How to protect yourself from getting scammed by hard money lenders in California

A sucker is born every minute. This is a hard pill to swallow for some people, but it is true and many lenders will use a person’s lack of knowledge to their advantage. Which is why we at Level 4 Funding want to make sure you are covered when dealing with hard money lenders in California.

In the state of California, there are hundreds of hard money lenders that you can go to for your loan needs. Before you ink any deal, you want to make sure that you do all your research. You have to become a detective when searching for a potential lender. Scour thousands of reviews from past clients if need be. Find everything you can about the lender and the firm they represent.

If they have open cases on with the Better Business Bureau make sure you bring it up when you meet with the lender. If the firm is not recognized by the BBB, which is not uncommon for many firms, you can try sites like California Real Estate Fraud are great places to start. If you cannot find enough information on sites like this, try contacting past clients personal via email. Some hard money lenders in California will post fake reviews on their company website to keep up the appearance of a legitimate business.

What if you are already sitting in the lender’s office already?

Simple, keep your composure and listen for certain clues that will tip you off to impropriety. It could be as small as the lender being too eager to give you a loan before hearing what you plan on doing with the property.

One of the biggest things that trip people up are the fees associated with the loan they are applying for. Take bridge loans, for example, most hard money lenders in California will charge you a fee anywhere from $2,500 to $15,000. Yes, it is a lot but you need to make sure you are committed to the project.

That being said, if the lender asks for a fee higher than that you should not go through with the deal. If the loan you are looking to borrow is less than the fee something is most likely off with the lender.

REO fraud is popular with some hard money lenders in California

An REO property, or a real estate owned property, is sold by the lender. Many people fall prey to this scam due to a lack of research. What usually happens is the lender sells the property for a relatively low price to a secondary buyer then sells the property at a ridiculously high price. If you do not look into the past buyers and prices you could fall victim to this.

Many of the frauds are beginning to eliminate the middleman altogether and just selling the property for a high price. Investors can prevent being taken advantage of if they take the proper precautions when looking for lenders. Peace of mind is worth more than a new property.

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.