Do 100 LTV Hard Money Lenders offer no money down financing to real-estate investors? The answer is yes, but, only for a certain type of borrower.

Say you want to secure financing for the full market value of your next investment property. This is known as a 100 LTV loan and it is something of a holy grail or unicorn of sorts in the real estate investment community. First you need to understand what LTV is and why its so important to lenders.

Loan-to-value ratio equates to the total size of your loan divided by the fair market value of the property you aim to purchase. Lower LTV equates to less risk for your lender. With a 100 LTV type of deal your basically telling your lender, “no I’d rather not pay a single cent of my own money, I want you dear lender, to take on all the risk for my next deal. So that if my next project goes belly up I wont lose a dime.”

Such a deal is good for you, but not so good for your lender.

Its easy to understand why these types of deals are so rare, but if your heart is set on finding this type of financing, just know that no lender worth their salt is going to get in with you on a long term investment.

100 LTV Hard Money Lenders prefer to fuel the cost of short-term deals

Don’t expect to get a 100 LTV loan if you intend to hold onto the property long-term. In this case, long term investments represent a huge risk for a lender. The longer a property sits on the market, the higher the chance that market conditions will change and that your lender will take a loss.

Therefore, this type of loan is usually reserved for those who intend to rehab a prospective property. A 100 LTV loan which covers the full cost of purchasing a ramshackle, tin-pot house in a pristine neighborhood, actually presents a real short-term opportunity for a lender. If you intend to restore said home to magazine worthy condition, and then resell it, you might be able to get a 100 LTV loan.

So, in 100 LTV type deals, lenders want the assurance of a quick payout. To even consider applying for this type of financing, you need to have a clear plan in place for how you are either going to re-sell or refinance your property in short order.

However, the best way to qualify for 100 percent financing is to have a proven track record of real estate projects. Having experience will give your lender confidence in your ability to generate a return.

The best tactic to increase your eligibility with 100 LTV Hard Money Lenders is to develop a personal relationship with them

Let’s face it this type of deal presents your lender with a lot of risks. Without a down payment your lender basically has nothing to fall back on if you default. If you don’t have a proven track record of successful development projects standing behind you, your chance to qualify for 100% financing are pretty slim. If you are a real estate novice and someone is offering you no money down financing, well beware. Common sense should prove the danger of ‘no money down, zero interest type’ financing.

In the long run, to get 100 percent financing you need to build a personal relationship with your lender, and this takes time. Yes, you could put together the most excellent plan imaginable to show your lender the potential of your project. But there is no supplement for the trust that comes from an established relationship.

As you close more deals and gain more experience, your lender will have more confidence in your abilities which will allow you to capture the benefits 100 LTV, no money down financing.