Hard Money with Equity Instead of Cash?

Hard Money with Equity Instead of Cash?

Real Estate Consultant · Centennial, CO · Member since 2017 · 10 posts · 0 votes

Is anyone aware of any Hard Money Lenders that would lend on the equity in a property? Essentially they would create a lien on the property for the 10-15% most HML require? This would be a seperate property from the property being purchased and rehabed. I am not sure if I heard this could be done or if I dreamt about it. I am in Colorado so my property has a large equity amount but I can't access it without refinancing which I don't want to do, I would like to use a small portion of the equity I have in my property to use HM to get another property. Thanks in advance for any insight.

0Reply
61 views

Most Popular Reply

Justin CooperPro Member
Hard Money Lender / Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2011 · 50 posts · 34 votes
6y

Hi @Steve Montalvo

I am a hard money lender in Denver and thought I would jump in and shed some light on a few of the thoughts and concerns above.

First off, not all hard money lenders will require 10-15% down.  There seem to be more and more of us everyday so it is certainly worth calling around to see the options out there.  There are some lenders that will lend 100% of the purchase price and even 100% of the repairs, so keep calling! 

Most hard money lenders do not want to go into 2nd position.  most of us want to be the first and maybe even the only line holder on the property.  Also, I think you are trying to access the equity in your primary residence, correct? so even if you do find someone that will lend in  junior position or cross collateralize, they may not be willing to do that against an owner occupied property.  They may only be interested in lending on investment properties.  

Most hard money lenders do want to take a look at your credit but most will take a more common sense approach, focusing more on the credit report than on the credit score.  so if there is a good reason as to why your score is low and you are now digging your way out and things are going well, it will just take some time, then hard money lenders might be able to get comfortable with you and your credit, more so than conventional lenders.'

As a hard money lender, I strive to set my clients up to succeed, and not fail.  When investors fail it is usually because they run out of money.  Without diving too deep into your situation, When I see you wanting to leverage other properties and borrow more money for the down payments, it make me wonder if you do not have a lot of cash on hand right now.  If that is the case, and you find a way to overage this other property, but then still run out of money when a contractor skips out on your or the change orders start adding up, etc etc, Then you are at risk of losing both properties.  Having enough cash on hand is always important and often overlooked, just be careful here.

That all being said, I don't think anyone had mentioned bringing in a partner or private lender.  Both of these might be a good option to either get money on that high equity property or to come in and be a part of your new deal.  This could be a way to spread the risk and maybe even bring someone in with experience and/or time to help the project be successful.  

Long story short, call around to the lenders and explain what you are hoping to do and see if they can find a way to help and keep an eye on your own situation to make sure you will not get over leveraged and in trouble.

See this reply in the discussion

13 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Realtor · Southern NJ · Member since 2017 · 188 posts · 68 votes
    6y

    Hey Steve, I"m not sure about the HML option, but what about a HELOC? That would allow you to keep your existing mortgage on your first property but access the equity in it as a revolving line of credit. And it would be at better rates than the 10-15% you are talking about (I just got one here in NJ for like 5%). Another alternative is what we do, which is help you get setup with business lines of credit so it's not tied to a property and does not show up on your personal credit report. This way if you ever sell your first property, you don't lose all your working capital.

  • Real Estate Consultant · Centennial, CO · Member since 2017 · 10 posts · 0 votes
    6y

    Yea that does make sense, but I am trying to avoid using my credit at all. Most HML don't typically do a credit check since the money is being lent on a specific property.

  • Real Estate Consultant · Wittenberg, WI · Member since 2014 · 572 posts · 572 votes
    6y
    We have done that for our clients on a case by case basis. We cross collateralize the 2 properties. BUT, the bulk of value has to be in the new aquisition because we don't like to be in 2nd position. I would suggest contacting local HML'S because the national lenders likely won't be flexible.
  • Real Estate Consultant · Centennial, CO · Member since 2017 · 10 posts · 0 votes
    6y

    @Derek Dombeck thanks so much for the insight, as long as there is a possibility I will look for someone. I just wasn't sure if it actually happened at all in the industry, thanks!

  • Realtor · Southern NJ · Member since 2017 · 188 posts · 68 votes
    6y

    @Steve Montalvo

    Hi Steve, if you don't mind me asking, why are you trying to do it without using your credit?

  • Real Estate Consultant · Centennial, CO · Member since 2017 · 10 posts · 0 votes
    6y

    @Chris Teti a divorce left my credit in absolute shambles and if I didn’t have a mortgage already I wouldn’t qualify for one.

  • Realtor · Southern NJ · Member since 2017 · 188 posts · 68 votes
    6y

    @Steve Montalvo

    Got it. Thanks for sharing. If you are interested, there are still ways to get you capital even with bad credit. If you want to talk, message me and we'll setup a time to talk. Good luck man.

  • Real Estate Consultant · Centennial, CO · Member since 2017 · 10 posts · 0 votes
    6y

    I appreciate it, thanks!

  • Specialist · Delran, NJ · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 951 votes
    6y

    @Steve Montalvo just to check do you have a HML lined up that isn't running your credit. Most HML I know do run credit checks on borrowers.

  • Real Estate Consultant · Centennial, CO · Member since 2017 · 10 posts · 0 votes
    6y

    @Odie Ayaga yes sir, there are several here in Colorado that are asset based lenders, so they don’t perform a credit check.

  • Flipper/Rehabber · Member since 2019 · 4 posts · 4 votes
    6y

    @Steve Montalvo

    I was just able to achieve this and closed yesterday. Money was wired today. I will ask tomorrow if the folks I used can lend in CO if you’d like.

  • Real Estate Consultant · Centennial, CO · Member since 2017 · 10 posts · 0 votes
    6y

    @Matt Dalton that would be awesome, thanks so much!

  • Justin CooperPro Member
    Hard Money Lender / Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2011 · 50 posts · 34 votes
    6y

    Hi @Steve Montalvo

    I am a hard money lender in Denver and thought I would jump in and shed some light on a few of the thoughts and concerns above.

    First off, not all hard money lenders will require 10-15% down.  There seem to be more and more of us everyday so it is certainly worth calling around to see the options out there.  There are some lenders that will lend 100% of the purchase price and even 100% of the repairs, so keep calling! 

    Most hard money lenders do not want to go into 2nd position.  most of us want to be the first and maybe even the only line holder on the property.  Also, I think you are trying to access the equity in your primary residence, correct? so even if you do find someone that will lend in  junior position or cross collateralize, they may not be willing to do that against an owner occupied property.  They may only be interested in lending on investment properties.  

    Most hard money lenders do want to take a look at your credit but most will take a more common sense approach, focusing more on the credit report than on the credit score.  so if there is a good reason as to why your score is low and you are now digging your way out and things are going well, it will just take some time, then hard money lenders might be able to get comfortable with you and your credit, more so than conventional lenders.'

    As a hard money lender, I strive to set my clients up to succeed, and not fail.  When investors fail it is usually because they run out of money.  Without diving too deep into your situation, When I see you wanting to leverage other properties and borrow more money for the down payments, it make me wonder if you do not have a lot of cash on hand right now.  If that is the case, and you find a way to overage this other property, but then still run out of money when a contractor skips out on your or the change orders start adding up, etc etc, Then you are at risk of losing both properties.  Having enough cash on hand is always important and often overlooked, just be careful here.

    That all being said, I don't think anyone had mentioned bringing in a partner or private lender.  Both of these might be a good option to either get money on that high equity property or to come in and be a part of your new deal.  This could be a way to spread the risk and maybe even bring someone in with experience and/or time to help the project be successful.  

    Long story short, call around to the lenders and explain what you are hoping to do and see if they can find a way to help and keep an eye on your own situation to make sure you will not get over leveraged and in trouble.

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