Property Manager · Phialdelphia, PA · Member since 2017 · 509 posts · 627 votes
Hi all , first post in a while. I'm hoping someone with boots on the ground in Puerto Rico can point me in the right direction.
We own a condo already in PR, so we're not new to buying on the island. We have a second condo under contract with a hard close date of October 14.
We spent the last six weeks in underwriting with FirstBank PR. They asked for every document imaginable, we produced all of it, and today they denied the loan — not on income, not on credit, but on the number of real estate loans we carry.
Where we actually stand:
Both borrowers are high earners with strong credit
Most of our loans are DSCR or commercial products; only two are conventional
What I'm looking for is a PR-based DSCR or commercial lender who underwrites the deal and the borrower's income rather than counting up every entity and loan on the schedule, and who can realistically close in about three weeks.
If you've closed a DSCR or commercial loan in PR recently, I'd be grateful for a name. Happy to take referrals by DM, and glad to share how it turns out — this seems like a problem other mainland investors buying in PR run into.
Lender · Member since 2022 · 6k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4d
Hey Yuriy,
Do you have a fannie mae condo questionnaire completed yet? The tricky part is confirming whether or not the condo is warrantable or non-warrantable. Also, do you know if the project is in a flood/ wind zone?
Lender · Toledo, OH · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 96 votes
4d
I may be able to help with this. I work with multiple investor funding sources, but Puerto Rico is more specialized than a standard mainland DSCR deal.
With an October 14 hard close, I’d want to review the basic deal structure immediately before saying whether I have a fit. I’ll send you a DM.
Lender · Boynton Beach, FL · Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 0 votes
2d
Hey Yuriy, tough break on FirstBank after 6 weeks - I see that a lot with conventional counting all entities.
Quick question - is the new condo warrantable / Fannie questionnaire already done? And is it 5+ units or single condo? I'm a referral partner with a DSCR / Commercial group in Boynton Beach, FL that underwrites off rental income vs. personal loan count, similar to what you described.
I know PR can be state-specific - do you know if your title company allows mainland DSCR docs? If you want, DM me the rent / price / HOA and I can run it by our team to see if PR is in our footprint for Oct 14 timeline. No pressure at all.
I'm Justin, mortgage broker — I do DSCR and commercial nationwide, including Puerto Rico. A bank declining you on loan count is a classic DSCR use case; most of my investors carry 10+ loans. DM me the condo details (purchase price, down payment, expected rent) and I'll tell you today whether I can get you closed by Oct 14 and exactly what it'll cost. No point wasting another 6 weeks.