If you are looking for a loan for your real estate property, then you need to know what to expect when applying for commercial real estate loans. There are many important components that you should be aware of during the application process.

Commercial real estate loans are not given to individuals, but to corporations, developers and other business entities. The funds can be used for a number of things for their business. It can be used for remodeling, adding more locations. If your business doesn’t have a strong credit history, then some lenders might be looking at the owner’s individual credit scores. To be sure of approval, it is best to have an excellent credit score, usually of around 700. So, make sure to keep that in mind before applying.

Be prepared to pay higher interest rates than those compared to residential loans. On top of higher interest rates will also be extra costs for the fees. These fees can include: legal fees, appraisal, loan application and survey fees. Keep these fees in mind when you ae shopping around for the best deals. You want to take these into consideration along with interest rates and other terms.

Also, be aware that you could face prepayment restrictions. Most of the commercial real estate loans come with certain regulations and terms. These will pop-up if you decide to pay off the whole amount of debt before the payment due date. This could result in having to pay penalty fees. This is actually a very common thing among lenders. It is usually calculated by multiplying the current outstanding balance by a certain penalty amount or interest guarantee. If the balance is paid off early, you may be responsible for paying a fee to the lender.

There are many different types of terms offered for commercial real estate loans.

The terms usually range from 5 years to 20 years, but the amortization period could end up being much longer than the actual term length of the loan. For example, a loan term could only be 7 years, but the amortization could be for 25 years. The length of the loan and amortization could affect the rate of the fees and the interest rate. But remember that most terms are negotiable. Just keep in mind that the longer period of the loan length, the higher interest rate.

Always take into consideration the factor of loan to value ratio.

The loan to value ratio measures the value of the loan compared to the value of the property that the loan is being used for. This is calculated by the lender and the category of the loan does play a role in this. If the loan to value ratio is high, then it is usually common for loans to be approved. Always talk about this with your lender before making any final decisions.

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.

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