Hard Money Facts

Down payments are a standard part of private lending. Real estate investors often accept them as a necessary step to finance their rehab projects, focusing more on securing the lowest interest rates. However, the down payment you make significantly impacts your business, leaving you cash poor in a cash-intensive industry.

As an experienced real estate investor, you've achieved a level of success that many aspire to. With numerous deals completed and a solid track record, it’s easy to fall into the trap of complacency. However, maintaining excellence requires constant vigilance and adherence to the principles that built your success. Here are some common mistakes seasoned investors often make and how to avoid them.

CNBC’s Squawk Box recently reported that through the first eight months of 2023, the real estate investment community turned to private lenders to fund their deals 70% of the time. It’s no secret why single-family real estate investors choose private lenders over traditional banks: speed. The private lending community moves faster than traditional banks and, thanks to their business acumen and experience, is more likely to take mitigated risks during uncertain times.

That said, it is not uncommon for real estate investors to hear “no” from lenders in periods of market volatility. When interest rates are high, lenders—especially those backed by Wall Street—are far more scrupulous of the deals coming across their desk, which can extend their time to approve or deny your loan. The longer it takes for your deal to be approved—the greater the likelihood of the deal falling through. A “no” hurts, but if received in a timely manner, still leaves you with time to find financing elsewhere. A “slow no” can be death by a thousand cuts, evaporating the time you need to find a financing solution. 

What’s an investor to do? Here are a few practices single-family real estate investors can employ to circumvent a “slow no” from private lenders, as told from three of Residential Capital Partners’ account executives, James Loffredo, Kyle Dreyer, and Hunter McLean.

The first rule of investing: don’t lose money. The second rule: don’t forget the first. (Thank you, Warren Buffet.)

Residential Capital Partners has been in the investment-making business for over 25 years. Along with my three partners, we’ve adhered strongly to rules one and two, as well as generating several other investment principles to live by, gleaned by our own experiences—namely in respect to the importance of due diligence, rigorous financial analysis, and conservative exit expectations to mitigate risk and protect margin.

The following principles have shaped the structure and growth of Residential Capital Partners over the past 15 years, but they’re applicable for any investor, whether you’re wholesaling houses, rehabbing and flipping houses, or investing in single family rentals to build wealth. 

Single-family real estate investors are usually good with numbers – they have to be in order to achieve success in the real estate investment business. The math equation going into every real estate investment is paramount to profitability – which makes it easy to get fixated on finding the lowest possible interest rate (especially when interest rates are high), and potentially overlook the signs of a wily lender attempting a bait-and-switch.

Suspicious you’re not getting the deal that got you to walk in the door? Here are the telltale signs your private lender does not have your best interest in mind, and how to avoid the bait-and-switch trap:

Down payments are typical in private lending. Real estate investors usually accept down payments as a necessary part of financing their rehab, focusing instead on finding the lowest rate. But your down payment has a huge impact on your business. Down payments leave you cash poor in a cash intensive game.

Does this scenario sound familiar?

You find an amazing investment property. Your heart is set on it. You scramble to find a private lender to close the deal—and things fall apart. Perhaps the lender denies you because it’s not one of their target markets. Or you can’t get them on the phone and another investor beats you to the punch. Or maybe—most infuriatingly—a Wall Street market turn makes your lender lose confidence and you’re left at the closing table without a closed deal wondering…. where did I go wrong?

There’s only one way to prevent every one of these scenarios: begin with the end in mind. (This is also one of Stephen Covey’s seven habits of highly effective people.) Select your lender before you look for properties, and do so with scrutiny. Choosing your lender first allows you to position your dominos so you can knock them all down, flawlessly, on closing day.

There are numerous private lenders out there. So how do you begin to compare? Ask the following questions, and the right relationship will become apparent:

Here are some things to consider when budgeting to flip vs. hold.

What is your private lender’s source of capital?

Few investors pay much mind to where their lender’s cash comes from. But you should, because many private lenders are backed by Wall Street sources of capital. So when the capital markets are all up and to the right, these private lenders close a high number of deals. But when the winds of Wall Street change—which they do from time to time—they cancel deals, alter terms or close up shop until the wind blows over leaving you, the investor, stranded.

Look for a private lender that uses their own money: a balance sheet lender. Residential Capital Partners is a balance sheet lender that controls its own destiny as well as yours through use of its own capital on each closed deal. That’s how we thrived during the 2008 housing crisis and throughout the 2020 pandemic. We approved countless deals for investors whose initial lender changed the terms of the deal at the closing table or flat out walked away from the closing table during a bear market.

Panic is the enemy to your investment strategy. Choosing the right hard money lender might just be the antidote.

As any neuroscientist can tell you, humans make poor decisions when they panic – and property investors are no exception. Panic literally disengages our pre-frontal cortex – the area of our brains that brings logic and flexibility into decision-making. Under duress, our brains instead rely on the amygdala – the part of your brain that responds to instinct, emotion, and the impulse otherwise known as “fight or flight”. You know, the stuff any seasoned real estate investor will tell you to avoid when making an investment.

Any hard money lender worth their salt will tell you to avoid these very same impulses when a crisis hits while offering sage advice such as “your safest bet is to stay the course” or “maintain objectivity”. So why is it so many lenders haven’t taken their own advice, and either stopped giving out new loans or inflated their interest rates in response to Coronavirus?

Perhaps it’s not so easy for lenders to walk the talk without prior experience lending during a turbulent economy.

The coronavirus outbreak— and the subsequent turbulence of the stock market—has revealed stark differences between private lenders’ customer service models:

1. There are hard money lenders that rely on Wall Street to buy loans they have placed on a warehouse line. They treat loans as transactions.
2. And, there are lenders that have used their own balance sheet to fund loans. They treat loans as relationships.

Did your lender back out of your loan? Are you struggling to get them on the phone? Or get a straight answer to questions when you do? This is a sign your lender uses a transactional business model. This is also a sign that now is the time to find a hard money lender with a relationship business model.

“A lot of our competitors have said they’re relationship partners, and coronavirus was the end of that relationship.”

COVID-19 Reveals the Downfall of the Transactional Business Model

Private lenders with a transactional business model will tout both their customer service and the expedience of their capital, which they may deliver when Wall Street will buy up their loans. But what happens to customer service when the expedient capital goes the way of Wall Street’s fear? It evaporates and the very nature of a “relationship” evaporates with it.

In the words of Paul Jackson, Principal of Residential Capital Partners, “A lot of our competitors have said they’re relationship partners, and coronavirus was the end of that relationship. We want to be the lending partner of choice for our customers in good times and uncertain times.”

Coronavirus has spread across the globe in rapid time, disrupting nearly every industry in its wake. House flipping is no exception. Real estate investors are now forced to navigate new challenges to secure funding. Banks are preoccupied and most hard money or private lenders are either sidelined, denying loans or raising interest rates and cash reserve requirements. The clock is ticking—what do you do?

Take a deep breath. You’ve landed in the right place.

Long before COVID-19 came onto the scene, Residential Capital Partners made the decision to run our business with refreshingly straightforward terms: No money down. 100% funding up to 70% ARV. 10% interest. 3 points rolled into the loan. 9-month term.

We’ve always prided ourselves on our transparency and now, more than ever, investors like you need a lender that can deliver on their promises, so you can keep making progress towards your goals.

So, true to our word, here’s a transparent look at what’s happening in the real estate flipping industry, and what you can expect from us:

Finding a trustworthy fix and flip lender can be the start of a beautiful, mutually beneficial business relationship.

But a misleading lender can lose you time and money. Lenders don’t like to turn away business. So, if your deal isn’t a solid, unwavering “yes,” you may hear, “I’ll see what I can do” or “we’re still working on this.” Sometimes, this templated response comes long after the initially promised deadline. Why? Often, the lender is working behind the scenes, trying to make a deal happen for you — even if it’s in the form of an exception.

Bottom line: Don’t leave your investment property loan pending on empty words. Look for a lender who will give you a quick answer and an honest assessment of your deal.

Before you sign — or pay — anything, look for these three qualities in rehab lenders.

#1. They’re Available.

Questions can arise quickly in this business, and you need answers ASAP. Getting in touch with your lender should be easy. A good lender will give you multiple points of contact, and they’ll answer your questions in a timely manner.

#2. The Terms of the Loan Are Clear.

Having clear, easy-to-understand loan terms is simply good business. A trustworthy lender will outline any fees and loan terms before you get to the closing table. Murky fix and flip loan terms can lead to unrealistic expectations of a deal. A reliable lender will willingly help you understand what you’re signing.