What are Commercial Mortgage Lenders Looking For Today

Even today, in very challenging economic times, there is no shortage of investors, and developers seeking commercial mortgage loans. The problem is lenders are not funding deals like they were just a short time ago.

If you want to better your chances of securing an approval and closing your loan, come to the table with the following:

Credibility

Lenders are looking for credibility. Now is not the time to ask a lender to fund your experiment. Don’t try to buy your first hotel during a credit crisis. Finance companies will ask about your experience in the hospitality industry and will be nervous if you lack a track record in the industry. The same goes for retail, office and industrial. Now is the time to go with what you know or partner up with an investor with experience in a particular industry you’re trying to break into. Trust me; lenders are going with what they know and they know first-timers are high risk.

Cash = Commitment

100% financing is extinct. Some borrower cash in the deal is now a strict requirement of all legitimate lenders, including private and “hard money” lenders. From a lenders perspective, the bigger the borrower down-payment the better, but, if there is enough equity in a building or project, lenders will work with as little as 10% down. They might build in a mezzanine facility or structure in some preferred equity, but, quality deals can get done with small amounts of borrower cash. That-being-said, don’t ask for 100% financing. Lenders today are looking for commitment and nothing represents commitment like cash in the deal. (Note: If a lender, or broker tells you they offer 100% financing, beware, chances are good that, in-the-end they won’t be able to fund and you’ll lose your deposit and due diligence money.)

Equity

Equity is protection to a lender. If you can show equity in a building or a tract of land lenders will feel more secure and will be more likely to place the money in the escrow account and schedule a closing date. There are simple ways to increase a lenders protective equity (I said simple, not easy). The most obvious is to make a bigger down-payment; another is to ask the seller to carry-back some portion of the debt. One effective method to also consider is to increase the value of a property by taking steps to getting it fully entitled. Sometimes some simple engineering can drastically increase the value of a project. A change in zoning has been known to double real estate values and can often be accomplished simply by petitioning the local zoning authority. Inexpensive site work may also have a dramatic effect on how a bank views a property and they will definitely appreciate your spending money on the deal.

Decent Credit

You don’t have to have perfect credit to get approved for a commercial loan, but your credit report better not portray as a dead-beat either. If you are credit score challenged, be prepared to be able to mitigate that negative factor with either a co-signer, a larger down payment or cross collateralization of other real estate you own. Lenders don’t know you personally but they know precisely how many times you’ve been 15 or more days late on all of your mortgages and all of credit card payments. They look at your credit report as a report on your financial character. This may not always be fair but, to be fair to lenders, it’s really all they have to go on.

Commercial mortgage lenders have tightened their standards and are funding fewer loans today then they were even 1 year ago. However, quality deals are still receiving the financing they need. Here are some factors that make loan applications attractive to lenders and investors.

We are facing challenges today in the credit arena, but deals are still getting done, buildings are being bought and developments are still moving forward. If you want your deal to be one of the ones that gets funding take steps to show the lenders what they want to see.