Category Archives: commercial loans

What it Means to Get Commercial Real Estate Loans

Do you wish you could obtain commercial real estate loans to help grow your business? Level 4 Funding explains how and why they can benefit your business.

Two confident business man shaking hands during a meeting in the office, success, dealing, greeting and partner concept.
When looking for commercial real estate loans for your company’s business — whether you have extra expenses or you want to grow and expand your business, you need to understand that it’s not like trying to obtain a mortgage for a residential home. There are a lot of intricacies and complexities associated with the commercial type, so it’s important to know what you’re getting into.
If you’re in the market to purchase property for your business or a second location, commercial real estate loans are very useful in helping you get to the next step. Having these extra funds can bring your business into a whole new level if you are looking to build, expand, open a new location or whatever your business needs are. When you apply for this type of loan, you need to know there is a long road ahead. Most traditional loans of this sort take some time for the application and approval process. You should be as prepared as possible with your business plan, financial statements or documentation. You should also be up to date with your current credit score and history. Having all this in place will give you a head start when you start drilling down into this process.
You’re also going to want to do some initial research, planning and prep to increase your chances of a successful approval of your loan. For example, did you know that loans are sometime secured by a lien on the property that you are looking to purchase? That equates to the fact that the lender has legal rights to take over ownership of your property if you aren’t able to make the payment or repayment schedule or other terms of the agreement. That’s why it’s important to read the fine print and all the clauses of the lenders’ agreement so you know what you are signing. Have a lawyer take a look at all documentation is a good idea, too, especially one that specializes in commercial real estate loans.
There are some consequences if you are not able to pay the agreed upon financial commitments outlined in the contract.
If you can’t meet the terms of your loan agreement, or if you become in breach of contract for other reasons, you could put your business in a bad position. If payments are not made to your lender, they could foreclose on your property forcing you to close your business.
There are also other costs and fees associated with commercial loans, besides a down payment and monthly payments. Make sure you are aware of all “hidden fees” before moving too far ahead.
The initial down payment required could be about 20 to 30 percent. This can seem like a hefty amount, but it also benefits you because you begin to earn equity instantly. When you apply for this type of loan, make sure you understand the commitment you are making to your lender so you can ensure you are able to cover all costs in addition to monthly repayment schedule.

Dennis Dahlberg
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
clip_image002clip_image004clip_image006clip_image008
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.

Technorati Tags: commercial loans,commercial lending,commercial mortgage

Manage Your Expectations by Knowing How Commercial Real Estate Loans Work

As a small business owner you might have very little experience or information about how commercial real estate loans actually work. But learning the process can be a great help in successfully applying for a loan.

If you are purchasing your first commercial property or expanding to a new location that you plan to own, then you are certainly happy to be operating a successful business and one that is expanding into real estate ownership. But there could be a lot that you do not know about the process that could cause you a great deal of stress and even some major financial issues in the future if you do not have a good grasp on what you are agreeing to when you sign on the dotted line.

Commercial real estate loans are similar to a personal mortgage in that they are a means of borrowing a large amount of money to purchase a property. And both loans use the property as collateral, so in the event that you cannot pay and default, then the property can be foreclosed upon. And in both of these cases you are also required to make a down payment on the property. In the case of a home the amount of the down payment is not as large as the commercial loan requirement. A big part of the reason for the large commercial loan down payment is the volatility of commercial real estate values. They can increase or decrease very rapidly and with little or no warning. For this reason, lenders like to see some instant equity on a commercial property to be sure that they will have collateral which is valued high enough to cover the balance of the loan of you default.

Know How Commercial and Personal Mortgage Loans Differ

But the similarities quickly come to an end when you compare the term of a personal mortgage to that of a commercial mortgage. Some mortgages are issued for a short term which normally does not exceed three years and others can span from five years up to twenty. It is also quite common to have a balloon payment that is due on a commercial loan. In this case you make regular payments for 5 – 7 years and then the final payment is the balance of the loan. This means that it can be a very large amount. At that time you have the option to pay the final payment if you can or try to refinance the remaining loan balance. And refinancing can be a challenge if your company is struggling, your cash flow has dropped or if the owners have experienced some personal financial issues.

Understand What You Are Agreeing To

Getting a commercial mortgage is important to the growth and expansion of your business. But be sure that you are entering into an agreement with a full understanding of the terms and expectations for repayment. Having a large final payment due in less than ten years can put an exceptional amount of stress on you and your company’s finances.

mark-gowlovech-150x150Dennis Dahlberg
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

Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO
NMLS 1057378 | AZMB 0923961 | MLO 1057378
22601 N 19th Ave Suite 112 | Phoenix | AZ | 85027
111 Congress Ave |Austin | Texas | 78701   

     Linked In Active Rain     You TubeFace Book         

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.

Technorati Tags: commercial mortgages,commercial loans,commercial lender,commercial hard money lenders texas,commercial mortgage Texas,commercial loan Texas,commercial mortgage Arizona,commercial loan Arizona

Dangers of Merchant Cash Advances

Merchant cash advances may seem like a quick and easy type of commercial loan, but do the benefits really outweigh the risks?

First what is a merchant cash advance? Broadly speaking it is a lump sum issued and then paid off with a percentage of future sales (most often credit card transactions). This means any time your customer pays with their credit card, a specific percentage of that transaction will go towards paying off the outstanding debt. Another feature of this type of loan is that you pay a factor, rather than an interest rate. A factor rate is a number multiplied by the amount borrowed, which gives you the total amount you owe. For example if you borrow 2,000 dollars on an MCA with factor rate of 1.5 then you owe 3000 dollars. This payment structure has very specific implications. But who would want to get an MCA in the first place?

This type of commercial loan can appeal to borrowers with bad credit, little in the way of collateral or those without an established business track record. Issuers of MCA’s often don’t ask for the same amount of documentation and usually have a broader criteria of who can qualify for their loans than traditional lending sources. Getting an MCA is also faster and easier than getting traditional financing. Obviously, this model appeals to business owners who don’t qualify elsewhere or those who need money quickly.

But consider the many downsides to this type of loan. MCA issuers don’t have to abide by the same regulations as other lenders and therefore they can charge exorbitant interest. MCA’s can be very expensive and it is not unheard of for borrowers to pay triple-digits in the way of APR. The fact that the amount owed is fixed based on a factor rate, also means there is no benefit to paying off these types of loans early. You will always owe the same amount for an MCA ( i.e. amount borrowed x factor rate), regardless of when you pay it off. The unique payment structure of MCAs however presents the greatest risk to borrowers.

What are the implications?

Because MCAs are often paid off on the basis of credit card transactions, they can consistently eat away at your revenue streams. The lender could be entitled to as much as 45 percent (depending on the agreement) of your daily credit card sales. Therefore if this type of loan isn’t paid off quickly, your revenue is deferred to paying back the loan rather than expanding your business (defeating the purpose of getting the loan in the first place). In the worse case scenario, you could find yourself trapped in a cycle of debt, taking out another advance just to pay off the previous one or getting new loans simply to continue operating your business.

Even though a Merchant Cash Advance may seem attractive if you have poor credit, consider the expense and risk involved in this type of commercial loan.

Considering the risks involved in Merchant cash advances you should probably consider them a last resort when seeking financing. While every business is different, the benefits of MCAs are few while the risks are numerous.

Dennis Dahlberg

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

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.

Technorati Tags: commercial mortgages,commercial loans,commercial lender,commercial hard money lenders texas,commercial mortgage Texas,commercial loan Texas,commercial mortgage Arizona,commercial loan Arizona