Rental Property Loans: What They Are, How They Work, and How to Qualify

13 Jul Rental Property Loans: What They Are, How They Work, and How to Qualify

Know about Rental Property Loans: What They Are, How They Work, and How to Qualify….

The single-family residential (SFR) rental property market in the United States is worth $4.5 trillion and is increasing. SFR rentals, which generally owned by small, local real estate investors, have some appealing characteristics, including predictable monthly income and appreciation, inflationary hedging, and tax advantages.

Demand for SFR rentals is high and expected to rise further as more than 70 million millennials marry and start children, and over 70 million baby boomers retire and reduce their spending.

If you have ever financed your own home, the procedure of financing an SFR rental will be familiar to you. However, there are certain critical distinctions…

What is a rental property loan?

A rental property loan is a first lien mortgage loan secured by a single-family residence (SFR) rented by a tenant rather than an owner-occupier. The property must be rent-ready in order to qualify. The tenant is usually long-term, however Rental Property Mortgage Brokers can also be utilized for short-term rentals, such as vacation rentals.

If you have ever financed your own home, the procedure of financing an SFR rental will be familiar to you. However, there are certain critical distinctions to be made.

What constitutes an investment property?

An investment property is a piece of real estate purchased to produce revenue, by renting it out to tenants. 1-4 unit SFR, condominiums, and townhomes are examples of investment property that qualify for rental property loans.

Rental property loans vs. conventional home loans

Let’s start with the obvious parallels. You will complete an application. The application may be more detailed than the one you filled out when purchasing your house. Your credit will be pulled by your lender. The lender will open title and order an appraisal. So, what are some of the key distinctions?

Lower Maximum LTVs

Rental property loans often require much bigger down payments. You should budget for 20%. (but this will vary and depend on your credit score).

Higher Interest Rates

Rental property loans often have higher interest rates and costs. They should be 100 to 400 basis points more than on an owner-occupied property. A basis point is one tenth of a percentage point. So, if a home loan is 4.5 percent, a rental property loan to the same borrower would be 5.5 percent or higher.

Higher Reserve Requirements

Expect to asked to demonstrate that you have liquid financial reserves equal to your down payment and closing expenses, plus 6-12 months of monthly principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and any association dues. Some lenders may demand you to prove reserves on all of your funded rental properties if you own more than one rental property.

Documentation

The lender for your house loan was most likely interested in your career history and personal income. The most  required thing to furnish pay stubs and personal tax returns. The lender most likely requested you to represent that you were still working in the same job that you had when you started the loan process.

Some types of rental property loans will require all of this information and more, especially if you currently own other rental properties. In the case of other types of rental loans, the lender will look at the rental property’s cash flow rather than your personal work and income. This considerably simplifies documentation.

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How To Finance A Rental Property

Investment Property Loan Qualifications