Small loans - who lends on property under 100K?

Small loans - who lends on property under 100K?

Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2015 · 86 posts · 21 votes

Greetings all,

I'm finding some good low cost, cash flowing properties in Ohio. Problem is, my usual lenders will not lend on these because their minimum loan is 100K.  Is there an option out there for conventional loans for buy and hold investors who want properties under 80K?

Thank you,

Tom Camarda

2Reply
217 views

Most Popular Reply

Chris MasonPro Member
Moderator
Lender · CA · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 10k+ votes
9y
Originally posted by @Mushfiq S.:
Originally posted by @James Wise:
Originally posted by @Mushfiq S.:
Originally posted by @James Wise:
Originally posted by @Tom Camarda:

Greetings all,

I'm finding some good low cost, cash flowing properties in Ohio. Problem is, my usual lenders will not lend on these because their minimum loan is 100K.  Is there an option out there for conventional loans for buy and hold investors who want properties under 80K?

Thank you,

Tom Camarda

 Tom,

Citizens bank, Wells Fargo & MB Financial will all lend on sub 80k properties. MB will actually loan on sub 30k properties if you were going that route.

 Would these banks charge additional points or other fees in order to cover the cost of underwriting?

Of course, nobody works for free.

 Yes. No on works for free. I was saying in comparison to a loan for say about $200k versus one under $50k. Would they have additional costs that are not present in larger loans?

I do not want to go through the underwriting if the costs are extremely high.

 Origination costs that lenders incur are relatively flat. The underwriter doesn't get paid less for your $75k deal than she does on that $500k deal. And so on. 

As a % of amount financed, that number will shoot up as loan amount decreases. Which, in turn, creates a bunch of compliance hurdles because CFPB QM rules focus on % of loan amount as the metric.

If the advice in this thread hasn't gotten you an answer yet, google search "poorest zip code in Ohio" and find out who is doing those mortgages. If you need to, call the listing agents on some $50k listings, say "hey I was thinking of putting an offer in on your listing at 123 Main St  but my lender says they can't go that low... do you know anyone?" There's your willing expert. 

See this reply in the discussion

43 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Investor · Lodi, NJ · Member since 2013 · 487 posts · 179 votes
    9y
    Try to find local credit unions in that area. They should lend below $100k. I have similar situations in PA where typical units are $30k or so. Local lenders work with the market.
  • James MasottiPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Washington Township, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 976 votes
    9y
    Tom Camarda - I agree with the others. Lots of lenders out there will go under $100k since there are many markets where that is a "normal" house price. Shop around for community banks in Ohio where you are looking or try credit unions. This is where I've had the best luck. I'll be calling a ton of banks next week to start looking for a new lender since mine notified me last week they changed their lending criteria. I have no doubt I'll find someone.
  • Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2015 · 86 posts · 21 votes
    9y

    Community Banks and credit unions. Great ideas. Thank you guys!

  • Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 4 posts · 1 vote
    9y

    It seems certain local community banks in Cleveland (Westfield and Pioneer) have policies that limit their lending to Ohio residents. Has anyone else encountered this?

  • Bill BockwoldtPro Member
    Investor · Petaluma, CA · Member since 2013 · 58 posts · 33 votes
    9y

    I used Quicken Loans on several rental properties and they go below $100k loan sizes. They charge extra, but they also had no issue going beyond the 5 mortgage limit imposed by many banks (some stop at 10, etc.). Try calling them and see what they say. Good luck.

  • Rental Property Investor · Blacklick, OH · Member since 2016 · 286 posts · 253 votes
    9y

    @Tom Camarda I work with a few lenders that will go below 100k, pm if you are interested.

  • Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Tom Camarda:

    Greetings all,

    I'm finding some good low cost, cash flowing properties in Ohio. Problem is, my usual lenders will not lend on these because their minimum loan is 100K.  Is there an option out there for conventional loans for buy and hold investors who want properties under 80K?

    Thank you,

    Tom Camarda

     Tom,

    Citizens bank, Wells Fargo & MB Financial will all lend on sub 80k properties. MB will actually loan on sub 30k properties if you were going that route.

  • Seattle, WA · Member since 2016 · 249 posts · 54 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Tom Camarda:

    Greetings all,

    I'm finding some good low cost, cash flowing properties in Ohio. Problem is, my usual lenders will not lend on these because their minimum loan is 100K.  Is there an option out there for conventional loans for buy and hold investors who want properties under 80K?

    Thank you,

    Tom Camarda

     Tom,

    Citizens bank, Wells Fargo & MB Financial will all lend on sub 80k properties. MB will actually loan on sub 30k properties if you were going that route.

     Would these banks charge additional points or other fees in order to cover the cost of underwriting?

  • Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Mushfiq S.:
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Tom Camarda:

    Greetings all,

    I'm finding some good low cost, cash flowing properties in Ohio. Problem is, my usual lenders will not lend on these because their minimum loan is 100K.  Is there an option out there for conventional loans for buy and hold investors who want properties under 80K?

    Thank you,

    Tom Camarda

     Tom,

    Citizens bank, Wells Fargo & MB Financial will all lend on sub 80k properties. MB will actually loan on sub 30k properties if you were going that route.

     Would these banks charge additional points or other fees in order to cover the cost of underwriting?

    Of course, nobody works for free.

  • Seattle, WA · Member since 2016 · 249 posts · 54 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Mushfiq S.:
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Tom Camarda:

    Greetings all,

    I'm finding some good low cost, cash flowing properties in Ohio. Problem is, my usual lenders will not lend on these because their minimum loan is 100K.  Is there an option out there for conventional loans for buy and hold investors who want properties under 80K?

    Thank you,

    Tom Camarda

     Tom,

    Citizens bank, Wells Fargo & MB Financial will all lend on sub 80k properties. MB will actually loan on sub 30k properties if you were going that route.

     Would these banks charge additional points or other fees in order to cover the cost of underwriting?

    Of course, nobody works for free.

     Yes. No on works for free. I was saying in comparison to a loan for say about $200k versus one under $50k. Would they have additional costs that are not present in larger loans?

    I do not want to go through the underwriting if the costs are extremely high.

  • Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Mushfiq S.:
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Mushfiq S.:
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Tom Camarda:

    Greetings all,

    I'm finding some good low cost, cash flowing properties in Ohio. Problem is, my usual lenders will not lend on these because their minimum loan is 100K.  Is there an option out there for conventional loans for buy and hold investors who want properties under 80K?

    Thank you,

    Tom Camarda

     Tom,

    Citizens bank, Wells Fargo & MB Financial will all lend on sub 80k properties. MB will actually loan on sub 30k properties if you were going that route.

     Would these banks charge additional points or other fees in order to cover the cost of underwriting?

    Of course, nobody works for free.

     Yes. No on works for free. I was saying in comparison to a loan for say about $200k versus one under $50k. Would they have additional costs that are not present in larger loans?

    I do not want to go through the underwriting if the costs are extremely high.

     Sounds like your next step would be to contact some lenders and request a fee sheet. Then decide if the cost to buy a property in that range is worth it to you or not.

  • Investor · Redding, CA · Member since 2016 · 180 posts · 102 votes
    9y

    We've never had trouble finding a lender for property under $100,000 but we have had some balk at loans below $60k. That said, we never go through big banks - always local, credit unions, or mortgage brokers who can pull from a variety of lending sources including conventional.

  • Investor · Gaithersburg, MD · Member since 2013 · 659 posts · 441 votes
    9y

    Your smaller banks.  The local or statewide ones will loan almost any amount.  Credit unions might work too if you can qualify to be a member (which with most you can).  Regional ones might depending on various factors, but sticking with banks no bigger than the state you are in is a good place to go.  Almost all of my loans are under $100k and I use a statewide bank where I invest.  Never had any issues.

  • Chris MasonPro Member
    Moderator
    Lender · CA · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Mushfiq S.:
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Mushfiq S.:
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Tom Camarda:

    Greetings all,

    I'm finding some good low cost, cash flowing properties in Ohio. Problem is, my usual lenders will not lend on these because their minimum loan is 100K.  Is there an option out there for conventional loans for buy and hold investors who want properties under 80K?

    Thank you,

    Tom Camarda

     Tom,

    Citizens bank, Wells Fargo & MB Financial will all lend on sub 80k properties. MB will actually loan on sub 30k properties if you were going that route.

     Would these banks charge additional points or other fees in order to cover the cost of underwriting?

    Of course, nobody works for free.

     Yes. No on works for free. I was saying in comparison to a loan for say about $200k versus one under $50k. Would they have additional costs that are not present in larger loans?

    I do not want to go through the underwriting if the costs are extremely high.

     Origination costs that lenders incur are relatively flat. The underwriter doesn't get paid less for your $75k deal than she does on that $500k deal. And so on. 

    As a % of amount financed, that number will shoot up as loan amount decreases. Which, in turn, creates a bunch of compliance hurdles because CFPB QM rules focus on % of loan amount as the metric.

    If the advice in this thread hasn't gotten you an answer yet, google search "poorest zip code in Ohio" and find out who is doing those mortgages. If you need to, call the listing agents on some $50k listings, say "hey I was thinking of putting an offer in on your listing at 123 Main St  but my lender says they can't go that low... do you know anyone?" There's your willing expert. 

  • Investor · Pueblo West, CO · Member since 2014 · 310 posts · 213 votes
    9y

    I bought a primary house in Florida in 2012 with a original loan of 90K from a local credit union. That house is now a rental. I once asked about their commercial loan rates and they weren't very good.

  • Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2014 · 636 posts · 486 votes
    9y

    @Chris Mason's advice is on point, as per usual. If all else fails, you can always go hard money; I'm currently lending someone $32k (of course I'm much more expensive than conventional financing).

  • Investor · Menifee, CA · Member since 2015 · 25 posts · 15 votes
    9y

    I have had 2 great experiences with Guaranteed Rate, one loan amount was  $48,800. They were quick and responsive and everything was easy and closed right on time. Rate was at going market for IP and fees are required to be under a certain amount anyway to stay in compliance.

  • Ian WalshBusiness Member
    Lender · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    We do loans under 100k but we like the ARV to be at a certain threshold in our markets. Eastern PA, South Jersey, MD, DC and NVa.

  • Mechanicsburg, PA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y

    @Tom Camarda

    Credit Unions, small local and regional banks. Just settled one a couple weeks ago, 4.5% fixed for 10 years, 20 year amortization, 75% LTV, less than $100K with Credit Union.

    Also have used "Signature Loans" from credit unions many times for down payments and rehab costs; typical $10k to $75K, no collateral, around 8-9%

  • Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2015 · 86 posts · 21 votes
    9y

    Thank you all for the great responses!! This is very helpful! TC

  • Real Estate Agent · Circleville, OH · Member since 2008 · 633 posts · 488 votes
    9y

    Local credit unions and portfolio lenders, specifically ask for their commercial division.

    It isn't easy to find , but there are ones out there. If you're in Central Ohio I could give you some recommendations. But any non-national bank may be a good fit. Some may have you do a line of credit if the house is under $50k though.

  • Rental Property Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2014 · 108 posts · 49 votes
    9y

    We have sub-$100k loans (via our broker) with Caliber, Huntington and Stearns all in Ohio.

  • Denver, CO · Member since 2014 · 6 posts · 5 votes
    9y

    I'm looking to flip houses in the Middle Georgia area now, so I have spoken with 15+ mortgage brokers and banks in the past month. I focused on small local / regional groups. I've found that loan minimums are $50k for most lenders in the Middle Georgia area. Of the 15 brokers I spoke with, only one would loan in a way that supports the BRRRR strategy. And I had to talk to her three different times for ~30 minutes to figure out the answer because she initially said they couldn't support what I was looking for (lending laws and bank policies are complex).

    My point is simply that you should expect to spend some time on the phone with the mortgage officers and keep making phone calls until you find what you need. I was looking for something specific, and I didn't stop making calls and asking questions until I found it.

  • James MasottiPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Washington Township, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 976 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @David Krulac:

    @Tom Camarda

    Credit Unions, small local and regional banks. Just settled one a couple weeks ago, 4.5% fixed for 10 years, 20 year amortization, 75% LTV, less than $100K with Credit Union.

    Also have used "Signature Loans" from credit unions many times for down payments and rehab costs; typical $10k to $75K, no collateral, around 8-9%

    David - Those are great terms. Just curious if you feel your getting those terms because of the relationship you've developed with the credit union over the years or if that's what they are offering out more generically. 

    Trying to get a grasp on how regionalized terms are for the smaller banks and credit unions so that I can take advantage of this if possible. 

  • James MasottiPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Washington Township, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 976 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Tim Spires:

    I'm looking to flip houses in the Middle Georgia area now, so I have spoken with 15+ mortgage brokers and banks in the past month. I focused on small local / regional groups. I've found that loan minimums are $50k for most lenders in the Middle Georgia area. Of the 15 brokers I spoke with, only one would loan in a way that supports the BRRRR strategy. And I had to talk to her three different times for ~30 minutes to figure out the answer because she initially said they couldn't support what I was looking for (lending laws and bank policies are complex).

    My point is simply that you should expect to spend some time on the phone with the mortgage officers and keep making phone calls until you find what you need. I was looking for something specific, and I didn't stop making calls and asking questions until I found it.

     I imagine talking to a mortgage broker rather than directly to the lending institution might have something to do with the minimum as well. The broker has to make a fee on top of whatever the bank is charging them. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the broker who is setting the $50k minimum and not the bank, because the broker doesn't want to do all the work of originating the mortgage just so they can get a $100 fee or something like that.

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.