Construction Loans and Commercial Mortgages

Commercial construction financing and commercial real estate loans are presenting a number of new challenges for commercial borrowers. As a result, small business owners should anticipate that they are likely to encounter some new but generally avoidable problems when they are seeking working capital funding and commercial mortgages.

There have always been complex problems for business owners to avoid when seeking commercial loans. By most accounts, these difficulties are now expected to multiply because we appear to be entering a period which will be characterized by even more uncertainties in the economy. Prior standards for commercial mortgages are likely to change suddenly and with little advance notice by lenders if the current financial turmoil continues.

This article will evaluate why commercial construction loans have become harder to obtain and will discuss possible commercial finance funding solutions. It is much more likely that borrowers will need to look beyond their local area for business financing help because of current economic uncertainties in combination with less capital available for commercial mortgages in general and construction financing in particular. In many areas of the United States, virtually all business construction funding sources are effectively inactive at this time in addressing new loan requests.

Even before business finance funding options became more limited recently, construction loans were generally considered to be riskier than other commercial financing by most lenders. For a commercial lender, the most significant risk factors for commercial construction financing usually include the following: (1) a commercial property cannot produce revenues which will be used to repay a loan until the property is completed and occupied; (2) a substantial risk factor is the possibility for contractor liens; and (3) many commercial construction projects take more time to complete than originally projected and/or exceed initial cost estimates. Due to widespread business losses in the construction industry, the risk of contractor liens is a major concern for commercial lenders. In any event, current delinquencies in loan payments for commercial construction financing are running well above normal.

Construction financing for homebuilders has always been viewed separately by lenders because the eventual owners of single-family homes are individuals rather than businesses. From a commercial lending perspective, it is likely that the current difficulties seen in residential construction are indirectly impacting the availability of construction funding for commercial properties because the potential for contractor liens incurred during residential projects can quickly reduce the financial stability of contractors involved in both residential and commercial construction projects. This is a further reason why lenders are increasingly focusing on the risk of contractor liens as a rationale for providing less construction financing.

The feasibility of real estate investments has traditionally included an enduring theme of "location, location and location" which reflects the importance of a specific locale for investing. This is still an important factor when lenders evaluate the prospects for commercial real estate loans involving both existing commercial properties and new construction. A lender is likely to be most comfortable with a stable to growing revenue stream for a business which will in turn result in a stable to growing property valuation, thus preserving collateral for the commercial mortgage loan.

Although there are significant regional variations, we are witnessing decreases in both commercial and residential property values throughout the United States for the first time in several years. A severe recession will result in decreasing income for many businesses over an extended period of time, and it is very difficult for either lenders or borrowers to project when this downward trend will reverse.

Business Office Condos Commercial Mortgage Loans

Whether if you need financing for an acquisition, refinancing a currently property, pull out some cash for renovation, or other reason, we can help. With our proven track record, and fast loan process we have been the #1 choice for several prestigious brokers, owners, and lending firms.

A commercial mortgage is a loan made using real estate as collateral to secure repayment.

A commercial mortgage is similar to a residential mortgage, except the collateral is a commercial building or other business real estate, not residential property.

In addition, commercial mortgages are typically taken on by businesses instead of individual borrowers. The borrower may be a partnership, incorporated business, or limited company, so assessment of the creditworthiness of the business can be more complicated than is the case with residential mortgages.

Some commercial mortgages are non-recourse, that is, that in the event of default in repayment, the creditor can only seize the collateral, but has no further claim against the borrower for any remaining deficiency. The general reason for this is twofold: many laws significantly prevent the creditor from going after the borrower for any deficiency, and mortgages structured for sale as bonds give a higher priority to constantly receiving some sort of income and there for require a clause which allows the lender to take the property immediately regardless of bankruptcy proceedings that the borrower might be going through.

Frequently, the mortgage is supplemented by a general obligation of the borrower or a personal guarantee from the owner(s), which makes the debt payable in full even if foreclosure on the mortgaged collateral does not satisfy the outstanding balance.

Lenders' criteria

Most banks and building societies offer commercial mortgages, but you must satisfy the lenders' criteria. The primary criterion is the debt service coverage ratio or the ratio of cash available to the required loan payments. Some lenders may accept applications where there is an adverse credit history, but most require a positive personal credit rating and clear evidence that your business is creditworthy. Most will apply a loan-to-value ratio and will expect you to invest a proportion of your own money into the purchase.

The lender's decision will also depend on your current business circumstances - a commercial lender will expect your business to be stable and profitable. They may ask to see your business plan and long-term financial projections, to assure themselves that your business has, and will continue to have, the ability to make repayments on the loan. Some lenders impose restrictions on the uses of commercial premises and certain business concerns may be excluded altogether. The terms of a commercial mortgage will depend largely on the type of business you're running and the type of premises or land you want to buy. This is a complex area and it's essential that you seek specialist advice from your solicitor and probably a chartered surveyor.

Working Capital Business Loans

Traditional lenders providing competitive commercial financing for special purpose commercial real estate loans and business cash advances are becoming increasingly rare. "Thinking Outside the Bank" means that non-traditional (non-bank) lenders should be evaluated for commercial mortgage and working capital loan situations.

When commercial borrowers "Think Outside the Bank", it is of critical importance that they are prepared to avoid a wide variety of problematic traditional as well as non-traditional commercial lenders in their search for viable business financing, especially when it involves business cash advance (credit card receivables and credit card factoring) programs, credit card processing services and commercial real estate financing.

Borrowers should realize that they have more commercial loan options than they think in order to take advantage of "Thinking Outside the Bank". These business financing options are referred to here as "Thinking Outside the Bank" because most commercial borrowers believe that a bank is the best source for a commercial loan.

Here are two brief examples about how a commercial borrower is likely to benefit by "Thinking Outside the Bank". In many situations a traditional bank will provide a commercial mortgage but will include non-competitive covenants and terms. In other cases a traditional bank will decline the business loan because they do not provide commercial financing to the commercial borrower's particular type of business.

Some borrowers are likely to feel that a traditional bank is their best source for a commercial mortgage or commercial loan. However, because most traditional banks focus on a small number of established industries, non-traditional (non-bank) and non-local commercial lenders should be actively considered for most business financing situations. As discussed in this article, the suggested business loans strategy is "Thinking Outside the Bank".

As described in a prior commercial loan report, in many business financing scenarios it is typical for a traditional bank to require more business loan covenants than would normally be seen in a competitive commercial mortgage situation. Traditional banks can unfortunately take advantage of a shortage of commercial lenders in their local market area.

An effective response by borrowers is to emphasize business financing options other than the traditional ones. It is not wise for business borrowers to depend only upon local and regional banks for commercial loan possibilities. For common commercial financing circumstances, a non-local business lender can frequently provide the best business loan terms because of competition with other business lenders.

There are three business loan scenarios in which borrowers will commonly discover that non-traditional lenders will offer terms that are better for the business owner: commercial real estate financing and SBA loan programs, working capital business loan programs and business management programs for credit card processing.

Two of the worst commercial real estate financing problems for business owners can be eliminated by "Thinking Outside the Bank". The first commercial mortgage business loan problem is the typical bank practice to eliminate most special purpose business properties such as golf courses and funeral homes from their lending portfolio.

A second business loan possibility is the frequent practice of many commercial banks to add recall and balloon conditions to their commercial loans. The bank can then require early payoff of the commercial real estate loan under stipulated conditions. The use of a non-traditional lender can prevent both of these commercial financing problems.

Most businesses accepting credit cards will be able to obtain a business cash advance with credit card financing. If a business needs to use credit card factoring, a traditional bank will typically be of little help.

Because even the most successful merchants usually need more financial resources than they can get from a conventional commercial business loan, it is essential for a business to "Think Outside the Bank" and find non-traditional lenders to coordinate this commercial financing requirement.

A credit card processing service can be a key function in improving the bottom line of merchants with high volume credit card activity. The analysis of credit card processing providers can be efficiently combined with credit card receivables and credit card financing.