An investment property mortgage is a loan for non-owner occupied property. There are two main classifications of investment property mortgages. These classifications include: commercial and residential. A commercial property mortgage is for a dwelling that contains 5 or more units and/or is zoned as commercial. A residential investment mortgage is for a dwelling that is one to four units and is zoned residential. Commercial and residential mortgages are two completely different loan types and have significantly different qualification standards. The following is a basic description of each mortgage type.Residential Property Investment LoansResidential property investment mortgages have similar qualification guidelines as standard owner-occupied mortgages. Although, they do have higher down payment and credit score requirements. Below is a summary of the general guidelines for residential investment mortgages.• Credit Score Requirement – The minimum credit score requirement is typically 680 or above for investment mortgages.• Debt to Income Ratio – Typically, the debt ratio limit for an investment mortgage is 40% of the borrower’s verifiable income. Besides W2 income, the borrower’s last 2 years tax returns will be needed to calculate the income that can be used from other rental properties or other sources of income.• Down Payment – Investment property mortgages require at least 15% down, but the down payment requirement increases with lower credit scores and the greater the number of units in the property.• Income – Lenders typically will only use rental income if the borrower has a two-year history of owning rental properties. This is usually documented via the tax returns and schedules.Commercial Property Investment LoansCommercial loans typically have higher rates, greater fees, and shorter terms than residential mortgage. The two most important factors for lenders on this loan type include: a positive cash-flow for the property, and the borrower’s past commercial property management experience. Below is a summary of the general guidelines for residential investment mortgages.• Credit Scores Requirement – The minimum credit score requirement is typically 720 to 740 for a commercial loan.• Down Payment – The minimum down payment for a commercial mortgage is typically 30% or greater. When refinancing, the maximum equity position is usually 70% of the appraised value of the property.• Debt Service Coverage – This is a ratio used by lenders to calculate the property’s ability to generate cash flow. It is a calculation comparing the net operating income minus the mortgage payment and the other debt payments.Other funding sources include: hard money lenders and private loans. Hard money loans are short-term loans from private investors. Private lenders typically use the equity position in the property as the determining factor whether they will approve and fund the loan. There are usually excessive closing costs and fees (points) charged on this type of loan. Private loans are loans that a person would receive from their family or friends. The terms may or may not be similar to hard money loans. Both hard money and private lenders typically only put a lien on the property and do not report payments on the borrower’s credit report.

Funeral homes, assisted living facilities, campgrounds and other special purpose properties represent one of the most difficult commercial loan situations which will be confronted by a business owner. Unique properties are not easily understood by traditional lenders, so the most common solution involves finding a non-traditional lender for funeral home financing as well as commercial financing for other special purpose properties. Such non-traditional lenders will be appropriate for purchase situations as well as refinancing and new construction.KEY REASONS FOR DIFFICULTY IN ARRANGING COMMERCIAL FINANCING FOR SPECIAL PURPOSE PROPERTIES(1) By definition special purpose properties are not similar to other commercial properties. This makes many lenders uncomfortable due to the likely difficulty of finding another owner for a unique commercial property should it be necessary due to a loan default.(2) For funeral homes and many other special purpose commercial properties, most of the business value is represented by non-real estate assets. With traditional commercial lenders that focus on commercial real estate loans, it is almost impossible to get a loan based on the real estate value and the business value. For example, it is not uncommon to have a situation in which the real estate for a funeral home is valued at less than one million dollars while the overall business value is in excess of three million dollars.(3) Because commercial financing is so difficult to arrange for special purpose properties such as funeral homes, assisted living facilities and campgrounds, sellers of such properties are generally willing to provide substantial seller financing to assist the buyer in acquiring the business. However, many traditional lenders do not recognize or accept seller financing as a means of reducing down payment requirements for special purpose properties.(4) Many lenders simply do not understand the business complexities associated with a special purpose property. As a result, it is not uncommon for these lenders to attach onerous and expensive requirements such as business plans and environmental reviews. In most cases such lenders do not even want to make the business loan but will use undesirable loan requirements as a means of appearing to approve a loan when in fact they have disapproved the loan by adding commercial loan terms that they do not expect a commercial borrower to accept.COMMERCIAL LOAN SOLUTIONS FOR SPECIAL PURPOSE PROPERTIES For a business borrower facing the situation described above, the highest priority should be to locate a non-traditional commercial lender that engages in the following commercial loan practices:(1) Openly welcomes special purpose properties and routinely finances such properties.(2) Provides commercial financing for both the business and real estate.(3) Accepts substantial seller financing.(4) Does not add special requirements to the business loan for special purpose commercial properties.(5) Has a history of making loans for the specific type of property under consideration.(6) Can accommodate both small and large commercial loans for special purpose commercial properties (for example, loans as small as $100,000 and loans as large as $5 million or higher).Copyright 2005-2006 AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.