When dealing with a California private hard money lender there are several things you need to know to ensure that you are not falling victim to predatory lending. Moreover, let’s go over a few tips so you are not just borrowing blindly.

As you are probably already aware, hard money lenders, in essence, are still private money lenders. This means that your potential California private hard money lender is a non-bank lender. Historically, non-bank lenders have been able to lend money with limited regulations. Originally, this flexibility with California private hard money lender requirements made sense as the government shouldn’t be able to tell your father that he cannot lend you some cash for your start-up.

But, now financial reforms which were absolutely necessary after the real estate collapse means that there are some requirements when it comes to non-bank lending. For instance, the issue of mortgage licensing was not applicable to non-banker lenders i.e. individuals, companies and so on. Moreover, due to the almost overwhelming number of non-bank lenders in California, these new requirements have a lot of weight.

So what exactly do new regulations and requirements for potential borrowers and you? Well, for starters, there is now a fixed interest rate (the Usury law ensure that you will not be charge excessively high rates) that applies to these particular types of loans. In California, that “usury rate” is a maximum of ten percent per year. In addition to making sure that you aren’t financially drowning due to a commercial purchase or business purpose loan, etc., as previously mentioned, the issue of mortgage licensing now affects what type of property you can use hard money financing for. You also now need more documentation in order to properly secure your hard money loan than you once did.

The Real Deal with Licensing

The real deal with mortgage licensing (Real Estate Broker License) is it may or may not apply to your particular business venture. In other words, depending on the property type your lender may need to be licensed or they may not. This means if your next business venture is multi-family residential property your lender will most likely need to be licensed( depending on the particular state your potential property is located in also factors in as laws and requirements vary per state). Furthermore, it is important to note that what truly determines whether or not a broker license is required is actually your intended use of the financing.

Your Win-win Solution

Ultimately, it pays to do your research and figure out what your state requirements are. Furthermore, if your business venture ends up being a cross-state transaction you should be aware of the fact that both states regulations and requirements are applicable. With that being said, if you are looking for a non-bank lender, then make sure that you ask around i.e. get references, especially if you are not sure on whether or not you needed a licensed non-bank lender. You can also find reputable lenders by attending real estate events in your area or by networking with other real estate investors.

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:      (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
https://level4funding.com
NMLS 1057378 | AZMB 0923961 | MLO 1057378
22601 N 19th Ave Suite 112 | Phoenix | AZ | 85027
111 Congress Ave |Austin | Texas | 78701

About the author: Dennis has been working in the real estate industry in some capacity for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the amazing investment opportunities provided by trust deed investing and hard money loans. His desire to help others make money in real estate investing led him to specialize in alternative funding for real estate investors who may have trouble getting a traditional bank loan. Dennis is passionate about alternative funding sources and sharing his knowledge with others to help make their dreams come true.

Dennis has been married to his wonderful wife for 42 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.