Bridge Loan Basics

Selling a home to fund the purchase of a new home is stressful. But using a bridge loan can take a difficult situation and make it manageable for a short time.

Timing is everything when you are trying to sell your home and purchase a new one. But unfortunately the timing that you want does not always materialize for you. Having a full price or close to full price offer on your current home can make it much easier to decide to make an offer on the home you want for the future. But what do you do when you find your perfect next home before you get a decent offer on your current home? Some say you should pass on the new home but many will recommend that you use a bridge loan to finance your down payment until your current home sells.

When you are getting a bridge loan to cover the down payment on your next home, your current home is the security or collateral for the bridge loan. So this means that there is some risk involved if your current home does not sell. In short you could be faced with making two mortgage payments each month as well as the payment on the short term loan. For this reason you need to be very careful about the amount of debt that you are taking on and also very realistic about how long it could take to sell your current home. Not only are you risking both your current and new home but your credit score if you are forced to default on any of these loans. And you could even be left with no place to live.

A Solid Option for Many Buyers

But don’t look at a bridge loan as some evil entity that could cost you everything that you have worked your entire life to achieve. There are some advantages to using this short term loan. First, it lets you secure that perfect home before someone else buys it. You are then free to move in and enjoy the new house while you continue to market your first home. It is also beneficial to use a short term loan, such as a bridge, to make your offer more appealing to the seller. Many offers are contingent on another home selling and that is less appealing for other sellers. An offer with no contingencies might even be accepted at a lower offer price than a larger offer but which includes stipulations or contingencies.

Know Your Options and the Potential Downfalls

As with any financial decision, having as much information as possible is critical to making a wise choice. If you are thinking about taking a short term loan to make a down payment on your new home then consider all of the potential outcomes. Speak candidly to your listing agent to learn his or her estimate for selling your current home. Also look at comps in your area to see how quickly homes like yours are selling. Only sign a loan document once you are certain that you home will sell in a reasonable time frame and for a price that will cover your down payment.

Dennis Dahlberg
Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC Private Hard Money Lender
Arizona Tel: (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel: (512) 516-1177
Dennis@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.