Tag Archives: commercial loan brokering

Broker Training & Coaching, Funding Tips

Loans For Love

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OK, that is admittedly an odd title for a commercial lending related post, but I had to tie this post to Valentine’s Day somehow, right? Yes, gentlemen… Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and if you haven’t planned for it, you’ll be paying a premium for those roses, chocolates, and good luck getting a good seat at Mastro’s Steak House!

And that allows me to segué into my “lending” topic: Planning, specifically as it pertains submitting a commercial loan request. One of the most difficult aspects of being on the lending side is getting “piecemealed” on the information that we need to make a realistic decision on interest in the transaction and pricing. This represents a lack of “planning” from my perspective.

This is especially apparent in “fast funding” situations. There’s an old saying: “A lack of planning on your part does NOT constitute and emergency on my part.” Pulling documents one at a time out of a broker or borrower does not bode well for a quick close. So what does it mean to “plan” for a submission?

I would suggest at the very least that you have the following prepared and ready to sent to a lender:

  • A well prepared and complete Executive Summary describing the transaction clearly, no more than 2 pages of text, with pictures.
  • The guarantor(s) Personal Financial Statement, Schedule of Real Estate, and Credit Report.
  • If a purchase, the Purchase and Sale Agreement and Offering Memorandum.
  • If a refinance, SOME validation of value (either comps, a recent BPO, or an appraisal) and a breakdown of equity injected into the project.
  • A Use of Funds Statement.

All of that should pretty much describe the transaction in enough detail for a lender to provide a realist and quick response on pricing and closing time. Yes, it means more work on your part… at first. However, you’ll find that when shopping for good loan alternatives, this approach will save you a HUGE amount of time an headache.

Now gents… get out there and get those flowers, chocolates, dinner reservations, teddy bears, and anything else to let your special someone know just how special she is!

Craig Higdon is the Chief Executive Officer of Dragon Realty Capital, a nationwide private money direct lender who has been in the commercial real estate lending business since 1993.

Broker Training & Coaching

The “Three Lender Rule”

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If you broker loans for a living, whether commercial or residential, you’re only as good as the lenders with to whom you submit those loans. If you’ve been in the business for any length of time, then you know that your enemy is “time.” Your lenders are constantly change their guidelines, loan appetites, credit boxes, submission procedures, etc. all the time. Staying on top of those changes so that you can be an effective resource to your clients, is almost a full time job in itself.

Let me introduce you to the “Three Lender Rule.” I discovered this in my brokering career by accident. Basically it says that if you submit your loan request to multiple lenders and THREE of them give you essentially the same answer (accept or pass), then that will represent roughly 98% of all lenders to whom you submit that transaction. So what’s the take away and how do we leverage this for success.

First, you can use this as an effective time/loan management tool. If you get three “no’s,” then it is probably a good idea to let another broker waste HIS time on that loan while you focus on another one. (I’m not saying that this rule is perfect, but if you’re managing a large pipeline, then it’s a VERY good rule of thumb). Or give it to an assistant to try to find that lender exception.

Second, you can use the rule to develop a very effective Lender List. Now you know that you can pick 3 bridge lenders, 3 multifamily lenders, 3 office building lenders, etc. until you have a full grouping for those types of properties in which you care to specialize or represent. This magic number is also much easier to stay on top of then say 20 bridge lenders, 15 self storage lenders, and the like. Yes, have some back-ups, but keep 3 “top tier” lenders for each category of property you like to finance.

Last, you will find that giving most of your attention to fewer lenders will result in getting better concessions and exceptions from those lender when you really need them. Loyalty can provide you with rewards when you need them.

Next week I’ll discuss how lenders are more important to you than borrowers with regard to growing and maintaining your loan brokerage business.

Craig Higdon is the Chief Executive Officer of Dragon Realty Capital, a nationwide private money direct lender. More information can be found at www.DragonRealtyCapital.com. We also offer educational, interesting, FREE Reports for industry professionals and investors: Click Here to get yours. And Click Here to obtain free Broker-specific tools.

Broker Training & Coaching

Successful Executive Summaries

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When is a commercial loan “summary” not a summary? When it turns into a book, of course. Or when it showed up as only a few sentences. So perhaps the better question to ask is: “How much information should you include in an Executive Summary?“

The purpose of an Executive Summary is to present to the reader (presumably a lender or investor) the important FACTS of the transaction in support of the loan request. When you consider that a typical lender may receive 20 to 50 requests for financing PER DAY, you can see that both brevity and impact are important in crafting your request. Also remember that everything you put INTO the Summary needs to be supported by all of the documentation you collect from your borrower.

We start with an overall description of the transaction wherein the first sentence is a “summary of the Summary.” Do NOT forget to have a compelling picture on the first page. Pictures sell far more than to the dry facts. In the Transaction Summary, also remember to lay out the purpose of the financing, the borrower’s motivation, and how value is derived. Finally, include a “Use of Funds” statement.

The next section describes the sponsorship (humans) behind the transaction including net worth, liquidity, credit, and a short biography. The more experience your borrowers have, the easier it will be to obtain financing.

Now we split: Is this a refinance or a purchase? Each type of transaction has its key points, with actual “cash in the transaction” being the key component. Skin in the game is what lenders prize most so make sure that this is described in detail, particularly in cash out refinance transactions.

The next section covers any construction or rehabilitation to be done to the property as part of the loan request. Soft costs, hard costs, reserves (interest, hard costs, TI, and/or leasing) and closing costs should all be laid out… clearly.

Last, but not least of the descriptions, here you can include property facts such as building size, lot size, zoning, parcel numbers, etc. At the end of the summary, include MORE pictures of the property, a map, and maybe a satellite photo from Google. Brokers can get one of our summary templates by signing up: Click Here.

Next week I’ll discuss how to pick good lenders to add to your “list” so that you can service your clients more effectively.

Craig Higdon is the Chief Executive Officer of Dragon Realty Capital, a nationwide private money direct lender. More information can be found at www.DragonRealtyCapital.com. We also offer educational, interesting, FREE Reports for industry professionals and investors: Click Here to get yours.