Monday, January 19, 2009

Mortgage Refinance Suggestions

By Madeline Zidan

Below I have mentioned few terms to become familiar with to help increase your knowledge and help become prepared and learn what to expect as you approach a Loan Refinance for a commercial property.

Without some familiarity pertaining to a Mortgage Refinance it could be difficult to understand where to start. Without some experience in financing, whether it's on an initial loan or a Residential Loan, these terms may seem like foreign language or somewhat silly for such a serious matter. A few examples would be: Arm, Balloon, Bridge Loans, Mezzanine Loans, Conduit or CMBS Loans etc.

Long before I became involved in Real Estate, I would hear terms mentioned in regards to Residential and Commercial Loans and Mortgage Refinance options, ARMS, Balloons etc. I was just getting started in this industry and had absolutely no experience in any real estate or financing, so these terms were like a foreign language. I realized very quickly that without thorough knowledge of the terminology it is hard to understand what direction you will go.

If you think back to when you applied for your original Commercial Mortgage Finance, you will remember thinking with a slightly different approach than you would with Mortgage Refinance. You had to think about the price of the commercial property, the time it will take to secure a loan this size, it is possible for the amount of time specified on the contract to run out before you get funded, protection from default on such a large loan, not to mention collateral, closing costs and so on. Things can become very complicated on a loan this size for a commercial property.

Before we move on to Mortgage Refinance terms let's recap what terms you had to learn before, such as 1031 Tax Exchange, Environmental Reports, what type of commercial property qualifies for what type of loan, which is a lot for one to learn, the difference between Conduit and Mezzanine Loans, and so on.

Do a simple break even analysis to compare costs of other lenders versus your existing bank. If they know you are looking for a Mortgage Refinance, your current bank may offer to reset the loan.

The terminology is somewhat different when it comes to Mortgage Refinance. You start looking at possible Prepayment Penalties, Cash out option Proceeds, and maybe you want to inject the money you cash out into new property or update your current property, what is the Discounted Cash Flow, Current vs. Proposed Loan to Value Ratio.

Remember, knowledge is power, stay informed by reading and researching your topic. Be very clear about your reasons for Mortgage Refinance so you won't make mistakes that could cost you more in the long run. - 15224

About the Author: