Tag Archive for: real estate investing

Which rental loans are the BEST for your rental property?

There are three main loans that cover rental property loans: traditional, DSCR, and small bank loans.

Whenever we’re talking about rentals, we’re always going to come back to cash flow, and it’s important to find the best cash-flowing loan. 

If you’re deep in the real estate investing game, then you’ll probably utilize all three of these types of loans at some point. They all have their place. However, if you’re a newer investor, it can be tricky to figure out which loan is right for you.

We want to look at the pros and cons of each type of rental loan to help you understand which might be the best option to help your cash flow for a specific deal. 

Traditional Rental Loans

Pros of Traditional Loans

1. It’s a 30 Year Mortgage. This standardized timeline is reliable and consistent across most traditional loans.

2. No Prepay Penalty. Without a prepayment penalty, you can get out of the loan whenever you want. This is great if you anticipate a changing market and might want to sell early.

3. Lower Interest Rates. Between DSCR and traditional rental loans, you’re often looking at at least a whole point difference in the interest rates. While a single percentage might seem small, when you’re dealing with hundreds of thousands of dollars, the interest adds up very quickly. 

Interest rates affect everything from your cash flow to your credit score to your debt ratio. Depending on where you’re at financially, lower interest rates can be a huge point in favor of these traditional loans.

4. Home Hacking. With traditional rental loans, you’re actually able to do an owner-occupied loan. This allows you to live in one of the units you’re working on. Especially if you’re working on multiple units, you can move from one to another as needed.

Sometimes these owner-occupied loans have lower down payments and better rates, so they’re often worth looking into.

5. Same Rules Nationwide. Traditional loans are consistent across the country. No matter where you go, the guidelines are the same. This makes them predictable although they often have stricter guidelines than other loan types.

Cons of Traditional Loans

1. Property Limits. With traditional loans, you’re limited to 10 properties or 10 units. So while they do often have the best rates, you’re limited in how many properties they cover.

2. Need Income Proof and Good Credit. Not all loans need proof of income, but traditional loans certainly do. Your rates will also be limited by your credit score.

3. Cannot Close in an LLC. Unlike other loan options, traditional loans require you to close in your personal name because you cannot own the property when you’re going through a purchase or refinance in an LLC.

An LLC typically works to protect individuals from the financial effects of a business. However, because of the limits of traditional loans, you can’t use that protection in this scenario.

4. One Year Seasoning. You’re not allowed to refinance until after a full year has passed. This is especially important to consider if you’re doing a BRRRR and want to tap into some equity with a full refinance or purchase.

DSCR Rental Loans

DSCR stands for debt-service coverage ratio. You’ll often see these loans come up for anything from a single family home to a larger multi-unit property.

Pros of DSCR

1. Flexibility. While traditional loans find strength in their consistency, investors sometimes find themselves needed a lot more flexibility. That’s where DSCRs come in. 

DSCRs are significantly more flexible because lenders and investors can negotiate unique terms that fit a project’s specific needs.

2. Ease! The biggest benefit of DSCR is ease. It doesn’t matter if you’re employed, what your tax return says, or how much income you have flowing. DSCR lenders only care about the rental property and whether it has the potential to produce cash flow.

3. Close in an LLC. Another big thing in the real estate investor world is closing in an LLC. Unlike traditional bank loans, you can both buy and refinance in an LLC, so you’re protected all the way through.

4. Available in all 50 States. No matter where you are, you will be able to find available DSCR rental loans. However, the details might vary.

Each lender offering DSCRs have their own terms, guidelines, etc. This makes it incredibly important to shop around to make sure you find the right fit.

5. Unlimited Number of Properties. You will find so many options in the DSCR world. You can find loans for specific properties or do a blanket loan for $50 million that could cover as many units as you wanted.

Always make sure that the lender and loan are the right fit for you, and remember that there are a ton of options available!

Cons of DSCR

1. Prepayment Penalties. The number one downside of DSCR loans are the prepayment penalties. If you’re looking to get in and out of a property within the first three to five years, there’s a prepayment penalty unless you buy it out.

2. Higher Rates. Rates for DSCRs typically run anywhere from 1%-3% higher than traditional bank loans, depending on credit score, size of loan, etc.

3. Might Disappear or Change Quickly. DSCR loans are prone to change quickly. When shifts happen in the real estate market, they might even disappear for a brief time before showing up again.

While traditional bank loans are more slow-moving, DSCR moves quickly, and sometimes that can become an issue to real estate investors.

4. Can’t Home Hack. DSCR also does not allow you to live in any of the units you’re working on as you could with an owner-occupied traditional loan.

Local Banks for Rental Loans

Another option that fewer people consider is looking at loans from small, local banks. These local banks sometimes offer in-house products that can offer more flexible loans to people investing in their local area. 

Pros of Small Bank Loans

1. More Flexibility. Depending on your area, some local banks love real estate investors. If you shop around and find a small bank willing to invest, these loans often offer more flexibility than larger traditional loans. 

Because local banks are more likely to understand the area, unique properties that might seem strange to larger lenders might be more seriously considered by locals.

2. Decent Rates. Rates for local banks typically fall between traditional loans and the higher DSCR rates. However, you do keep more flexibility (the appeal of DSCR) for a lower rate.

3. No Prepay Penalties. Most local banks don’t have the extensive prepay penalties like DSCRs.

4. Good for Smaller Towns and Loans. Banks often want to invest in their local areas, and they’re often more willing to give out smaller loans for those areas as well. Of course, these banks still want to see good income and good credit.

Cons of Local Bank Loans

1. Each is Different. Every small bank makes their own rules. Because of this, its so important to shop around to find a bank that will offer you good rates for your specific project.

2. Lending Limits. Local banks also have lending limits. If you’re putting a portfolio together or doing multiple properties, you might hit up against that lending limit, and the bank might have to step away from offering you a loan.

3. Shop Around. As we already mentioned, one of the big negatives is you have to shop around. Small bank loans can also change like DSCR loans, so just because you talked to a bank at one point doesn’t exclude them from being considered again in the future.

4. Limited Areas/Regions. They also limit their areas and don’t want to go too far out of that market. Look for banks in the local area of your investment property.

5. Callable. Loans from small banks are callable. This means that, if they feel like the values have gone down, they could call the loan and make you pay it off or refinance it somewhere else. Neither traditional nor DSCR loans have this feature.

This gives small bank loans a bit more risk than other types of rental loans.

Which Loan is Right for Your Rental?

All three of these loans have their strengths and weaknesses. You can decide which is right for you based on your individual financial history and the needs of your project.

If you want help figuring out what loan is the best fit, we recommend checking out the tools on our website. We have our free DSCR calculator that can help you figure out your DSCR ratio. 

Our goal is to help you maximize the cash flow of your real estate investments. 

If you’re buying or refinancing a rental property and want to know if you’re getting the best terms, or if you have questions about comparing loan types, reach out to us at Info@TheCashFlowCompany.com.

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It can feel overwhelming to build credit, but these three tips and tricks can help you quickly get back on track.

1. Don’t close credit cards you’re not using. 

You can cut them up so you can’t use them anymore, but let them keep reporting. Credit bureaus see the extra available credit which helps build your score.

Earlier this week we had a client call whose usage was in the high 30s. Even though that isn’t much higher than the ideal, it still impacted his credit score and bumped him down a tier, making him pay higher rates and potentially decreasing his loan to value with major lenders.

He had other credit cards available, but he closed those accounts. By closing them, he decreased the available credit overall which made his usage percentage go up and his credit score go down.

If he had only left those credit cards open, he would have kept a much higher available credit which would have brought his usage numbers down.

2. Increase your limits to build credit.

You can also call and ask your credit card companies to increase your available credit. Since credit scores are based on the ratio of usage to available balance, raising the ceiling builds your credit.

It’s important to remember that increased limits don’t show on your credit reports until your next statements cycle. If you’re desperate to raise your score, look at when your next statement is issued to avoid panic. 

3. Protect your credit through private investments.

By finding individuals in your community who are willing to invest in you, you can build your credit through avoiding credit cards. Paying cash helps you avoid raising your usage number. 

It doesn’t take a millionaire to make this happen. Even ordinary people who have $20,000-$50,000 can make a significant difference.

You’re helping them, and they’re helping you, because they’re not going to find an 8-9% rate anywhere else. Just make sure you take care of their investment by properly securing it.

 

Read the full article here.

Watch the full video here:

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Avoid the investor bad credit cycle and fix high credit usage using these two simple tricks.

High personal credit card usage → Bad credit score → No loan (or a loan with unfavorable terms) → No or less cash out to pay off the cards → Difficulty getting a loan for the next project

What does this cycle start with?

High usage on personal credit cards.

So, there are two solutions we recommend: 1) fixing the high usage, and 2) not using personal credit cards. Here’s how to do both.

Fix High Credit Usage with a Usage Loan

We had a client who racked up $40,000 on his personal credit cards on the fix-up of a rental property. Since it’s on his personal cards, that high usage reports on his personal credit. To fix this, we gave him a $40,000 usage loan (one that does not report on his credit).

The $40k loan from us is secured by another piece of property, or he could have gotten a loan from a friend or family member that also wouldn’t report.

He uses the loan to pay down all the credit cards. Because usage makes up 30% of your credit score, lowering your usage will likely improve your score within 30 to 60 days.

Once our client has used the loan in this way, his score went from 680 back up to 720. He can get the DSCR loan with a half point rather than 3 points, saving him thousands of dollars on the transaction.

Business Credit Cards for Real Estate Costs

The usage loan is the fix-it-quick solution. The long-term solution for this bad credit cycle is to use a business credit card for all costs associated with your real estate investing career.

The only difference between a business and a personal card is that it’s in your business’s LLC, and it doesn’t report to your personal credit.

So going forward, as our client uses his cards for future projects, it won’t affect his personal credit score or future financing, since he’ll now use his business cards.

Be aware that you’re getting the right business credit card. Some still report to personal credit, like Capital One.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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Here are the requirements of a DSCR loan for a multi-unit property (plus 4 benefits of DSCR loans).

There are a few unique requirements for a DSCR loan on a commercial or multi-unit property.

  • Properties that have at least $50,000 in value or more.
  • Minimum loan size starts at $1 million to $2 million.
  • Units must be at least 75 to 90% occupied.
  • DSCR of 1.2 or higher.
  • Appraise and verify rents for each property.

This style of DSCR loan is not good for buying and fixing up value-add properties. To meet all of the requirements, the property must already be stable, rented, and bringing in rent.

4 Benefits of DSCR Loans for Commercial and Multi-Family Property

1. Portfolios

These loans not only work for commercial properties (ie, a 20-unit apartment building), but it also works for portfolios. So if you have five single-family homes you want to put under one loan, this product could also do that. The properties must appraise for $50k or higher.

2. Non-recourse

Non-recourse means you don’t have to personally sign or personally guarantee it – it all goes through your LLC. So your lender won’t come after you if something goes wrong.

3. Alternative to Banks

These DSCR-style loans are helpful while banks are tight. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of a bank (or even if you can’t qualify for a bank loan), a DSCR can be a great alternative.

4. Low Hassle

A DSCR loan won’t require your tax returns, proof of income, or any of the other paperwork that typically drags out the loan process. All you need is an LLC, a good credit score, and a qualifying property.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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Investors get trapped in a credit usage cycle – here’s how it happens.

We get calls about this bad credit trap almost daily. Let’s go over the story of one client.

They were going for a DSCR loan. They owned the property free and clear – except they had put all the repairs on their personal credit cards, which they still owed. It’s not uncommon for investors to use credit cards to cover the rehab costs of a flip. In this case, they ran around $40,000 on the cards.

So they went to get their DSCR refinance of up to $210,000 on this property that was worth over $300,000. The LTV looked good, everything was checking out, and they actually got pre-qualified before they did all the work and got the tenants in the property.

Then the problem: their points rose from 1 to 3%. Their interest rate went from mid-7s to over 9.6%. Their LTV jumped from 70% down to 65%.

Why? Those credit card balances were on their personal cards, so it impacted their personal credit. The bad credit score impacted their rate and fees. Now, for this refinance they had already qualified for, they now owed over $6,000 in points alone.

What Is the Credit Usage Cycle?

On flips and BRRRRs, we see this credit cycle happen over and over again.

Investors put the fix-up costs (business expenses) on personal cards. This drives up the balances, and so increases credit usage, and so lowers their personal credit score.

In the earlier example, our client fully intended to use the money from the refinance to pay off the credit card balances. But they can’t get the refinance until the cards are paid off. This is the cycle.

In most instances, you expect to pay the personal cards off with the refinance. But when you go to refinance, you get the unexpected surprise that your credit score doesn’t qualify. In our client’s example, he had actually pre-qualified, but the rate and fees had changed drastically due to the bad credit score.

If this client had accepted the terms of that refinance, he’s going to get less cash out to pay off the cards and put into his next project. The next property will have hefty out-of-pocket closing costs. With all these extra costs, his real estate investing career will slow to a standstill, and he’ll be more dependent on the personal credit cards than ever.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/ONa_nEQ0840

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Here are two solutions to get out of the bad credit cycle.

You might think of your credit score as a track record – something that describes your past.

But in the real estate investing business, your credit score is a bit more like a crystal ball – something that decides your future.

Your credit score determines what interest rates you qualify for, what amount a bank is willing to lend you, and whether traditional financing is available to you at all.

And unfortunately for real estate investors, there’s a nasty credit trap you can fall into.

Let’s talk about what this bad credit cycle is, how it impacts investors, and how you can get out and stay out of it.

A Real-Life Example of the Bad Credit Cycle

We get calls about this bad credit trap almost daily. Let’s go over the story of one client.

They were going for a DSCR loan. They owned the property free and clear – except they had put all the repairs on their personal credit cards, which they still owed. It’s not uncommon for investors to use credit cards to cover the rehab costs of a flip. In this case, they ran around $40,000 on the cards.

So they went to get their DSCR refinance of up to $210,000 on this property that was worth over $300,000. The LTV looked good, everything was checking out, and they actually got pre-qualified before they did all the work and got the tenants in the property.

Then the problem: their points rose from 1 to 3%. Their interest rate went from mid-7s to over 9.6%. Their LTV jumped from 70% down to 65%.

Why? Those credit card balances were on their personal cards, so it impacted their personal credit. The bad credit score impacted their rate and fees. Now, for this refinance they had already qualified for, they now owed over $6,000 in points alone.

What Is the Bad Credit Cycle?

On flips and BRRRRs, we see this credit cycle happen over and over again.

Investors put the fix-up costs (business expenses) on personal cards. This drives up the balances, and so increases credit usage, and so lowers their personal credit score.

In the earlier example, our client fully intended to use the money from the refinance to pay off the credit card balances. But they can’t get the refinance until the cards are paid off. This is the cycle.

In most instances, you expect to pay the personal cards off with the refinance. But when you go to refinance, you get the unexpected surprise that your credit score doesn’t qualify. In our client’s example, he had actually pre-qualified, but the rate and fees had changed drastically due to the bad credit score.

If this client had accepted the terms of that refinance, he’s going to get less cash out to pay off the cards and put into his next project. The next property will have hefty out-of-pocket closing costs. With all these extra costs, his real estate investing career will slow to a standstill, and he’ll be more dependent on the personal credit cards than ever.

Stopping the Bad Credit Cycle

High personal credit card usage → Bad credit score → No loan, or a loan with unfavorable terms → No or less cash out to pay off the cards → Difficulty getting a loan for the next project

What does this cycle start with?

High usage on personal credit cards.

So there are two solutions we recommend: 1) fixing the high usage, and 2) not using personal credit cards. Here’s how to do both.

Fixing High Usage with a Usage Loan

This is how we helped our client. He had the $40,000 on his personal credit cards reporting on his credit, so we gave him a $40,000 usage loan that does not report on his credit.

The $40k loan from us is secured by another piece of property, or he could have gotten a loan from a friend or family member that also wouldn’t report.

He uses the loan to pay down all the credit cards. Because usage makes up 30% of your credit score, lowering your usage will likely improve your score within 30 to 60 days.

Once our client has used the loan in this way, his score went from 680 back up to 720. He can get the DSCR loan with a half point rather than 3 points, saving him thousands of dollars on the transaction.

Using a Business Card for Real Estate Costs

The usage loan is the fix-it-quick solution. The long-term solution for this bad credit cycle is to use a business credit card for all costs associated with your real estate investing career.

The only difference between a business and a personal card is that it’s in your business’s LLC, and it doesn’t report to your personal credit.

So going forward, as our client uses his cards for future projects, it won’t affect his personal credit score or future financing, since he’ll now use his business cards.

Be aware that you’re getting the right business credit card. Some still report to personal credit, like Capital One.

How to Fix Your Credit

Stop spinning in this credit cycle. Let’s get you back on track.

If you need options to get out of this trap, we could help you with secured lines to pay off those credit cards and getting in the right business cards so this doesn’t happen. Just reach out at Info@TheCashFlowCompany.com

Want more information about real estate investing in general? Check out our YouTube channel.

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What is the difference in DSCR loans: single-family vs multi-units.

A DSCR loan is a product that does not rely on income from the borrower or borrowing entity. The borrower could be an individual, an LLC, or a partnership. Regardless of who is borrowing, the lender does not require their income information.

Instead, a DSCR loan depends on the income (rent) from the property.

Traditionally, DSCR loans are used for single-family properties. However, there are products available for multi-family units as well. Here are some of the similarities and differences.

Ratio Requirements for a DSCR Loan

Debt service coverage ratio is the rent divided by the expenses of a property. If the DSCR is 1, that means the income perfectly covers the expenses, breaking even.

A DSCR loan for commercial property will likely require at least a 1.2 DSCR. This would mean your income is 120% more than your expenses.

For instance, if your mortgage, interest, taxes, and insurance add up to $1,000 per month, your rent must be $1,200 per month to have a DSCR of 1.2.

Differences Between DSCR Loans in Single-Family vs Multi-Units

There are some differences between a typical DSCR and a DSCR-style product for multi-family and commercial properties.

  • Loan size. The average DSCR loan is for single-family units, duplexes, and fourplexes, usually around $300k to $400k. A DSCR loan for commercial property, however, is a larger loan – typically anywhere between $1 million to $2 million.
  • LTV. For a typical DSCR loan, you could get an LTV of 80-85%. Commercial DSCR loans max out at 75%.
  • Terms. A DSCR loan for commercial property is amortized over 30 years or interest-only, like a traditional DSCR loan. They’re only fixed for a certain period, usually five, seven, or ten years.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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3 types of credit – and why business vs personal cards are the right option for real estate investors.

Your credit score is the driving force behind your financing. Credit score decides:

  • How many lenders will offer you money
  • Your loan-to-values
  • All terms and rates.

By raising your score, you get better financing. Better financing opens up more options for buying deals – you have more money available to you, plus more flexibility and speed in getting that money to buyers.

The business credit card is the simplest way to make that credit score jump for investors. But let’s compare it to two other major forms of credit.

Business and Corporate Credit

Business credit cards are not like corporate credit.

You can apply for a business credit card and have it back in close to a week. However, corporate credit cards are a bit harder. It involves building corporate credit and going through Dun and Bradstreet – which all takes months or years.

Business credit cards are easy, fast, and can be used every day. All you need is a business, and business name, a bank account, and a decent credit score. (Need to lower your usage to improve your score before you get a business card? Ask us about a usage loan.)

As soon as you get a business card, you can start using it to pay for contractors and supplies, which will free up your personal credit cards and raise your score.

Business Credit Card vs Personal Credit Card

One main difference between a business and personal credit card is that a personal one reports on your score and the (right) business one doesn’t.

For a personal card, you must keep your balance less than 30% of your limit. On a business card, you can max it out. In fact, credit card companies actually like when you use more of your business’s limit, and they’ll give you more credit for doing it.

Using a lot of credit is actually a benefit on the business side.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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What you need to know about the DSCR loan for commercial property or multi-family.

Maybe you have the chance to buy an apartment unit. It could have 40 units, or just five. But what if you still want the simplicity of a DSCR loan?

Most of the time, DSCR loans are only available for single-family rentals – or sometimes up to fourplexes. However, there is a product very similar to a DSCR loan that can be used for commercial property and multi-family apartment buildings.

Let’s explore how these loans differ in terms and requirements from other DSCR loans.

What Is a DSCR Loan for Commercial Property?

A DSCR loan is a product that does not rely on income from the borrower or borrowing entity. The borrower could be an individual, an LLC, or a partnership.

Regardless of who is borrowing, the lender does not require their income information.

Instead, a DSCR loan depends on the income (rent) from the property. A debt service coverage ratio is the rent divided by the expenses of a property. If the DSCR is 1, that means the income perfectly covers the expenses, breaking even.

Ratio Requirements for a DSCR Loan

A DSCR loan for commercial property will likely require at least a 1.2 DSCR. This would mean your income is 120% more than your expenses.

For instance, if your mortgage, interest, taxes, and insurance add up to $1,000 per month, your rent must be $1,200 per month to have a DSCR of 1.2.

Differences Between the Types of DSCR Loans

Let’s look at the differences between a typical DSCR and a DSCR-style product that is used for multi-family and commercial properties.

  • Loan size. The average DSCR loan is for single-family units, duplexes, and fourplexes, usually around $300k to $400k. A DSCR loan for commercial property, however, is a larger loan – typically anywhere between $1 million to $2 million.
  • LTV. For a typical DSCR loan, you could get an LTV of 80-85%. Commercial DSCR loans max out at 75%.
  • Terms. A DSCR loan for commercial property can be amortized over 30 years, or it can be interest-only. But they’re only fixed for a certain period, most commonly five, seven, or ten years.

Requirements for Commercial Property DSCR Loans

There are a few unique requirements for a DSCR loan on a commercial or multi-unit property.

  • Properties that have at least $50,000 in value or more.
  • Minimum loan size starts at $1 million to $2 million.
  • Units must be at least 75 to 90% occupied.
  • DSCR of 1.2 or higher.
  • Appraise and verify rents for each property.

This style of DSCR loan is not good for buying and fixing up value-add properties. To meet all of the requirements, the property must already be stable, rented, and bringing in rent.

4 Benefits of a DSCR Loan for Commercial and Multi-Family Property

  • Portfolios

These loans not only work for commercial properties (ie, a 20-unit apartment building), but it also works for portfolios. So if you have five single-family homes you want to put under one loan, this product could also do that. The properties must appraise for $50k or higher.

  • Non-recourse

Non-recourse means you don’t have to personally sign or personally guarantee it – it all goes through your LLC. So your lender won’t come after you if something goes wrong.

  • Alternative to Banks

These DSCR-style loans are helpful while banks are tight. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of a bank (or even if you can’t qualify for a bank loan), a DSCR can be a great alternative.

  • Low Hassle

A DSCR loan won’t require your tax returns, proof of income, or any of the other paperwork that typically drags out the loan process. All you need is an LLC, a good credit score, and a qualifying property.

More on DSCR Loans

A DSCR loan could be the right fit for your single-family, multi-family, or commercial property.

Left with questions about DSCR loans? Check out these videos.

Want more info for your deal or portfolio? Reach out at Info@TheCashFlowCompany.com.

Not sure your property’s DSCR qualifies? Use this free, simple DSCR calculator.

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What should you know before you get a HELOC?

First, know where to go for HELOCs. This is typically local credit unions and large national banks.

But before you call these institutions, make sure you have these 5 things ready:

  1. How much your property is worth.
  2. How much you owe on it.
  3. Align your LTVs. So if it’s a rental property, make sure your current mortgage and your current value is 70-75% or less, or HELOCs are probably not going to be available to you.
  4. What your credit score is. Know what it is and know what it needs to be. Most places will require a minimum 680, but 700 is better. The higher your credit score, the higher your loan-to-value.
  5. What type of property it is. Especially with a rental, know its condition and whether it’s a single-family, duplex, etc.

A final tip on HELOCs: each bank or company will give you a HELOC on between one and three of your properties. So if you want a HELOC on five, ten, or twenty properties, you’ll have to set up accounts at different banks.

As an alternative, you could also look into lines of credit, which span multiple properties.

Help to Get a HELOC (and More)

We want to make it easier for you to get the best, cheapest leverage possible for your investments.

If you have any questions or have a loan you’d like us to price out, reach out to us at Info@TheCashFlowCompany.com. If you just want more information on real estate investing, you should check out the videos on our YouTube channel.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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