How to Find Out Your Real Estate LTV by Credit Score

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This is how lenders figure out your LTV by credit score…

Credit scores are a major factor in any kind of financing.

When you’re looking for real estate investing loans, credit score determines your down payment/LTV. In a refinance, your amount is also decided by credit score.

Let’s look closer at how lenders decide how much you get.

DSCR & Bridge Loan Interest Rate Credit Box

Lenders each have a credit sheet or credit box that they use for all borrowers.

Here’s an example of a DSCR loan credit box. It shows the maximum LTV a borrower could get depending on their credit score:

Similarly, here’s an example credit box for a bridge loan:

As you can see, a low credit score not only leaves you with a bad interest rate but also a lousy loan-to-value. In the best case, a low score gets you a 10-15% lower LTV, and in the worst case – you’re left with no loan at all.

Example Impact of Credit Score on LTV

Let’s walk through an example. Say we need to either refinance or purchase a property with $300,000.

So, what are our options based on the above credit boxes?

A 625 credit score is about the lowest most lenders will lend to in the current economy. Here’s what we could get for our $300k property:

  • Max loan amount on a DSCR loan: $210,000
  • Max loan amount on a bridge loan: $180,000

A 720 is considered excellent by most lenders. Here are the amounts we’d get from the same lenders on the same property with this score:

  • Max loan amount on a DSCR loan: $255,000
  • Max loan amount on a bridge loan: $225,000

This is up to $45,000 difference in your loan amount based solely on your credit score.

Credit Usage & Real Estate Investing Help

In short: the higher your credit score, the more funding you can receive.

The higher the funding, the lower the amount of the down payment and interest rate costs. Your credit score will always save or cost you money in real estate.

You can find out how credit impacts your rates and or cost here. Additionally, you can get quick ways to increase your score here.

We are here to help you increase your cash flow by using all means to increase the availability of cheap, easy, and quick funding.

Reach out with any questions, and for more on real estate investing, check out our YouTube channel.

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What to Know About OPM Lenders

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Ordinary people’s money is fast, cheap, easy funding, but why would OPM lenders WANT to give you money?

OPM is usually known as “Other People’s Money,” but with our real estate clients, we think of it as “Ordinary People’s Money.”

Relatives, friends, and people in real estate groups would all be open to lending you money for your investments.

This type of private money is fast and less expensive, with minimal paperwork. But why would these people WANT to give you their money?

Why People Want to be OPM Lenders

Part of why OPM in real estate works so well is because it’s a win-win.

Your lender gets a better return on their money than many other investment methods, for zero work.

You’re paying them a (lower than institutional funding) rate of interest. Especially with the economy as unpredictable as it is right now, people who have cash want a stable place to put it with a consistent return. Becoming an OPM real estate lender offers just that.

In addition to a stable rate, OPM lenders also get to invest in their community. Rather than putting money in stocks, national banks, or huge funds, they get to support a small business like you.

Finding OPM for Real Estate

Reach out at Info@TheCashFlowCompany.com, and we can show you exactly how to find OPM real estate lenders.

What we can’t help you do is keep them – that part is up to you. When you find OPM lenders, make sure to take care of them, get them their returns on time, and be honest throughout the process.

A good lender will either stick with you for the long haul or disappear after the first deal, and it all depends on how easy you are to work with.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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HELOC Pros and Cons: Should You Get One As an Investor?

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Is a home equity line of credit a good funding option for you? Here are a few HELOC pros and cons.

A Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) can be a great option for real estate leverage.

However, like any financial product, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using a HELOC for real estate investing. 

Let’s explore the pros and cons of HELOC financing, so you can decide if it’s the right choice for you. 

Pros of a HELOC

  • Little to no fees. Sometimes, you might have to pay $100 or $200 to get a HELOC on your property, but there are usually little to no fees.
  • Lower rates. You’ll see adjustable rates or fixed rates. Depends on what you get, but a HELOC is usually cheaper than private money or hard money. Rates could even be as low as bank financing. You don’t pay interest unless you’ve taken money out.
  • Quick funding. You can fund a deal in as little as one day, giving you more control over the process. You can get the money as a wire from a bank, a check, or even a debit card connected to the line of credit.

Cons to This Line of Credit

  • You must own a property. You need to own a property with equity to get a HELOC. In your owner-occupied property, most banks will go up to 95-100% of the equity. So even if you only have $20,000 in equity on your home, you can still take it out for gap funding or carry costs, even if you don’t get 100% HELOC financing.
  • You need good credit. Most banks require you to get approved through income. Both credit and debt-to-income are important factors in whether you can get a HELOC or not.
  • Misuse of funds. A HELOC is as easy to misuse as a credit card is. There’s always the risk that if you don’t pay back the funds when your real estate project is done, you’ll have too many liens on your home. Treat this line of credit like a business, and pay it off once you sell or refinance a property.

If you want help figuring out which HELOC is best for you, download this free, quick HELOC questionnaire.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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How to Fix Credit Usage Quickly

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High usage lowers your score. Here are 3 ways to fix credit usage quickly.

From our 20+ years of working with real estate investors, the number one reason we see them pay too much for funding is their credit scores are artificially lowered by their normal business needs.

How does this happen? And how do you fix it?

How Usage Impacts Your Credit Score

Many investors put their business expenses on a personal credit card. As long as it gets paid off eventually, no problem, right?

Unfortunately, when the ratio between your balance and your credit limit is high (aka, credit usage), your credit score takes a hit.

But you need credit cards to keep projects (and your business) growing.  The problem is: you either have to wait until you pay off the cards after selling the current project to start your next project, or… Pay over-inflated prices for money.

Let’s look at 3 ways to fix that.

3 Ways to Fix Credit Usage Quickly

  1. Move the cards off your personal name and onto business cards that don’t report on your credit. Some business cards do reflect on your personal credit, so make sure to ask about that before committing to a card. Here is one option you could look into.
  2. Call your current cards and ask them to raise your available limits. The problem isn’t that your balance is high. The real issue is that you’re using too high a percentage of your credit.
  3. Obtain a private loan that does not report on credit to pay off the cards. This raises your score so you can get better funding before paying off the card.

Getting Help to Fix Credit Usage

Interested in discussing a usage loan? Let us know here.

For more info on getting credit ready for leverage, you can watch these videos.

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How to Get Cash From a Credit Card

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Credit Myth: “I can’t get cash from a credit card for my real estate investments.”

We believe every real estate investor benefits from having a business credit card.

But only so many types of expenses can actually be put on credit. What if you need cash to cover a down payment, earnest money, paying certain contractors, and more?

There are lots of expenses in real estat investing that don’t take a credit card. So, how much good is a business card, really?

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to get cash from a credit card.

Getting Cash from a Credit Card

Most credit cards come with an option for a cash advance. But these come with limits that are usually well below what you need for cash purchases in the real estate world.

So how can you pull off getting cash from your credit card even above your credit card’s cash limit?

There’s a service called PlastiQ.

They charge your card and convert it to a wire, ACH, or check. So you can use up your full credit limit to as cash funds.

PlastiQ does charge a fee for this service, but it’s typically lower than your credit card company’s advance fee.

If you want to talk to someone about this service, here is a direct contact for you: Michael Locke, michael.locke@plastiq.com.

(This is not a paid referral – just a service we really think most investors should have in their bag of tricks.)

More on Credit & Investing

Have other questions about using credit cards in real estate investing? Need help setting it up? Reach out to us at The Cash Flow Company. We’re always happy to help.

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How to Use Up to 100% HELOC Financing for Real Estate Investments

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How can you use a HELOC for up to 100% financing for more real estate?

Flexibility. Cheap money. Fast closings. What every real estate investor wants, and what 100% financing can give.

A home equity line of credit should be a tool in every investor’s pocket. Here’s what you need to know about 100% HELOC financing: what it is, how to best use it in your investments, and what kind you should get.

What Is a HELOC?

A HELOC is a revolving line of credit secured by a property you own – either your owner-occupied residence or a rental property.

It allows you to borrow money as needed up to a predetermined limit, which is usually based on the amount of equity you have in your home.

You only pay interest on the amount you borrow, and you can use the funds for any purpose, including real estate investing.

Why Is HELOC Financing Important for Real Estate Investors?

HELOCs are a must-have for real estate investors because they provide a quick and easy way to access funding. Whether you need to close a deal quickly or get gap funding to cover the down payment or repairs, a HELOC can help you get the job done. 

Here are 3 ways investors use HELOCs to fund their real estate deals:

Fund Any Deal You Want

If you have enough equity in your house, you could make a down payment, fund the rehab, or purchase the whole property with 100% HELOC financing.

We had a recent client find a great real estate deal in Oklahoma, where property and fix-up, all in, was $49,000. With a HELOC, that becomes an easy transaction to fund by yourself. You can skip all the trouble of going to a lender.

HELOC financing is especially useful for auction properties – you can get your funding within a day, pay for the property (or at least the down payment) all yourself, and stop missing great deals that cross your path.

Gap Funding

Another major use for a HELOC is gap funding. Gap funding supplies money for all the smaller things a primary loan or mortgage won’t cover.

You could take money from this line of credit, and use HELOC financing for:

  • Down payment
  • Repairs and rehab
  • Earnest money, if a buyer needs funds to hold a property for you 
  • Reserves, if your primary lender requires you to have a certain dollar amount on-hand for emergencies
  • Carry costs, to make loan, insurance, and other payments during the rehab

Using HELOC is the cheapest way you could fund these gaps in your loan.

Put More Down on a Property

So the third way that people use HELOCs is to put more down on a property to get better loan terms and rates.

If the bank requires another 10% more than what you have, then you can take money out of the HELOC to use. This could mean the difference between getting back financing instead of hard money or private lending.

Even if the bank doesn’t require the extra 10%, the more you can put down upfront, the more you save overall in better rates and terms.

Even if your HELOC isn’t big enough to fund an entire project, it can help you save money in smaller ways like this.

Pros & Cons of Using a HELOC for Financing

Like any financial product, there are pros and cons to using a HELOC for real estate investing. Let’s look at a few.

HELOC Financing Positives

  • Little to no fees. Sometimes, you might have to pay $100 or $200 to get a HELOC on your property, but there are usually little to no fees.
  • Lower rates. You’ll see adjustable rates or fixed rates. Depends on what you get, but a HELOC is usually cheaper than private money or hard money. Rates could even be as low as bank financing. You don’t pay interest unless you’ve taken money out.
  • Quick funding. You can fund a deal in as little as one day, giving you more control over the process. You can get the money as a wire from a bank, a check, or even a debit card connected to the line of credit.

Negatives of Using HELOC Financing

  • You must own a property. You need to own a property with equity to get a HELOC. In your owner-occupied property, most banks will go up to 95-100% of the equity. So even if you only have $20,000 in equity on your home, you can still take it out for gap funding or carry costs, even if you don’t get 100% HELOC financing.
  • You need good credit. Most banks require you to get approved through income. Both credit and debt-to-income are important factors in whether you can get a HELOC or not.
  • Misuse of funds. A HELOC is as easy to misuse as a credit card is. There’s always the risk that if you don’t pay back the funds when your real estate project is done, you’ll have too many liens on your home. Treat this line of credit like a business, and pay it off once you sell or refinance a property.

How a HELOC Works

A HELOC is like a large credit card attached to a house. You can re-use and pay off these funds over and over.

HELOC Financing vs Credit Cards

Your HELOC might function like a credit card, but it doesn’t have rates like a credit card.

Interest rates on a HELOC are around half to a third of the cost of credit card rates. HELOCs also don’t have cash limits like most credit cards. You could take your entire HELOC out in cash if you’d like, with no fee for wiring or withdrawing.

Owner-Occupied vs Rental Property HELOCs

You can also get a HELOC on multiple different properties you own. Here’s what you can generally expect as far as LTVs:

  • For a HELOC on an owner-occupied home, you can get all the way up to 95-100% of your equity available to you.
  • For a rental, the LTV caps out at 65-70% equity. You’ll have to have more equity in a rental property to make a HELOC worthwhile.

Length of the Line of Credit

A HELOC comes with a draw period. Once this period is over, they become a standard loan where you have to pay off the balance over a term just like a mortgage.

The draw period (when you can use it like a credit card) usually lasts 5-10 years.

To combat the switch to a normal loan, you can always refinance into a new HELOC. For example, you could refinance your HELOC with a five-year draw period after four and a half years. Then, you can always keep drawing on it.

Example of How a Real Estate Investor Could Use a HELOC

Let’s say you have a HELOC of $100,000. How can you use that in a real estate deal for 100% HELOC financing?

  1. You find a property you want to put under contract, so you need $2,000 for earnest money.

Instead of going to a lender or putting up your own cash, you go to your bank, have them cut you either a cashier’s check or a check on your account, put it with the title, and now you have earnest money on your account. 

You now have $98,000 available in your HELOC. You’re only paying interest on $2,000.

2. Next, you need to put in a down payment and closing costs of $10,000 total. You call your bank and have them wire it to the title company from your HELOC.

You now have $88,000 still available, and you’re paying interest on $12k.

3. Now you’re doing your projects. You need to make repairs, pay the mortgage or hard money loan, and cover taxes.

You could put a bunch of money from your HELOC in your checking account up-front, draw from it monthly, or ask your bank about a debit card. All the expenses could go on this card – you just have to keep good accounting.

Let’s say you’ve spent $30,000 total on mortgage payments, paying contractors, and other costs. This means you took $42,000 total out of your HELOC.

Note: You’re not paying interest on the full $100k limit of your HELOC. You only pay interest on the amount you’ve taken out – in this case, the $42k.

4. Lastly, you sell the property or refinance it as a BRRRR. You take these funds and put it back on your line of credit.

Now, you have $100,000 again to use on your next project.

What Kind of HELOC Should You Get?

This is the beauty of a HELOC. You’re in control. You don’t have to wait for lenders or appraisals or paperwork. You get to use the money however you need to.

HELOCs are great tools. If you have the equity, the credit, and the income, it’s vital that you find the best HELOC for you.

They come in different shapes and sizes – adjustables, fixed 5-year periods, 10-year periods. If you want help figuring out which HELOC is best for you, download this free, quick HELOC questionnaire.

Reach out at Info@TheCashFlowCompany.com with any other questions. We want our clients to get the best credit available.

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Business vs Corporate Credit: What Exactly Do You Need for Your Real Estate Investing Business?

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For your real estate investments, do you need credit? Does it matter between business vs corporate credit?

We highly recommend that real estate investors use a business credit card for their projects’ expenses.

They save your personal credit score, and you can get some types of cards for 0% interest rates for at least the first year. You can’t beat that low of a rate!

To be clear, however, we’re talking about business credit cards, not corporate credit. Why does that distinction matter?

How Corporate Credit Differs from Business Credit

Corporate credit is next-level and will take some time to obtain. But if you are interested, here is the link.

The major difference between corporate and business credit is how they decide you’re qualified.

  • Business credit is based on your personal credit score. It requires you to personally sign on the debt.
  • Corporate credit is based on your Dun & Bradstreet score. It does not require you to personally guarantee the debt.

Corporate debt takes time and typically does not start with (or get to the point of) issuing credit cards… Especially to us small companies.

Why You Should Use a Business Card in Real Estate Investing

If you use credit in investing, a business credit card is what you need. It accomplishes two big items for funding:

  1. It keeps business purchases from impacting your personal score. Then, your credit score doesn’t negatively impact your other funding.
  2. It won’t show up on your report for lenders to officially count it against you when calculating your debt ratio.

Business credit cards keep debt from impacting your personal funding options.

How Hard Is It to Get Business Credit vs Corporate?

Assuming you have everything you need to get a business card, including a high credit score, a business or sole proprietorship, and a good, non-real-estate related business name, getting a credit card is relatively straightforward. 

Go to a site like bankrate.com or Credit Karma to pick the card that’s best for you. You can also visit Nav’s list of business cards to compare different types.

If you keep balances, then you may want to look at cards with 0% intro rates. You can change them out every year and save a lot of money.

How to Get Business Credit

If you need to set up a business or improve your credit score, reach out to us at The Cash Flow Company. We have ways to help raise your credit score fast, and can guide you in setting up a business.

You can also check out Fund & Grow. Ask us about the discounts they gave us to pass on to you!

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What’s the BEST Real Estate Funding Source?

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Here’s why OPM is the fastest, cheapest, best real estate funding source.

OPM refers to money you find from ordinary people, such as friends, family, or anyone in your investment network.

Ordinary People’s Money can fund any real estate deal – whether it’s just the down payment, the carry cost, the whole purchase price and rehab, or a long-term hold. 

The beauty of OPM is you can fund projects a phone call. Let’s look at why OPM is the best real estate funding source.

The Sheer Power of OPM

Fourteen years ago, we didn’t know anyone who could fund deals for us. We had no hedge fund backing us. We had no black book that gave us all the knowledge and tips.

So we figured out how to find OPM for our company. Fourteen years later, we’ve funded thousands of transactions and hundreds of millions of dollars with OPM.

We’ve done it on a larger scale, but we know that you can do it for your investment business too. With our experience using OPM in real estate, we’re happy to walk you through the process. 

Why OPM Is The Best Real Estate Lending Source

OPM is arguably the best lending source out there.

Unlike traditional lenders, OPM does not require:

  • a credit check
  • income verification
  • appraisal
  • extensive paperwork

The terms of the loan are also flexible to fit your specific needs. This could include carrying the interest, a longer or shorter term, or a first or second position. Additionally, OPM loans often come with fewer fees, such as points, processing, and underwriting.

OPM could be all or part of a project’s funding. It could cover:

  • down payment
  • carry cost
  • long-term hold
  • short-term flip

Any project you have, any money you need, you can find it with OPM. And best of all, it’s a partnership where you both win.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/Jym-GhdhtoU

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Business Credit Card FAQs: Can You Get One with Bad Personal Credit?

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If you have bad personal credit, can you still get a business credit card?

As a real estate, you may be wondering how to get a business credit card and what sort of credit you need.

It can be challenging to secure credit when your personal credit score is less than ideal, but it’s not impossible. In this post, we’ll explore some tips and strategies for getting a business credit card with bad personal credit.

Personal Credit is Key to Business Credit Card Success

First, it’s important to understand that you’ll need a good credit score to get business credit cards. A credit score of at least 700 is usually the minimum requirement, with higher scores providing access to larger limits and more card options.

Assuming you have everything you need to get a business card, including a high credit score, a business or sole proprietorship, and a good, non-real-estate related business name, getting a credit card is relatively straightforward. 

Go to a site like bankrate.com or Credit Karma to pick the card that’s best for you. You can also visit Nav’s list of business cards to compare different types.

If you keep balances, then you may want to look at cards with 0% intro rates. You can change them out every year and save a lot of money.

Business vs Corporate Lines

It’s worth noting that business credit cards and personal lines of credit are different from corporate credit.

Business credit is typically based on your personal credit score and requires you to personally sign on the debt. 

Corporate credit, on the other hand, is based on your Dun and Bradstreet score and does not require you to personally guarantee the debt. Obtaining corporate credit can be a longer process, and it’s not common for small companies to obtain credit at the corporate level.

Resources for Business Setup and Credit Boosting

If you need to set up a business or improve your credit score, reach out to us at The Cash Flow Company. We have ways to help raise your credit score fast, and can guide you in setting up a business.

You can also check out Fund & Grow. Ask us about the discounts they gave us to pass on to you!

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3 Ways to Use Credit Cards in Real Estate Deals

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How can credit cards help real estate investments? Here are 3 ways to use 0% cards.

Business credit cards with 0% rates can be a great entry point for new investors. Unsecured credit can fill the gaps left by your primary loan.

But how is a credit card supposed to help on a real estate investment? Let’s go through 3 ways you can use it.

1. Reserves or Down Payment on Credit Cards for Real Estate

If you have unsecured lines, or even 0% credit cards, and move the money over to accounts, then you could use those funds as reserves or a down payment.

The more money you can put in as a down payment, the better your rate, terms, and cash flow will be. Maybe funds from a credit card could allow you to put 10% rather than 5% down. This change could lower your interest rate by 1-2%.

Lenders give better rates to lower loan-to-value deals – especially for bridge loans. Take advantage of this by using unsecured credit to get more money.

2. Saving Money on Interest

Typical interest rates on credit cards are around 19-29%.

Say you put $25,000 on a 24% credit card for an investment project. Over the course of a year, that’s about $6,000 in interest. Multiply that by however many projects you complete in a year, and the costs add up fast.

0% business credit cards just make sense. With these, you can pay $0 in interest for your first year or two, rather than an astronomically high 29%.

3. Protecting Your Credit Score

When you use credit cards on your personal account, the usage negatively affects your credit score. You can’t get great loans from banks and private lenders with a bad credit score.

These 0% credit cards and other unsecured lines should be put under your business name, not your personal name. When you use an LLC, this credit usage comes off your personal credit report.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/REkxzKoe6kw

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