Whether you’re looking for a new car, trying to negotiate a home loan, or any other manner of purchase that is going to cost you a lot of money, financing the purchase can easily become an issue. That’s often when people turn to hard money loans from hard money lenders. There are people, especially in some rural areas, that don’t trust banks, so hard money loans can be a great way to get the money they need to give the dealership or the real estate agent and be done with it.
When it comes to knowing how to negotiate the price of a new car or negotiate a home loan from a lender, some people fall short of the mark. For example, when buying a new car, you need to do your research to talk to the salesperson at the car dealership and be knowledgeable about car prices, monthly payments, and interest rates. The last thing you want is to buy a lemon from a smooth-talking salesperson at a car dealership, then find out you’re paying way more than you should.
What is a hard money loan?
Hard money loans are short-term loans that private institutions lend to borrowers so that they can avoid banks to get their home loans. As with so many other things, some risks come with using a hard money lender, but there are benefits as well. If you’re considering using a hard money loan, you must first weigh the pros and cons to make an informed decision.
Pro: Getting a hard money loan is a speedy process.
You can easily go to Google search for “how to find hard money lenders near me” to find out if they’re available in your area. Once you’ve found a hard money lender, the process doesn’t take very long to complete. Loans at traditional financial institutions take quite a bit of time with the paperwork and procedures they have to follow. Applying for and being approved for a hard money loan, on the other hand, is a speedy procedure. Once you’ve done the paperwork, many people are approved and receive their money within an hour. Once you give your leverage, such as paperwork on the property or land, to the lender, you get your hard money pretty quickly after that.
Pro: Hard money loans have more flexibility.
Hard money from a private lender or hard money lender gives you more flexibility as a borrower. Since the lenders don’t use a standardized underwriting process, they evaluate each borrower individually, making it easier for them to be flexible with the hard money they’re loaning you. This works out great for house flippers and real estate investors, seeing as they have more flexible options for repayment schedules. You don’t have that with a traditional loan.
Con: Hard money loans come with a high risk.
The biggest con to getting a loan from a hard money lender is that it usually comes with a high-interest rate and puts a burden on the borrower. Between the high-interest rate and the short-term loan terms, many borrowers fail to meet their deadline for payment and then end up losing their leverage and ruining their credit if they had a good credit score, to begin with. It’s essential to keep up with your payments and make sure that your hard money loan is paid on time and in full when it is due for this very reason.
These are just a few of the advantages and disadvantages of hard money loans that you should weigh before you make a final decision on whether to apply for hard money. Do your research well, then decide if it’s the best choice for you.
