California real estate investors beware: Common issues with trust deed investing

When you are investing in commercial real estate risk and reward are words to live by. You have to be able to roll with whatever the market throws at you. Trust deed investing is no different, there will be ups and downs that you have to face. This brief will shed light on some things you may encounter.

Real estate can be a tumultuous and tiresome profession if you let it. The market consistently goes through a feast and famine period. There could be a time when you have revenue coming in from multiple ventures. There could also be times when you have to claw and gnash for a small investment. It is enough to make you not want to be in the industry.

Trust deed investing is not without its faults, however, there are still some cons that you will have to face. One thing that you need to keep in mind is the margin of safety. Basically, the margin of safety is the difference between the loan amount and the actual value of the property that you are investing in. For example, the value of a home that you are looking at has a low value and your loan is relatively high you may run into issues you were to default.

Many investors face complications when they misjudge the market and the margin of safety associated with it. The property that you had high hopes for is in foreclosure because no one could be convinced that this was a good investment. Now you, as the owner of the deed of trust, have to take on sole responsibility for repayment of the loan until the lender can sell it. Trust deed investing can sneak up on you if you are not careful.

One of the biggest drawbacks that trust deed investing poses is it not being FDIC insured. For example, if you were to go to your local bank and get a loan for a home that you are interested most likely you would be able to have the loan insured by the FDIC. In regard to trust deeds, however, the safety of your investment relies solely on the value of the property that you are trying to turn a profit.

You have a lot more work that needs to be done before taking on trust deed investing.

We have said before that for you to be successful in the commercial real estate business paying attention to the details is paramount. Trust deed investing comes with confusing documentation just like the rest. The deed of trust, along with all documents should be double and triple checked to make sure that there are no errors. In some cases, the borrower you are lending to could have ample right to sue you for having invalid documentation. This will end up costing more money in the end.

In rare cases, if you are not diligent in you bookkeeping you could be stuck footing the bill of the investment. Depending on the market and value of the investment it could be months that you would wait to see your money again.

There is no guarantee with trust deed investing.

With trust deed investing the capital appreciation could be very low if you are not careful, as well. When if you are lending someone a loan for an investment most of the time the profit that you will receive will most likely come from the interest the will incur on said loan.

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:      (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
http://www.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.

The Real Deal with Trust Deed Investing

When you are investing it is paramount that you have many different options to make the most out of your capital. Trust deed investing is a great way to build multiple relationships while bringing in great business. This brief article will show you the basics.

First and foremost, what is trust deed investing? Trust deed investing is defined by the investor having their name on the deed of trust for a property. So what do you, as the investor need to do to be successful in trust deed investing? Research is the biggest thing that needs to take place before you do anything.

Why is this the best option for you? What are your other options in regard to investing in a property? What makes this a better option in lieu of hard money investing? Trust deed investing basically allows you to invest in a loan that is backed by real estate. Most of the time these types of loans only last for about five years. Usually, there is a promissory note that states the intent to pay back the money owed. Some can be paid off in as little as two years. Typically the interest of the loan that is issued is around 7 to 12 percent.

If you are trying to invest in California there is a document, called the deed of trust, that verifies the owner of the property. This is useful when payments are not being made to the lender. Once everything is varied the deed of trust becomes public record. When you are considering trust deed investing any form of payment is accepted for the loan that you are applying for.

Why would trust deed investing be the right choice for you?

So why should you consider trust deed investing? If you are borrowing, trust deed investing challenges you to find the highest quality real estate as possible. This means you have to do your due diligence when looking for the right property. If you are looking into buying a home it should be one that you can see making a profit fairly quickly. This pushes you to make better decisions when you are looking for a potential investment. If you are lending the funds for the investment, trust deed investing gives you the power to foreclose on the property to recoup your money.

When you take this type of investment there is more transparency as well. For example, when you are applying for a loan depending on the value of the property that you are trying to resell determines your loan. Lenders also have a lot more control over what happens is the borrower were to default on the loan.

So will you make any money in trust deed investing?

Short answer yes you will. But with all commercial real estate investing there are certain things that you have to look out for. In some cases, it may be better for you to apply for a traditional bank loan or a hard money loan from a reputable lender. Always way your pros and cons when attempting any type of investments.

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:      (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
http://www.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.

Beware Of The Dangers Involved In Investing In Private Hard Money In California

We all wish we had more money than we do. We may not need it now, but we would feel better knowing we will have it later when we need it. So we invest. We try to take our money and turn it into more money by investing in something we hope will be profitable.

Of course, when you invest in a project, there is a chance that the project will fail and you will lose money. This goes for any project, but some will come with more or less risk than others. Often, those with more risk come with greater rewards. While making more money can be appealing, there is more of a chance you’ll lose it all.

There is a risk-reward aspect to every investment, but for those that get involved in private hard money in California, there is a little more risk involved than just whether the project fails.

Beware The Risk Of Outside Influences

Just getting a business to succeed on its own is challenging enough, but having to deal with how outside influences can affect the success of your venture can be maddening. For example, let’s say you invest in a company that claims it is going to revolutionize the hybrid car industry. You throw everything you have into it because everyone will want a hybrid car when they become more affordable.

But then OPEC decides to release millions of barrels of oil and the cost of gasoline plummets. While it may be nice for the environment, people are more concerned with cheaper travel—and your investment is dead in the water.

With private hard money in California or anywhere else, the risk is similar but more involved. Not only do you have to deal with factors that are related to your venture, but you have to deal with those related to the equity people use to secure their loans.

Let’s say they use a few rental properties (houses) as collateral to secure a loan to be used to acquire an apartment building. But then the housing market crashes. You would think apartments would do fine since people still need a place to live, but what if its location is poor and it isn’t filling up fast enough?

Without rental income coming in, the borrower has trouble making payments. They default, and the lender takes possession, but since the loan for the apartment building was secured with a few houses. With the crash, the value of those homes has dropped significantly—and whoever invested in the loan for the apartment building is screwed.

Greater Risk Equals Greater Reward With Private Hard Money in California

Market crashes have wreaked havoc among lenders in the past and very well could in the future if all parties involved are not careful. So how can investors protect against it? Well—it’s kind of hard to. They just have to be aware of the state of the market as much as possible and pull out before the crash gets bad (if they can).

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:     (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
http://www.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.

How To Be Successful When Borrowing Private Hard Money In California

Borrowing private hard money in California and anywhere else is supposed to be easier than getting approved for a traditional loan, but it is still possible to screw it up. The following tips will help keep you from doing so.

In a perfect world, people would not need to borrow private hard money in California. People would have excellent credit ratings and more than enough income history to get approved by traditional lenders. But the world is far from perfect. Most of us do not have good credit ratings and don’t have the kind of income history traditional lenders like to see.

So it’s a good thing private hard money lenders exist to give people another option.

Tips To Getting Approved For A Private Hard Money Loan

Private hard money in California is supposed to be easier to get approval for, but that does not mean that just about anyone that applies will get approved. It’s just as easy to screw up a private hard money loan application as it is a traditional bank loan.

The following tips will help keep your application from getting rejected:

• Don’t hide anything. One of the quickest ways to make sure your application is denied is for the lender to discover something that paints your application in a negative light from a source other than the borrower. So be up-front and tell them anything and everything they want to know-- even if it’s bad. At least if they find out from you, you only have to answer for it and not for why you tried to hide it as well.

• Don’t be pushy. A private hard money loan is going to be approved faster than a traditional loan jut by the nature of the process alone. Following up (which is a good thing) too often or in too aggressive a manner will not help your cause.

• Don’t make claims you can’t backup. The lender is going to do its due diligence. Lofty goals are nice to shoot for, but your lender is going to want to see that you can keep expectations realistic.

• Do what you say you are going to do. Lenders and investors need to believe in you. Lie, act in a dishonest manner or fail to follow through on something and your integrity will come into question.

• Don’t shop around too much. Doing so will eventually get lenders wondering if there is something wrong and if they should trust you.

• Seek out an experienced, local lender. A qualified lender is going to have a track record of success you can verify and possibly even some insight that can help you out in the long run. A local one is going to be more apt to fund you since they are invested in the community and will like seeing their money at work.

The One Rule You Must Remember

When seeking private hard money in California keep in mind one thing—there are rules, and then there aren’t rules. While there are regulations involved in hard money lending, it is also private. So while there are rules to follow, since the lender is a private entity they essentially make up their own rules. Be aware of them, be flexible, and be ready to adjust, if necessary.

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:     (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
http://www.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.

How To Get Your Construction Loan Approved For Private Hard Money In California

When you are applying for a construction loan there are certain tips a borrower should keep in mind if they want to get approved—especially if you are trying to get private hard money in California.

If you are looking to invest in flipping houses, California is not a bad place to do it right now with a population of 39 million and growing. According to studies, California is the 17th fastest growing state in the country at .9 percent a year. Tack on the state’s natural beauty, space, and favorable climate and it is not hard to see why people want to live there—and in houses.

This, of course, means that lenders are going to be kept busy, traditional and private. With private hard money in California easier to come by and quicker for construction loans it can be helpful to know some tips that will help get your application approved faster.

Five Tips That Will Help You Get Your Construction Loan Approved

When it comes to getting your construction loan approved—whether its private hard money in California or elsewhere—you want to do whatever you can to make sure nothing holds up your loan. The following are five tips that can help you get your loan approved:

• Location: When choosing a lender, it helps to get one that is local to you or to the area where your construction project is. That way you are more likely to get someone who has a connection to the community and is emotionally invested in seeing the area improved.

• Down Payment: Private hard money lenders are going to want to know you're invested in the property as well, and since you are getting a private loan rather than a traditional one, the requirement is going to be higher. Do your homework before choosing a lender, and make sure you can meet the equity requirements the lender has before applying.

• Lot Lien: It’s a good idea to ask your lender if they want some of the lot's costs included in the loan or not. Most prefer to have the construction loan exclusive from the lot or at least subordinated to the first position private-money deed of trust. Make sure you talk to the lender before applying to find out what they prefer or are comfortable going with.

• Builder’s/Subcontractors Draw Process: be familiar with it. On some occasions, lenders like to pay builders directly once they complete a site inspection. In such cases, they will often require a title company be involved, and lien waivers acquired before they pay the builder and any subcontractors involved.

• Rate and Fees: Be familiar with what they are and what they can be. Talk to your builder before applying for a loan with anyone to make sure he or she is comfortable with it.

In Short…

What you will need to do to get approved for private hard money in California is be able to prove that you bring value to your side of the table. Lenders want to feel like they are going to get their money back and that confidence will come mostly from how much they believe in the borrower.

The more knowledgeable the borrower appears, the more confidence the lender will have in them.

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:     (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
http://www.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.

How Do I Find A Lender That Works In Private Hard Money In California?

The bank has just turned down your application, but you don’t want to give up on the dream just yet. So you need someone who deals with private hard money in California. How do you find that someone?

You’ve been a good boy for most of your life. You are honest on your tax returns, you stop at traffic lights in the middle of nowhere even if there is no one in sight, and you keep your word. But you haven’t always paid your bills on time.

So your credit rating is not the best. This, when combined with what the bank described as “insufficient employment history” caused your loan application to be denied. But the clerk sympathizes with you and can see how much starting your business means to you, so they tell you to find a lender who works with private hard money in California. The interest rate will be a lot higher, but at least you’ll get approved.

There is just one problem.

How Do I Find Private Hard Money In California?

Finding conventional lenders is easy, but it can be a little more challenging to find a private hard money lender. It’s not that there are so few of them and it’s hard to locate one. It’s quite the opposite. There are plenty of options out there. You just have to know where to look to find one—like the internet.

Everything is online these days. Run a search for whatever you need and thousands of options are likely to pop up. Going that route can be confusing though since you’ll get options from all over the world and anything that can relate to your search word. If you want to use the internet, you’ll have better luck searching for investment forums and chatrooms. There you will find people that will be more than happy to recommend someone (or warn you to stay away).

However, you don’t want just to pick someone off the internet because you can’t ever know for sure how good they are. Reviews are faked all the time so you can’t trust them to be 100 percent accurate. Companies will pay people to write false reviews on Yelp and other places.

Probably the best way to find a private hard money in California would be to ask someone or ask multiple someones. Talk to the people that often work with lenders who approve loans for private hard money in California:

• Mortgage Brokers: They probably have a few that they prefer to work with and can recommend when asked

• House Flippers: if there is anyone that will know of a good hard money lender, it will be someone that has used one or two themselves—like a house flipper.

• Real Estate Agent: Who works with more lenders and investors than a real estate agent? Few people do (if any). Like brokers, they probably have a few that they have developed a relationship with and feel comfortable recommending.

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:      (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
http://www.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.

How To Get Rejected By Hard Money Lenders In California

When it comes to seeking out hard money lenders in California or anywhere else, most of us are too concerned with what we think we need to do to get approved to make sure we don’t do things that will get us rejected.

It’s natural for people to want to focus on what they need to do to make forward progress. It’s what we are all after, and depending on the number of distractions in life, we may need to have laser focus to reach or goals.

However, in the process of locking in that laser focus on the end goal, it is not unusual for people to miss some of the details that hinder progress towards that goal. Do so when you turn in your loan application to hard money lenders in California or anywhere else and your application will end up being denied.

Three Things That Will Get Your Hard Money Loan Denied

As important as it is to focus on the things you need to do right to get approved, you must keep in mind those things that can get you rejected by hard money lenders in California:

• Insufficient down payment or equity: Hard money lenders can get away with charging the high-interest rates that they do because of the increased risk involved. To mitigate that risk, lenders will often require a sizable down payment or that you have sufficient equity in the property; 25 percent is a typical amount. Lenders tend to feel better when they feel you have “skin” in the game too.

• Insufficient income: Hard money lenders want to know you have some “skin” in the game before approving your loan, but they also want to feel confident you will be able to repay the loan. Just saying you’ll pay when the product you are selling explodes and every has to have a piece doesn’t count. The best way to soothe these concerns is to have sufficient income coming in already or with cash reserves.

• No exit strategy: Hard money loans are often shorter; no more than a year to five years typically. But that does not mean your payments are going to be crazy high. It just means you are going to have a balloon payment at the end—which is where many people tend to run into trouble. So when that time comes, it helps to have a strategy for handling that payment. Acceptable exit strategies include selling the property, selling a different property, refinancing with another hard money loan (or a conventional one or a subprime one).

Hard Money Lenders in California Don’t Want To Reject You

Hard money lenders don’t want to deny you. They want to loan you the money you need. It’s why they exist. But if they aren’t careful and approve too many of the wrong types of people, lenders may soon find they have no money to lend.

So do your homework—all of it. Find out why hard money lenders in California will reject you as well as what it takes to get approved. This way you can prepare for everything and ensure you will get what you need.

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:     (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
http://www.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.