Foreign national looking for Home equity loan or HELOC

Foreign national looking for Home equity loan or HELOC

Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 0 votes

Hi everyone, my first post on this forum. I'm hoping that someone here can offer some advice on a rather uncommon situation.

I'm an Aussie passport holder with a non-immigrant b1/b2 US visa, so in simple terms I'm a foreign visitor in the USA. Over the past 3 years I have been spending about 6 months a year in the USA; enough time to make me a US tax resident because I meet the "substantial presence test".  I file yearly tax returns with the IRS.

In the USA I own a house (which stays empty when I'm not in the USA) and three duplexes that I rent, all of which are located in AR. The house is worth close to $200K and the three duplexes together are worth around $400K. I have no debt, I purchased these properties with cash.

I plan to stop spending as much time as I have been in the USA so I'm need to decide what to do with the house; it's either sell it or rent it. I want to buy a house in Europe to live in but don't have enough cash for that, so ideally, I would like a Home Equity Loan or a Home Equity Line of Credit on my USA house or duplexes so I can buy a house in Europe, then start renting my USA house to pay off the credit.

Problem is of course I'm not a US resident for immigration purposes, no SSN, and have no credit history in the USA...although I have a US bank account and debit card and I pay utility bills, etc. so maybe I do have some credit history?  I have done some research on this matter found that "Foreign National Mortgages" do exist for foreign visitors wanting to buy property in the USA.  Smaller lenders mainly offer these but some better known banks such also do; but again I don't want a mortgage as I already own the house, I want Home Equity Loan or a Home Equity Line of Credit.

Any suggestions?  Are there other alternatives I should look at like crowdfunding? 

If worst comes to worst and I cannot receive credit I'll just sell the USA house, and because I've owned it and lived in it while in the USA for over two years I will not pay CGT.

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Rental Property Investor · North Palm Beach, FL · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y

@Kostyas Constantine

I work with a lender that works with foreign buyers in the US. Usually they lend at 65%-70% LTV. PM me and I will send you their information.

See this reply in the discussion

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  • Lender · Grand Rapids, MI · Member since 2018 · 703 posts · 446 votes
    6y

    You can do a cash out refi on this no problem. Check with some local banks and they might do a HELOC

  • Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 0 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Tim Johnson:

    You can do a cash out refi on this no problem. Check with some local banks and they might do a HELOC


    I don't have an existing mortgage to do a cash-out refinance.



  • Rental Property Investor · North Palm Beach, FL · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Kostyas Constantine

    I work with a lender that works with foreign buyers in the US. Usually they lend at 65%-70% LTV. PM me and I will send you their information.

  • Lender · Grand Rapids, MI · Member since 2018 · 703 posts · 446 votes
    6y

    @Kostyas Constantine  Thats great, it will allow you to get full cash out then.  You don't need an existing mortgage to get cash out

  • Investor · Adelaide, South Australia · Member since 2015 · 136 posts · 78 votes
    6y

    Hi Kostyas, 

    I am in a similar situation as you but have avoided the substantial presence test so far.

    May I ask how your foreign income is treated in the US? Do you find you're being double taxed?

  • Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 0 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Jordan Sinclair:

    Hi Kostyas, 

    I am in a similar situation as you but have avoided the substantial presence test so far.

    May I ask how your foreign income is treated in the US? Do you find you're being double taxed?

    Sent you a pm. 

  • Flipper/Rehabber · San Diego, CA · Member since 2016 · 17 posts · 4 votes
    6y

    Check with Signature Federal Credit Union. I found they have the best HELOCs 1.9% intro rate for 9months and can do up to 100% LTV. This is unheard of in this day and age. If you have the properties paid off, then you are golden.

  • Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 0 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Eric Traboulay:

    Check with Signature Federal Credit Union. I found they have the best HELOCs 1.9% intro rate for 9months and can do up to 100% LTV. This is unheard of in this day and age. If you have the properties paid off, then you are golden.

    Okay but are you sure they work with non-resident foreigners?

  • Member since 2023 · 1 post · 0 votes
    3y

    I'm licensed on a federal and state level and have access to foreign national mortgage loans as well as wholesale pricing for us residents. Send me an msg and I can assist!

    NMLS ID 2032900

  • Member since 2023 · 59 posts · 25 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Kostyas Constantine:
    Originally posted by @Eric Traboulay:

    Check with Signature Federal Credit Union. I found they have the best HELOCs 1.9% intro rate for 9months and can do up to 100% LTV. This is unheard of in this day and age. If you have the properties paid off, then you are golden.

    Okay but are you sure they work with non-resident foreigners?

    Nope, they won’t.
  • Member since 2023 · 6 posts · 2 votes
    2y

    I am an Indian passport holder, living in Australia and have been in the U.S for 9 years with a valid SSN and credit score.

    I recently closed on a property for around ~130k(fully paid) and I am interested to know if I could get HELOC on this property being a foreign resident?

  • Member since 2024 · 1 post · 0 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Ben Bowen:

    I'm licensed on a federal and state level and have access to foreign national mortgage loans as well as wholesale pricing for us residents. Send me an msg and I can assist!

    NMLS ID 2032900

    Bowen , am in search of cash out/refinance out of an overseas free and clear property . Please let me know if there’s a market on this.

    Thank you. 

  • Stephanie MedellinBusiness Member
    Mortgage Broker · CA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 644 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Kostyas Constantine:
    Originally posted by @Tim Johnson:

    You can do a cash out refi on this no problem. Check with some local banks and they might do a HELOC


    I don't have an existing mortgage to do a cash-out refinance.




     Even if you don't have an existing mortgage, you can do a cash out refinance.  A home equity loan is also a type of mortgage.  A mortgage is really just the lien placed on your property to secure the debt, regardless of the terms (i.e. 1st or 2nd lien, etc.).

    Stephanie Medellin, Loan Factory58 Reviews
  • Investor · Melbourne, Victoria · Member since 2015 · 203 posts · 58 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Rajesh Rajendran:

    I am an Indian passport holder, living in Australia and have been in the U.S for 9 years with a valid SSN and credit score.

    I recently closed on a property for around ~130k(fully paid) and I am interested to know if I could get HELOC on this property being a foreign resident?

     Hi  Rajesh, if you are looking for something outside the conventional lending, i would reach out to @Michal Liviatan Carpenter from Lendai.  They specialise in loans for foreign investors and could certainly look to help

    Cheers

    Lindsay





  • Lender · Toronto, Canada · Member since 2021 · 67 posts · 37 votes
    2y

    Thank you @Lindsay Stewart for the shout out! 

    @Rajesh Rajendran Feel free to DM me with any questions! 

  • Member since 2023 · 59 posts · 25 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Rajesh Rajendran:

    I am an Indian passport holder, living in Australia and have been in the U.S for 9 years with a valid SSN and credit score.

    I recently closed on a property for around ~130k(fully paid) and I am interested to know if I could get HELOC on this property being a foreign resident?

    I managed to get one opened with Better.com.  They worked with my H1-B status.
  • Lender · Washington DC · Member since 2015 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    2y

    Without a social security number and no US credit I known of zero who will give you a HELOC. HELOC's are like credit cards 8.5% start and 22% max.

    You have an ITIN number? A cash out refinance for foreign national is 65% loan to value owner occupied. What do you show for income? Two rentals have $800 monthly income after property tax and insurance? 

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