To most people the only source of loans are banks and credit unions. However the finance world has many more players than that. Real estate investors have long used private mortgage investors as a way of buying real estate. Small businesses are now learning they can also use private investors to secure the funds they need to expand their businesses.

Private investors are individuals who are willing to lend their money to other people. In return the private lender receives a higher interest rate than they would get if they just put their money in the bank. Every private lender has their own lending criteria, which is often less strenuous than the red tape of a bank. I don’t meant to imply that getting a private loan is easy or guaranteed, rather just that the terms and conditions of a private loan are far more flexible because you only have to convince one person of the merits of your business proposition.

Make sure the business deal is a good one. Don’t waste your time or theirs by approaching them without a business plan or having done your due diligence. You often only have one shot to impress a private investor so don’t go into the meeting unprepared. Be confident but take any critique they offer to heart. They may help you by giving you solid insight into why you should not go forward with the plan you presented them or at least show you where your plan is weak. Listen carefully and take notes on what is said if the person declines to invest. You can tweak your business plan for the next potential investor. Or maybe the investor will say that you should fix the plan and come see them again.

Most private investors are savvy business people themselves and will understand a good business transaction when they see it. They will also be able to see through any scam someone may try to pull. Private lenders are not going to invest in a bad deal. If your business idea has merit then chances are the private lender will discuss terms with you. You are not obligated to take the terms of their loan anymore than the lender is obligated to fund the loan. Negotiate the terms to see if you can get a lower interest rate if you think it is too high. Don’t be afraid to ask for a lower interest rate or a longer period to repay.

By: Rhonda Holland

Hard money commercial loans can be a very smart way to finance a commercial property in today’s challenging market. It used to be hard money commercial loans were primarily for borrowers with credit issues. Times have changed. Today, hard money commercial loans are being utilized by many different types of borrowers.

Hard money commercial loans are often used for properties that a more traditional lender would not lend on. let me talk about a property I recently got funded, and you will see how this hard money commercial loan was perfect for this situation. The borrower bought a beautiful 3 story commercial building from a company that went bankrupt. When they bought the building, the building was vacant. Now, the building needs to be improved to handle multiple tenants. As there were no tenants, no bank would even look at this loan. However, with my private investors, they realized that if the building were occupied, the income would be more than sufficient to handle debt payments, and to pay back the borrowers a nice return. My investors funded this loan in 25 days. This is a perfect example of why to use a hard money commercial loan.

Hard money financing for a commercial property is normally easier that a traditional bank loan. Of utmost importance is the fact that the investor simply wants to make sure they are paid their money. To that end, a hard money lender requires that the Borrower have plenty of equity. For instance, lets says a Borrower owns a small 12 unit strip mall, has a 585 credit score, needs a loan of $500,000, and the property is valued at $2,000,000. This Borrower will not find it easy securing financing with a local bank or traditional mortgage source.

Due to the low loan-to-vale ratio of this loan, 25%, I have private investors who are eager to lend on this situation.

Keep this in mind, when looking for a hard money loan, the loan to value ratio will always be lower than a traditional commercial mortgage. Normally, and depending on credit and how the property “cash flows”, and the Borrowers capacity to re-pay the loan(income), the maximum loan to value is 70%. In a traditional commercial mortgage, the maximum is 90%.

A hard money loan is not cheap, expect to pay 3-7 points, and a rate of 9-15%. In the end, rates and fees are dependent on the risk of the transaction. In general, the roskier the loan, the higher the interest rate.

By: Donald Glen Timms

In today’s academic world the majority of students have in excess of $20,000 worth of student debt by the time they graduate from college. This significant amount of money may naturally make life difficult at a time when you may have no job to go to or initially a low-paying job as your first step on the career ladder. Often the student debt will be spread across a number of different loans, possibly both federal and private and there is a need to manage the debt sensibly and to ensure that you pay as little interest as possible over the term of the loans.

Consolidation of student loans is a natural step to take to manage this issue, although you must not consolidate federal and private loans into one loan, otherwise you will lose your federal benefits, such as deferment or subsidized rates. Anyone who took out federal Stafford Loans, Federal Direct Loans and Perkins Loans while attending college is eligible to apply for federal student loan consolidation.

6 Reasons to Consolidate Your Student Loans

* Rather than standard 10 year loan terms, a consolidated loan can be stretched over 30 years, if necessary, allowing you to significantly reduce your monthly payments – by up to 50% – at a time when finances are tight. This in turn leaves you with more money to meet day-to-day expenses.

* By reducing your monthly payments, this can lower your debt to income ratio and therefore improve your credit score.

* Interest rates are currently as low as they have ever been and therefore you could fix your monthly re-payments at a very low interest rate.

* A consolidated loan leaves you with only one loan to manage – this is more manageable, less stressful and importantly leaves you feeling more in control of your finances.

* Most consolidated student loans do not carry penalty charges for early repayment, so that as your career progresses and you are able to pay off bigger chunks of your loan, you will not be penalized for doing so.

* Since July 1 2009 students may be eligible to take advantage of a new government program that bases the student loan repayments on income.

Therefore, if you currently have eligible federal student loans, totaling in excess of $20,000, the loans are not in default, and the borrower has graduated or is enrolled less than half-time, then it makes a lot of sense to apply for a consolidated loan.

By: Peter R. B.