Lending for non US residents

[Alexandra Leiner]

Dear community, I am a non US resident from Europe who is looking into investing in the US. I am in contact with some lenders to explore options but they all seem to be a bit confused with me being not from the US. Do you know of any lenders who worked with investors from abroad that you can recommend? Thanks in advance for any hint. Best, Alexandra

[Jeff Hamann]

Hard to say precisely without details, but foreign buyers usually have more luck with asset-based lenders instead of traditional banks. For smaller residential investment properties, I'd think you'd find more success with a DSCR loan than a commercial loan from a bank or CU, for example, because it's underwritten on the property's income rather than your residency status. For larger properties, something like a CMBS loan might be an option to consider.

A lot of foreign investors I've spoken to have partnered with American nationals or permanent residents, which does make it easier, but going solo should be totally possible (just likely a reduced lender pool, possibly less favorable terms).