Pros and Cons of a Bridge Loan (benefits and risks)

img_16-150x150There are benefits and risks to obtaining a bridge loan prior to moving out of your old home and into your new dream home. Make sure you understand what they are with these easy tips.

These types of loans are popular for homeowners that are in between moving into their new home and selling their old home. Oftentimes, they could use the extra funds so they can move out of their old home and not miss out on the new home of their dreams because they can’t make a down payment until they send their old home.

Bridge loans are short-term loans that “bridge the gap” between the time you purchase your new home to the time you sell your old home. You can use these funds to finance the new home and them pay the loan off when you sell your old home. The “pros” of these loans are that lenders don’t typically have the strict guidelines that traditional bank loans require. Credit score and debt-to-income ratio are not too important when trying to obtain this loan. What is important are factors such as how likely your current home is to sell quickly, if you are able to pay both mortgage payments if it becomes necessary.

Some other risks of these loans are the fees associated with in including an administration fee, appraisal fee, notary fees, wire fees, origination fees and any other lender fees. All in all these fees can total a few thousand dollars – a lump sum that might be difficult to pay as you are also dealing with other fees associated with your new home. However, the “pro” is that this amount is still much smaller than a large sum of around $20,000 to secure a down payment on your new home if your current home has yet to sell. High interest rates are another downside.

The pros outweigh the cons when it comes to these loans.

There are many pros that make bridge loans very desirable to homeowners looking to upgrade to a new home. Having the ability to avoid trying to sell the house while you are living there is a big bonus! Often times you can get a grace period of a few months before you have to start making payments on the loan, so you may be able to avoid interest payments if you sell you house in that time. The loans are fairly easy to qualify for and they have flexible underwriting guidelines so you can apply and get funding — fast!

You’ll need to go through a mortgage broker or private lender.

When you decide you need a bridge loan to make your home buying and selling process much more smoothly, you’ll need to find a reputable mortgage broker or private lender to help you negotiate the loan approval process. Do your research before you make your decision about who to help you through this process, then go ahead and start shopping for your new dream home!

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
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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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