Beretta Only: How To Spot A Shark Among Hard Money Lenders In California

In a perfect world, every business would have good intentions and want to do nothing but the right thing. Sadly, that is not the case, and some Hard Money Lenders in California are ready to pounce and unsuspecting borrowers like sharks going in for the kill.

It doesn’t happen often, but from time to time there have been shark attacks in the waters off the coast of California. While dangerous, the larger problem for people is not the sharks in the water but the ones on land. No, not Land Sharks like from the old Saturday Night Live sketches or from “shark-nadoes” from the SyFy channel movies.

The sharks people have to worry more about are the unscrupulous Hard Money Lenders in California. They may appear nice. They may act like they are your friend. But if you are not careful and let them get too close, they can make you wish you were swimming with actual sharks rather than doing business with them.

How To Spot A Shark Among Hard Money Lenders In California

In the ocean, it is pretty easy to tell what’s a shark and what isn’t. So when one does get a little too close for comfort you can move away. However, when it comes to Hard Money Lenders in California, it is not as easy. The sharks can be a lot like the good guys. They can say all the right things and appear to be your new best friend while secretly plotting to kill your dream and take you for everything you own.

So—how do you avoid a shark in a sharp suit pretending to be your friend? There are ways to see a shark coming before he/she gets too close to bite:

• Upfront fees or Success fees: If the broker is legitimate, he or she will be compensated by the lender—not you, the borrower. If they want any sort of fee upfront or try to hit you with a “success” fee because they actually did their job right, take your business elsewhere. Something shady is going on.

• Experience: This does not mean an inexperienced lender is a charlatan. But with the barriers to becoming a loan broker being as low as they are, it helps to know about their experience before getting into bed with them. Do they know what they are doing? Have they been successful more often than not? Dig into their history. If any red flags pop up, take your business elsewhere.

• Exclusivity: If your broker works with just one hard money lender in California or only a few, be worried. The better brokers will have relationships developed with numerous lenders and will cultivate more as often as possible to get you a better deal. If they only work with a few, chances are they were created for the sole purpose of funneling clients to those lenders.

• Careful thinking or flooding: a good broker is going to carefully review your application and needs and send your loan package to a select group of hard money lenders that are more apt to approve your loan. A not-so-good broker is going to flood the market with your application in hopes that someone will bite and give you an offer—but not necessarily a good one.

• The Commission: a good broker will take a modest fee from the lender upon the completion of the deal. A bad one will try to take a larger one or charge ridiculous fees. Do your homework, and you can avoid these guys.

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.