So named “Hard Money Lenders” are what are also known as predatory lenders. This means they make loans based on the premise that the terms to the borrower have to be such that they will gladly foreclose if necessary. Conventional lenders (banks) try everything they can do to avoid taking back a property in foreclosure so they are the true opposite of Moneylender Act Singapore.
Within the classic days just before 2000, hard money lenders virtually loaned on the After Repaired Value (ARV) of the property and also the percentage they loaned was 60% to 65%. Sometimes this percentage was as high as 75% in active (hot) markets. There wasn’t a great deal of risk as the real estate market was booming and money was very easy to borrow from banks to finance end-buyers.
When the easy times slowed and after that stopped, the tough money lenders got caught in a vice of rapidly declining home values and investors who borrowed the cash but had no equity (money) that belongs to them within the deal.
These rehabbing investors simply walked away and left the hard money lenders holding the properties that were upside down in value and declining every day. Many hard money lenders lost everything that they had along with their clients who loaned them the amount of money they re-loaned.
Since then lenders have drastically changed their lending standards. They no longer examine ARV but loan on the purchase price of the house which they need to approve. The investor-borrower should have a satisfactory credit rating and put some cash in the deal – usually 5% to 20% depending on the property’s purchase price as well as the lender’s feeling on that day.
However, when all is considered and done, Moneylender Act Singapore carry on and make their profits on these loans from your same areas:
The interest charged on these loans which is often anywhere from 12% to 20% based on competitive market conditions between local hard money lenders and what state regulations will allow.
Closing points are definitely the main revenue stream on short-term loans and range from 2 to 10 points. A “point” is the same as one percent in the amount borrowed; i.e. if $100,000 is borrowed with two points, the charge for the points is going to be $2,000. Again, the volume of points charged depends on the amount of money borrowed, enough time it will be loaned out and the risk for the lender (investor’s experience).
Hard money lenders also charge various fees for pretty much anything including property inspection, document preparation, legal review, along with other items. These fees are pure profit and should be counted as points but they are not because the mixture of the points and interest charged the investor can exceed state usury laws.
These lenders still examine every deal as though they must foreclose the financing out and take the property back – they may be and always will be predatory lenders. I might guess that 5% to 10% of hard money loans are foreclosed out or taken back using a deed rather than foreclosure.
So aside from the stricter requirements of Moneylenders Act, there has been no fundamental changes as to how hard money lenders make their profits – points, interest, fees and taking properties back and reselling them.
These lenders also consider the investor’s capability to repay the loan each month or even to make the required interest only payments. If you get to borrow hard money, anticipate to require some of your money and also have lmupww in reserve so you can carry the borrowed funds till the property is sold.