Commercial real estate loans are not as easy to acquire as you might think. But using a few tips can insure that you get approved and get a great rate.

You would think that lenders would be eager to grant commercial real estate loans due to the large dollar amount and the potential to make a great deal on interest. But in most cases, it is tougher than you would expect to complete the application process and qualify for the loan. But using a few proven tips can help to eliminate much of the pain associated with the process.

The first step that you need to take even before you have found the property that you are buying is getting your application packet in order. You will want to have this task done before you really begin to shop for a property because the preparation can take some time and you don’t want to lose out on a great property while you are digging through paperwork. You will need current financials as well as a few years of historical financials, tax returns for the past 3-5 years, rental schedules, leases, copies of sales contracts and AR statements, bank statements and asset and liability statements. Having these documents in order will help to expedite the application process for any commercial real estate loans.

Once you have found the property that you want, be sure that you do the research and know what the actual market value of the property is. This could be different than the asking price but understand that the lender is only interested in the market value. That is the value that the property will hold as collateral on the loan that you are asking for and that is what the lender is really interested in. Also understand that you will be required to make a down payment of around 30% of the market value. If you are willing to pay more than market value for the property then you will also need to pay the seller the delta between the market value and the asking price.

Prepare a Structure Diagram and Asset and Liability Statement

Having a complete structure diagram will help to save valuable time when the lender is evaluating your business. It gives them a clear picture of your business, what you do and how you accomplish it. This can save many weeks of questions when they are trying to evaluate your creditworthiness and the overall stability of your business. The asset and liability statement will be the document which will explain your financial stability in a nut shell. These two documents can greatly simplify the lenders discovery process prior to approving your loan.

Hire a Professional

Most business owners have no idea how much documentation is required to apply for commercial real estate loans. And once they begin the process they quickly become overwhelmed. You hire a lawyer to handle legal matters and an IT professional to design your network so it only makes sense to hire a professional broker to assist you with purchasing a property. It will not only eliminate much of the stress but it can also eliminate a lot of time that would be wasted resubmitting your application packet if there are errors or missing documents.