The most common stumbling block to investing in real estate is not having enough cold, hard cash to act quickly to snatch up the hot deals. What if you could create a hassle-free, never ending supply of money to do all the deals you want? What if there were no red tape delays from big money lenders? What if you were finally in control of your own destiny?

You may have received notices from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) indicating that you may be entitled to a refund on your mortgage insurance premium (MIP). You may have also received solicitations from individuals and organizations that offer to pursue the refund on your behalf for a 30% fee. This fee is supposed to cover the time and expenses required to process the paperwork, communicate with HUD, and file the necessary documents. Let me give it to you straight - 30% is a ridiculously high fee for such a simple transaction, especially when you can do it yourself for FREE by completing and mailing a simple form to HUD.

There are a lot of misconceptions regarding Hard Money Loans and Hard Money Lenders (HMLs). Most of the confusion surrounds the differences between conventional mortgages and HMLs.

Every Real Estate Investor (REI) wants to close as soon as possible but unless you help the process along by doing the simple tasks required by your Hard Money Lender (HML) and the title company you are almost guaranteed to miss your closing date.

List of Hard Money Lenders.

Welcome to the third and final segment of a three-part series about income property. In this segment we will be discussing financing options for industrial income properties as well as the upside (and downside) of owning this type of property.

Welcome to the second segment of a three-part series about income property. In this second segment we will be discussing financing options for residential income properties as well as the upside (and downside) of owning this type of property.

Here's another ad to consider when selling a house
using a Lease with Option to Purchase.


"Rent to own. No qualify! No closing costs!
We lend you the down payment!"

You bought a property, expertly rehabbed it, and sold it for a nifty profit. However, for one reason or another, your buyer did not qualify for the entire amount of the loan, and you had to take back a small 2nd to make the deal go. A small 2nd behind a large 1st is very hard to sell in the open market.

So you¡¯re interested in going into business as a property manager? Have you given any thought yet to you¡¯ll enter this potentially profitable market? Reality check-unless you¡¯ve just inherited a large sum of money from a relative or are otherwise independently wealthy you¡¯re going to find someone to borrow from. This is where an apartment loan comes in.

Welcome to this first portion of a three-part series about income property. In this first segment we will be discussing financing options for commercial income properties as well as the upside (and downside) of owning this type of property.

This info is very important for both new and experienced wholesalers, AND buyers of fixer-uppers, to carefully read and understand. We learned it painfully, hopefully you won't have to :-)

Below are 9 different types of zero down mortgage that you can qualify for. Each one has positive and negative aspects. Read and learn about which zero down mortgage will suit you best.

Unlike other investors, my venture into real estate was a natural extension of my secondary business as the IP Ware software developer. However, opportunity and perseverance beget wealth, or at least a decent side income.

You’ve pre-qualified your prospects. They look good and you’ve made an appointment with your lender for the formal loan application. You’re feeling good about yourself now because, as far as you’re concerned, this house is sold...or is it?

One of the questions I see asked over and over on the REI newsgroups is "Can the seller get another loan?" This is a great question because it so often is one of the objections raised by a seller when a creative offer is being discussed.

Not a week goes by that I don’t read on some real estate investing website, the following refrain from some real estate investor, “Where are all of the real hard money lenders??Being an active hard money lender, and knowing of others who do this around the country, this always amuses me. It has become apparent over the years that there has been an ongoing debate about the services that a hard money lender should offer and what criteria is warranted, and in most instances, necessary for both the lender and the borrower. In this article, I hope to explain the changes that have taken place over the years in this important relationship, and what to look for with regard to hard money lenders.

Having a good hard money lender will help you to become more profitable. You will be able to take advantage of deals when they come available. You will be able to act quickly if need be. You will be able to obtain a prequalification letter from your lender to give yourself more credibility when making offers, and finally, you will be able to act as the bank by connecting your wholesale buyers with your lenders so they can borrow money to buy properties from you.

Finding hard money lenders isn't really a mystery. At least it isn't a hard mystery to solve. You just need to get out there and take the right steps toward uncovering them.
There are many different ways their investors, attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, etc., who are generally to locate hard money lenders or private lenders. When talking with other professionals, I tend to refer to my lenders as "private lenders" simply because not everyone is familiar with the term "hard money lender." I have found most of my lenders by asking for referrals from o willing to help me because I do what I can to help them. Some of my favorite people to ask are settlement/closing attorneys. They usually prepare the loan documents for hard money lenders and most attorneys will be able to give you at least one name. In fact, on a number of occasions the attorney whom I asked for a referral was a hard money lender themselves.

Private--or “hard money?-lenders are private individuals with surplus money available for investment. Some have deep pockets while some have limited resources. Based upon their own personal criteria, they lend this surplus money, primarily on a short-term basis, to real estate investors who use it for a variety of profitable purposes including buying and repairing distressed properties.

How to Use Hard Money Lenders...

When purchasing a house you're looking to sell quickly, investors often will use a hard moneylender.

Dear Dollar Stretcher,
We have a new home under construction. After paying off debts, we don't have enough for the 20% down payment to avoid PMI. I am trying to compare a low fixed rate 30-year mortgage to an 80/15/5 mortgage where the PMI is waived.

Is an 80/15/5 mortgage a good deal for the borrower or just for the lender? Most of the information I found was from brokers. It is hard to be too confident about their information since they are selling the product.
Rob in Texas

The term mortgage broker has really come under fire in recent years, and with good reason. We have all known brokers whose dealings have been less than ethical at best and somewhat illegal at worst. For this reason, I have compiled a list of things to look for in an ethical, reliable, dependable mortgage broker. I would like to get my job title out of the list of “dirty words.

Everybody should know that under current tax law you can sell your primary residence and any capital gain up to $250,000 ($500,000 if married) is tax free.

Wow... is that powerful!... and why aren't more investors taking advantage if that "loop hole"?

Hard Money Lenders are in the business of providing loans and loan services to people who require hard money loans (loans collateralized by real estate.) Hard money lenders may be direct hard money lenders or hard money brokers. Most hard money lenders are, in actuality brokers. Some hard money lenders are both brokers and direct lenders. In these cases, the hard money lender generally funds one or up to a few small loans per year and serves in the broker capacity to clients for the balance of loans the help to originate.

Though not quite as contemptible as obscene four-letter words, the term "creative financing" comes close. Those two words acquired a stigma over the decades. It's the rare advisor that fails to caution homebuyers about the dangers of a risky loan. Unfortunately, after the utterance of the warning, the counselors are remarkably imprecise as to exactly what defines a risky loan. Is a home bought with no down payment and a loan equal to 100% of the purchase price a hazardous way to buy? You'd certainly think so from the articles I read. And what about interest-only loans, where no principal payments are made during the early years? The suggestion normally conjures up predictions of impending disaster.