What are the different ways to finance my real estate purchase?
Jeff Shipwash
Table of Contents
Utilize Less Traditional Options
Depending on the type of real estate you are looking to purchase, you have several different ways to finance your purchase. The most common financing options are conventional, FHA, USDA, and programs unique to individual states. FHA and USDA loans are popular due to the low out-of-pocket expense they present.
If you are purchasing an investment property that needs remodeling, you are limited in your options. Since properties in disrepair typically don’t qualify for traditional financing, you must get creative.
• Hard money lenders are the most popular path. Hard money lending is a short-term, interest-only financing option. These loans have higher interest rates, but they can be beneficial if used effectively. Hard money lenders will finance repair costs as well, thus reducing your out-of-pocket expense. The most efficient way to utilize hard money is to get your renovation done as soon as possible so that you can refinance with a traditional mortgage.
• Owner financing is a great option as well. If the seller of the property is willing to finance the home to you, this can save you thousands in loan fees. Typically, you will offer a down payment to the seller and establish an agreed-upon interest rate, payment, and term. These transactions are handled by attorneys or title companies and can drastically speed up the process of financing a property.
• Private money is an option as well. If you are acquaintances with someone that has the cash reserves to finance a real estate purchase, this could be a great opportunity for both you and the private money lender. Instead of sitting on cash, this person could invest their money into financing your real estate purchase. This situation creates a win-win. Not only do you get your property financed (usually saving thousands in fees), but the person doing the lending gets the opportunity to make a sizable return for their investment.
Purchase an LLC that Already Owns Property
If an LLC sells an asset and remains the entity holding it, then closing costs, commissions, and some taxes can be saved by the buyer. The buyer needs to make an offer based on the equity remaining in the property, subtracting the above fees. The result? The buyer gets a fantastic boost to their investment and the LLC. If it's been active for a while, it becomes much easier to obtain operating lines of credit using the LLC.
Ryan David
Samantha Odo
Conventional Bank Loan
One way to finance your real estate purchase is through a traditional bank loan. To have the best chance of qualifying for a traditional mortgage loan, you'll want to make sure you have good credit and a good debt to income ratio, meaning not too many monthly payments in comparison to your income.
Business Line Of Credit
Aside from saving up for a down payment to purchase real estate, buyers can leverage their assets to create a business line of credit with a bank. For example, buyers can leverage the equity in their primary home or stocks to create a line of credit. This LOC can be used as a down payment and pay for improvements.
Jacqueline Sanchez
Jasper Juhl
Jasper Juhl, CEO of BetterEstimate and, a real estate expert.
Seller Financing
One of the best ways of funding your real estate is seller financing. This method allows you to make a deal directly with the property owner and pay in monthly installments. Keep in mind that not all sellers will agree to this [option], but it’s always good to offer. The benefits of such a method are significant. On the one hand, you can avoid taking a large sum of money at once and split your costs over a longer period. On the other hand, the seller will have a steady source of passive income, which can be even better than getting the money at once (and probably spending it right away).
Four Real Estate Financing Options
1. Taking out a traditional mortgage with a bank is the most common path to financing a real estate purchase. With this route, you will be tied down to pay a bank both principal and interest payments over the next 15-30 years.
2. Paying for the purchase in cash is a much less common way to finance a real estate purchase. With this method, you are paying zero interest on the property. What you bought it for is truly what you bought it for.
3. Private money lenders are also a great option for people purchasing real estate investments. These are individuals who will lend you their money for the purchase of a property in return for interest payments or some other form of compensation.
4. Going in 50/50 with a partner. If you have a business partner that has the capital to finance the real estate purchase, then you can use their money to make the purchase (or some combination of [theirs and yours]), but perhaps do the landlord yourself and split the profits 50/50. They are essentially acting as a passive investor at this point.
Mark Motes
Eden Cheng
Lean on Others to Accomplish Your Goal
Real estate has long been viewed as an attractive investment opportunity, and there are many reasons to consider it as an investment, which include good returns as well as cushioning the investor from inflation. Despite this, it does take a substantial amount of capital to get started.
There are various ways to finance a real estate purchase. They include crowdfunding, which might not be very popular to some but is also a viable option as it involves several individuals coming together to pool their financial muscle to purchase the property. This [method] is mainly achieved through self-help groups or social groups and is used as an alternative for those who are unable to access loans.
Mortgages are another way to finance a real estate purchase, as they are specifically used for the purchase of real estate. What makes them attractive is the interest rates tend to be lower than most alternative forms of borrowing because the loan is secured against your property.
The use of a private equity fund is another way to finance a real estate purchase. It involves investing in a private equity firm, which essentially pools money from various sources to make large-scale real estate purchases. The advantage of using this form of financing is that it has a relatively long investment horizon of three or more years, and the returns are based on the success of the project. The downside is that it requires a substantial amount of capital, so it may only be available to high-net-worth investors.
To finance a real estate purchase, consider the following options:
• Traditional Financing
Traditional FHA and Conventional mortgages take the lion's share of financing. They allow as low as a 580-FICO score in some cases and can work a decent amount of debt relative to income.
• Seller Financing
Seller financing is less common but is a way to get into a home when maybe you don't have the down payment, income, or credit for traditional financing. This [financing] is a small part of the market. The rates are usually higher for seller financing, and the homes are usually a little more expensive because the owner knows they have someone who needs help. They sometimes take advantage of that.
• Wrap-Around Mortgage
In very rare cases, a mortgage is transferable, and sometimes people get some seller financing and also assume the seller's mortgage. This [situation] is a rare occurrence in residential financing.
• Using a Line of Credit or Unsecured Loan to Pay Cash for a Home
This method can help you compete with cash offers, but unsecured financing usually has higher interest rates and lower balances than a loan secured by a home.
Khari Washington
Eric Jeanette
Three Ways to Finance a Real Estate Purchase
1. Secure a loan from a traditional mortgage lender.
2. Seller financing is where the seller of the home provides the buyer with a mortgage – typically, a short-term loan.
3. Borrow from your 401k. [It] can be done but is not optima. It would be smart to discuss this option with a financial advisor.
This is a crowdsourced article. Contributors are not necessarily affiliated with this website and their statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this website, other people, businesses, or other contributors.
