that use very conservative estimates of how much we can cash flow on the property being analyze

In summary - I think we have our plan/criteria well thought out.

Here is the problem...

We are having trouble with banks even talking to us (e.g., Chase, Bank of America, local St. Louis credit unions) or hearing out our business plan. Typically, the conversation goes "how many years have you been in business and how much do you want." After expressing that we are newly formed, that the loan will depend on the home (200k to 300k loan), I get the "we'll call you back." To which I never hear anything back... These banks require 2 years of income / experience, so is the expectation your first deal should be 100% your own (or private) cash?

My hunch is that I just need to be persistent and pester people until I find someone willing to work with us. I do have a lead, but my leads are drying up. Having a full time job makes sourcing loan leads belabored, but I am willing to increase effort here.

What I want to know... 

Am I missing something? Is it natural for a newly formed LLC to have such difficulty securing a loan? Do I need to say a series of magic words to get that "yes, here is your loan." Any advice or questions would be welcome.

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    David OunanianBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · St. Louis, MO · Member since 2017 · 380 posts · 195 votes
    5y

    Hi @Thomas Julnes I ran into the same problem when I was first starting out.  Basically the bigger the bank the less likely they will be open to loaning to your newly formed company.  Smaller local commercial banks are going to be your best bet.  Relationships go a long way with these banks and they aren't as strict on their underwriting requirements.  My clients and I use several lenders like this in St. Louis.  Happy to introduce you if you need a referral.

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    • David OunanianBusiness Member
      Real Estate Broker · St. Louis, MO · Member since 2017 · 380 posts · 195 votes
      5y

      Hi @Thomas Julnes I ran into the same problem when I was first starting out.  Basically the bigger the bank the less likely they will be open to loaning to your newly formed company.  Smaller local commercial banks are going to be your best bet.  Relationships go a long way with these banks and they aren't as strict on their underwriting requirements.  My clients and I use several lenders like this in St. Louis.  Happy to introduce you if you need a referral.

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    • Lender · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      5y

      @Thomas Julnes this is one of the many trade-offs with banks, big or small.The best way I have found to get small, local banks to work with you (because big banks just won't) is to put your savings into an account there. All banks have deposit ratios that they have to adhere to, so you can't look at it as "I'm a good risk for the bank, so they should lend me money." They are weighing the opportunity cost, saying "should we lend money to Thomas or this other guy, because we might not be able to do both." But if you put your deposits in a savings account there, that can help justify them choosing to lend to you because it increases their overall ability to lend.   

      Or you can just call a hard money lender that works in Missouri and not fool with any of that and close on your property next week. 

    • Member since 2021 · 2 posts · 0 votes
      5y

      @David Ounanian & @Jason Hirko

      Thank you - this confirms a hunch I had. I had a list of small banks, but a few of them said the same thing. One of them is one of my leads who seemed willing to work with me, but I have yet to reach back out as I've been trying to get a larger pool of contacts

      @David Ounanian I would love a referral!

    • Real Estate Professional · West Palm Beach, FL · Member since 2012 · 23k+ posts · 13k+ votes
      5y

      @Thomas Julnes The new LLC is just like a person with no credit history….the LLC itself will get No credit. The credit will be based on your personal incomes/debts/credit scores. In case you don't know, conventional (Freddie/Fannie) loans, which are the bulk of loans used for real estate, can not be made to an LLC, and these are the loans make up the bulk of loans made by the big banks. If you insist on using the llc you'll likely need a commercial DSCR loan or a Portfolio loan (a loan kept by the institution, from a local credit union or small bank.

    • David OunanianBusiness Member
      Real Estate Broker · St. Louis, MO · Member since 2017 · 380 posts · 195 votes
      5y
      Originally posted by @Thomas Julnes:

      @David Ounanian & @Jason Hirko

      Thank you - this confirms a hunch I had. I had a list of small banks, but a few of them said the same thing. One of them is one of my leads who seemed willing to work with me, but I have yet to reach back out as I've been trying to get a larger pool of contacts

      @David Ounanian I would love a referral!

       No problem I'll DM you a referral

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    • Lender · CA · Member since 2019 · 82 posts · 46 votes
      5y

      @Thomas Julnes, Exactly, your New LLC has no credit. But DSCR loans can offer you a loan based on your appraisal upto 75% LTV so with your 25% down, it can work. They can also get a market rent minus 10% as your DSCR ratio not to exceed 1.20. There is DSCR loans that would work but it's a bit more costly than a bank loan. Banks typically want the 2 yrs tax returns for income. DSCR loans will not report to your personal credit report which is a plus as well the loan can go in your LLC name which is another added benefit.

    • Basit SiddiqiBusiness Member
      Accountant · New York, NY · Member since 2015 · 8k+ posts · 3k+ votes
      5y

      @Thomas Julnes

      You won't be eligible for conventional financing through the LLC(Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Loans).

      You will likely be required to get a portfolio / commercial loan where you and your brother will be asked to guarantee the note.

      Best of luck!

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