What Is Bridge Loan Financing

What Are The Drawbacks Of Bridge Loans

As mentioned, bridge loans can come with a large expense, as you absorb a higher interest rate and the fees associated with an additional mortgage. Theres also the matter of the length of a bridge loan as a short-term loan with a mere one-year payback time in most cases, stress can compound if you need to pay it back quickly, and your home takes even longer to sell than you had anticipated. Even if you anticipate being able to meet the short-term nature of the loan with no problem, unexpected circumstances can thwart your plans. And just having two mortgages to manage can be stressful in and of itself, no matter what your economic circumstances.

In addition, not everyone can qualify. Youll need to have sizable equity and a fantastic credit rating in order to be a good candidate.

Finally, not every lender offers them as they are more of a specialty or niche product, so you might have to look for a different lender than the one who has your primary loan. Be sure to ask them first, of course, as they might be able to help you or at least offer a great reference.

When Does A Company Need Bridge Financing

Lets look at an example when an enterprise can be compelled to go for a bridge loan.

Imagine ABC Co. being approved for a $1,000,000 loan in a bank, but the loan is tranched, meaning it consists of three parts . The first tranche will be settled in six months. The company needs funds at the moment to operate and thus will be looking for a cover to account for said six months. It can apply for a six-month bridge loan that will provide enough money to survive until the first credit tranche flows to the companys bank account.

How To Qualify For A Bridge Loan

In order to be eligible for a bridge loan you will need both your Sale Agreement with a firm selling date from your current property and your Purchase Agreement for your new property. Some lenders will want to know that you can afford to pay two mortgages at once, so its wise to get all of the details from your lender ahead of home searching.

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How Bridge Loans Work

In order to get a bridge loan, you’ll have to apply for it with a lender. Not all lenders have set guidelines for minimum FICO scores or debt-to-income ratios for bridge loans. Funding is guided by more of a “Does it make sense?” underwriting approach. The piece of the puzzle that requires guidelines is the long-term financing obtained on the new home.

Some lenders that make conforming loans exclude the bridge loan payment for qualifying purposes. The borrower is qualified to buy the move-up home by adding together the existing mortgage payment, if any, on their existing home to the new mortgage payment on the move-up home.

Many lenders qualify the buyer on two payments because most buyers have existing first mortgages on their present homes. The buyer will likely close on the move-up home purchase before selling an existing residence, so they will own two homes, but hopefully only for a short period of time.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of A Bridge Loan For Homebuyers

A bridge loan has its share of benefits and drawbacks for potential homebuyers. The benefits include:

• They enable a home buyer to shop confidently for a new house before listing their old home.
• They give a buyer the ability to make an offer on a home whose seller won’t accept contingent offers.
• A homebuyer can close the sale of their new home before their existing one, providing for a smoother transition.

Meanwhile, some of the drawbacks are that:

• They require a fast-moving real estate market to be a practical option.
• They tend to be more expensive, both in interest rate and closing costs, compared to a home equity loan.
• A homeowner needs at least 20% equity in their existing home.
• The homebuyer must be able to qualify to own both homes in case the existing one takes longer to sell than expected.
• A bridge loan can cause financial stress from potentially having to carry two mortgages as well as the mounting interest from the bridge loan.

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Definition: What Are Assisted Living / Memory Care Bridge Loans

A Memory Care or Assisted Living Bridge Loan is a loan specifically designed for persons moving into a senior living residence who intend to pay for it with the sale of their home. While the resident will have the money to pay for their care, that money is currently tied up in their home equity. The bridge loan provides them with a short-term loan while they sell their home. Once the home is sold, the loan is repaid. These loans are considered a bridge because they help get the recipient across a time when money might not be readily available.

They can work as a line of credit or a large lump sum. This is intentional as many assisted living / memory care residences require a move-in or community fee as well as monthly payments.

Interest rates for bridge loans are usually higher than with personal loans, because they can be approved for large amounts very quickly. Funds can be paid directly to the assisted living or memory care home, and additional money can also be provided to the individual for normal living expenses.

Debt Service Coverage Ratio

DSCR is one of the most important indicators that lenders check. This measures your ability to repay your debt. DSCR is estimated by taking your propertys annual net operating income and dividing it by the annual total debt service. Bridge loan providers usually require a DSCR of 1.1 percent to 1.25 percent.

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How Do They Work

A bridge loan is used in the real estate industry to make a down payment for a new home. As a homeowner looking to buy a new house, you have two options.

The first option is to include a contingency in the contract for the house you intend to buy. The contingency would state that you will only buy the house after the sale of your old house is complete. However, some sellers might reject this option if other ready buyers are willing to purchase the house instantly.

The second option is to get a loan to pay a down payment for the house before the sale of the first house goes through. You can take a bridge loan and use your old house as collateral for the loan. The proceeds can then be used to pay a down payment for the new house and cover the costs of the loan. In most cases, the lender will offer a bridge loan worth approximately 80% of the combined value of both houses.

Where To Find Bridge Loan Lenders

Bridge loans are a specialized product, and not all lenders offer them. Ask the lender youre working with for the new home purchase about whether it offers bridge loans. If it doesnt consider these options:

• Local banks and credit unions. If you already bank with a local institution, ask about bridge loans. Even if you dont, local banks and credit unions offer personal service and understand your local real estate market.
• Non-QM lenders. Non-qualified mortgage lenders specialize in alternative mortgage products like bridge loans. Non-QM mortgages have features that arent allowed in qualified mortgages, like interest-only and balloon payment structures.
• Hard money lenders. Hard money lenders are individuals or groups of investors who offer loans with short repayment terms, like bridge loans. They tend to have higher interest rates, but they may not be as stringent when it comes to credit requirements. Confirm theyre reputable before working with one.

Verify that any loan officer or institution youre considering is appropriately licensed by visiting the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System Consumer Access website. You can search by loan officer or company name and confirm theyre licensed in your state.

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Opportunity Funds And Hard Money Loans

Conventional lenders offer bridge loan to investors with straightforward purchases. If the purchase is particularly complex, requiring special expertise to process, you may need to apply for a bridge loan using an opportunity fund, or a special fund comprised of assets pooled from various investors, usually pension plans, endowment trusts, and private equity sources.

Another option is a hard money loan. These are bridge loans offered by private lenders based on the collateral value of the property rather than on credit rating. They are a good option for investors who dont want to spend time dealing with the red tape a traditional lender makes you go through and who are sure that they can repay the loan amount quickly.

The downside of hard money loans is the interest rate and closing costs are much higher than those offered by traditional lenders.

Government Down Payment Assistance Programs

There are a couple of different avenues when it comes to government assistance. The National Homebuyers Fund offers coverage of the down payment and closing costs up to five percent of your mortgage total, and features flexible credit and debt-to-income requirements. In addition, there are several state-sponsored programs that vary in terms of qualification criteria and usually take the form of loans or grants.;

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Removes Contingencies From The Equation

Another advantage of a bridge loan is that it allows the buyer to avoid a contingent offer one that relies on the sale of another property. This can put the buyer at a disadvantage because many sellers won’t accept a contingent offer of this type, especially in a seller’s market. Removing this contingency through a bridge loan can make the buyer’s offer more attractive

How To Get A Bridge Loan To Buy A House

To qualify for a bridge loan your lender will look at standard credentials like your debt-to-income ratio, how much home equity you have, your credit card score and possibly your household income. It helps if youve been a good mortgage candidate with your first home. If you do not have a decent amount of equity in your current home, it may be hard to qualify. If your lender determines that you are an ideal candidate, you may experience a faster approval process for a bridge loan than you did for a traditional mortgage.

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What Is Bridge Financing

Bridge financing is a form of temporary financing intended to cover a companys short-term costs until the moment when regular long-term financing is secured. Thus, it is named as bridge financing since it is like a bridge that connects a company to debt capital through short-term borrowings.

An institution that urgently needs capital to meet its short-term obligations can choose to obtain a bridge loan that serves as a form of bridge financing. It is usually issued by an investment bank or venture capital firm. Equity financing can also be an option for those seeking bridge financing. In all cases, bridge loans are expensive because lenders bear a significant portion of default risk loaning the funds for a short period.

Bridge financing is used in the initial public offerings Initial Public Offering An Initial Public Offering is the first sale of stocks issued by a company to the public. Prior to an IPO, a company is considered a private company, usually with a small number of investors . Learn what an IPO is to cover the flotation expenses .

Why Might You Want Or Need To Get Bridge Financing

I was chatting with one of the real estate lawyers I work with the other day, and she told me that after more than 20 years in practice, shes decided same day closings are more hassle than theyre worth. You may have experienced one; this is where your sale and your purchase are timed to happen on the same day, and you end up with a mad scramble to get out of your old home, and into your new one, all within a few short hours. Not fun for you, not fun for your real estate lawyer and thats not even touching the possibility that something goes wrong and your timing is messed up even further. So my lawyer friend explained that unless she already deals with the clients, she wont accept new clients if they have a same-day closing. Instead, she encourages people to spread the closings out such that the purchase takes place a week or more before the sale. If you were planning to use the equity in your existing home as part of the money to make this work, you either need access to a source of funds such as a line of credit, or youll need to arrange a bridge loan.

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Bridge Financing Payment Structure And Terms

Bridge loans have a similar payment structure to traditional commercial loans, though with much shorter terms. Some bridge loans can be as short as 6 months, but most lenders offer 1 year to 3 year terms. These come with an interest-only payment, which means a borrower only has to cover monthly interest charges for the entire loan. Once the term is through, a balloon payment must be made to pay down the remaining balance.

To give an example, lets suppose you took a bridge loan worth $900,000 with 9 percent APR. You must make a balloon payment by the end of the 2-year term. For this loan, the balloon payment is based on an amortization schedule with a 30-year term.

Using the calculator on top, lets compute your monthly interest-only payment, principal and interest payment, and the total balloon payment.

Bridge loan amount: $900,000

Based on the results, your monthly interest-only payment will be $4,725.00. If you wish to make principal payments with interest, it will cost $5,059.12. By the end of the term, your total balloon payment will be $620,987.96.

A balloon payment is a one-time lump sum amount that pays down a mortgage. This is a huge sum, which makes it risky for lenders if you are not able to generate funds. Thus, it is imperative for a borrower to refinance, sell the property, or come up with sources of funding to pay down the loan.

How A Bridge Loan Works

Also known as interim financing, gap financing, or swing loans, bridge loans bridge the gap during times when financing is needed but not yet available. Both corporations and individuals use bridge loans and lenders can customize these loans for many different situations.

Bridge loans can help homeowners purchase a new home while they wait for their current home to sell. Borrowers use the equity in their current home for the down payment on the purchase of a new home. This happens while they wait for their current home to sell. This gives the homeowner some extra time and, therefore, some peace of mind while they wait.

These loans normally come at a higher interest rate than other credit facilities such as a home equity line of credit . And people who still haven’t paid off their mortgage end up having to make two paymentsone for the bridge loan and for the mortgage until the old home is sold.

Bridge Loan

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Bridge Loans In Real Estate

Bridge loans also pop up in the real estate industry. If a buyer has a lag between the purchase of one property and the sale of another property, they may turn to a bridge loan. Typically, lenders only offer real estate bridge loans to borrowers with excellent credit ratings and low debt-to-income ratios. Bridge loans roll the mortgages of two houses together, giving the buyer flexibility as they wait for their old house to sell. However, in most cases, lenders only offer real estate bridge loans worth 80% of the combined value of the two properties, meaning the borrower must have significant home equity in the original property or ample cash savings on hand.

How A Bridge Loan Can Help You Buy Your Next House

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A bridge loan, sometimes called a swing loan, makes it possible to finance a new house before selling your current home. Bridge loans may give you an edge in todays tight housing market if you can afford them.

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In a perfect world, your current house would be under contract to sell before you made an offer on a new one. Proceeds from the sale provide a down payment for the next house and voilà! Youd move seamlessly from one house and mortgage to the next.

But we dont live in a perfect world.

Bridge loans give you the option to take more time between transactions by letting you access your before you sell, says Jerrold Anderson, vice president of residential lending at Alliant Credit Union.

And in doing so, bridge loans help you avoid making a on the home you want to buy. Sale-contingent offers let you back out of the contract if;your current home doesnt sell, and they make sellers nervous.

In markets where sellers often get multiple offers, those that come with conditions may not be able to compete against offers from buyers who already have the funds.

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