Mortgage & Commercial Lending News.

Here at AMI Lenders, where we specialize in private money loans to finance real estate, we are frequently asked by our clients: “Should I go through the expense of getting a home inspection even if the seller (or their realtor) assures me that the house is in good condition?” And the answer is: most definitely yes!

At AMI Lenders, we are primarily interested in what is happening in Houston, TX, and its surroundings. However, that does not mean we ignore what happens elsewhere in the country. During the first days of March, we read an interesting text (“Remember the mall?”) in a newsletter^[1], which is mailed daily to one of us by the Los Angeles Times. In the said newsletter, author Ryan Fonseca talks about what is happening with malls in Southern California (and broadly elsewhere in the country). The article by Mr. Fonseca ties in nicely with what we posted in mid-2022 about trends in commercial real estate (link here) and, particularly, retrofitting Class B and C malls, even though some of the California cases discussed happen to be retrofitting of Class A malls. So, let’s delve further into the topic.

Private hard-money lenders have been a significant financing force behind the Fix-and-Flip (F&F) business model, which has risen to prominence among real-estate investors during the past 10 to 15 years. Yet, given the hefty increase in mortgage rates during 2022, and a somewhat cooling housing demand, real estate investors might be hesitant about starting an F&F process during 2023.

AMI Lenders finances business purpose loans and consumer loans, both guaranteed by real estate. So, we consider it a good idea to summarize the differences and commonalities between these two types of loans for the benefit of our clients. 

The vast majority of Americans tend to consider banks to be the “go-to place” to obtain financing. If a businessman needs a multipurpose line of credit for their day-to-day operations, or a working capital loan, or a loan to acquire a specialized piece of equipment, or maybe a young entrepreneur is looking to start a new business, they will most likely talk to a bank about obtaining a business purpose loan. The same goes for a young adult or a head of household looking for an auto loan, or a loan for purchasing a new appliance to replace a broken one, or just looking for the benefit of having a credit card: they will usually talk to the bank in which they have their savings or checking account.

You will have noticed that when applying for a loan with almost any financial institution or hard money lender in the US you will be asked for the purpose of the loan. Some borrowers know why that’s important, but some others do not. Moreover, some of our loan applicants do not believe it is any of our business to know on what they will use the money! Because since all our loans are guaranteed by real estate, they think we are being too nosey.

You've likely noticed the flood of negative headlines about the real estate market. Higher mortgage lending rates, market volatility, and uncertainty are certainly having an effect. However, experienced private mortgage investors (not unlike many of AMI Lenders’ clients) know that real estate investment opportunities are still available.

Have you ever heard the expression “Asset rich, cash poor” or alternatively “House rich, cash poor”? It is used to refer to persons who are not “poor” in the strictest sense of the word because they own valuable assets (such as a nice house with a swimming pool, two brand new cars, big screen TVs, expensive furniture, among other things) but who can be, at some moment in time, in a situation where the cash they have available is not enough to cover their cash flow requirements. In the lingo of realtors, bankers, and private mortgage lenders, someone who is “House rich, cash poor” is abbreviated by using the term “House Poor.”

Maybe your brother-in-law, next-door neighbor, or a colleague at work, has told you that the real estate market "is going down the drain." They probably said to you that mortgage rates are at "unpayable levels" and that one of the following is going to happen: recession, lack of buyers, loss of equity as home prices fall, higher interest rates, and lack of lenders, among many others.

In our previous entry, we presented some trends and forces affecting commercial real estate, specifically those related to office properties, retail properties, and industrial properties. This article discusses the trends and market forces affecting Multifamily properties.