A guide to commercial mortgages

What is a commercial mortgage?

A commercial mortgage is similar in principle to a residential mortgage except it is used to purchase a property or to raise capital for commercial purposes rather than domestic purposes. As with residential mortgages, the lender retains rights to the property until the loan is repaid in full.

What would you use a commercial mortgage for?

The types of property that people might purchase using a commercial mortgage could be anything from hotels, restaurants, shops and takeaways to office buildings, factories, warehouses and farms. Sometimes people might buy the business and property at the same time if the two are intrinsically linked, such as a hotel or restaurant. When properties are purchased to be used as business premises, the mortgage is known as a commercial owner-occupier mortgage.

Alternatively, a commercial mortgage could be used for refinancing. People might want to unlock capital from their existing business property to expand or improve their premises or facilities, or to raise cash for any other business purpose.

There are many other uses for a commercial mortgage, such as buy-to-let mortgages, where people purchase a property (perhaps residential) as an investment and let it out, or commercial development mortgages, where people purchase a property to develop it and sell it on for a profit.

Why purchase premises rather than rent?

Taking on a commercial mortgage is a major leap for your business and must be carefully considered before entering into the commitment. However, it can be an excellent investment and owning the business premises that you occupy can bring many advantages to your business:

In most circumstances the proceeds of the loan are not considered to be taxable income and the interest payments are tax deductible.

You’ll have a clear repayment plan, with terms and rates tailored to suit your needs. (See below for more details on this.) This means that you can manage your cash flow more easily.

Mortgage repayments can be cheaper than rent.

Any property purchase is an investment. Your asset could appreciate a great deal in value, thereby increasing your capital.

You have the potential to make money by subletting. For example, you might have space in your property that you don’t currently need, and could make money on it by letting it out to another business until you need it to expand your own business.

Why use a commercial mortgage to raise capital?

If you already own business property and need cash for your business for any reason, unlocking the capital in your property by refinancing or remortgaging is an effective solution. Think of it as a loan that could be used for any business purpose – not just expanding or improving your premises. There are many benefits in doing this:

Commercial mortgages can be easier to obtain than business loans, especially for small businesses, as the property provides security to the lender.

Unlike many business loans, which tend to have a short repayment term, commercial mortgages cover a long period – anything from 15 to 25 years, depending on the lender and the financial circumstances of your business.

In most circumstances the proceeds of the loan are not considered to be taxable income and the interest payments are tax deductible.

There are two ways in which you might use a commercial mortgage to raise capital for your business:

1. Refinance your current commercial mortgage to include the loan amount that you wish to borrow.

2. Release the equity that has accumulated in your current property, i.e. the current value of the property minus any outstanding mortgages or debts tied to it.

What are the costs and repayment options for commercial mortgages?

Repayment plans tend to be similar to residential mortgages. The main options are either fixed rate or variable rate repayment mortgages or interest only/endowment mortgages.

Unlike residential mortgages, however, the interest rates for commercial mortgages tend to be higher as business lending is perceived as more of a risk. The rates will vary depending on the circumstances of your business, but generally speaking, the higher the risk, the higher the interest rate. For the same reason repayment terms also tend to be shorter than residential mortgages – typically 15-20 years.

It’s likely that you’ll also need to raise a deposit, as most lenders won’t provide 100% loan-to-value mortgages – i.e. they won’t provide a mortgage for the full purchase amount and will expect a down payment from you as a form of security (typically 20-30% of the purchase price, although some lenders accept as little as 5%, but with a higher interest rate for repayment).

Other expenses to consider are the setup costs involved in arranging a commercial mortgage, such as legal charges, surveys and broker fees.

In terms of responsibility for repaying the mortgage, this depends on the type of business. If you’re a sole trader the responsibility will lie with you and you may also be personally liable should you default on the repayments – meaning that you could lose personal assets as well as the commercial property that is mortgaged. If you’re in a partnership, the responsibility and liability apply to all partners. If it’s a limited company, the responsibility and liability belong to the business, although personal security may be required to approve the mortgage depending on the profitability of the business.

How do you obtain a commercial mortgage?

When applying for a commercial mortgage, you’ll need to do your homework and build a strong business case to demonstrate your company’s ability to repay the mortgage. Be prepared to undergo a thorough examination of your finances, including:

business history of your company: financial statements, profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, past and current cash flow, all certified by an accountant.

future projections for your company: long-term business plan, intended use of the property, earnings potential, projected cash flow.

personal finances: the financial histories of yourself and all other key stakeholders in the business, such as credit worthiness and past earnings.

All of these factors will determine the lender’s perceived degree of risk in lending you the money, which will in turn determine the term and interest rate of the loan that they are willing to give you.

The obvious first step to many people applying for a commercial mortgage is to approach their bank or business lender, with whom they already have an established relationship. However, for this very reason it’s unlikely that you’ll receive a competitive deal.

The best way to get a commercial mortgage is to use the services of a specialist independent mortgage broker, who can help you get a good package to suit your needs whatever your circumstances. Even if your credit isn’t great, it doesn’t mean that you won’t qualify for a commercial mortgage. Having a broker to represent you will really strengthen your case. They have access to a wide range of lenders and understand their criteria for lending, as well as your specific needs. They can therefore undertake a targeted search, increasing your chances of finding a suitable loan. In fact, the broker may even be able to obtain several different options from various interested lenders, which provides the scope to negotiate a fantastic deal for you.

Money isn’t all that you’ll save. Imagine if you tried to apply to several lenders yourself – think of the time taken to complete all the applications, and the time wasted in applying to unsuitable lenders. The independent advice and specialist knowledge that a broker provides are invaluable.

An REO is real estate owned by the bank, and many investors consider an REO property to be money just waiting to happen. An REO is different from a foreclosure property in that the bank has already tried to sell it at a foreclosure auction and has had no luck getting bids. Because the property was not bid on, the bank then became the owner of the property. Naturally, the bank does not want to keep the REO any longer than possible, and this makes it a great opportunity for an investor. Not every REO is a good deal, but when you look at an REO you’ll commonly find that there is a lot of money to be made.

So, is this a foreclosure?

Technically speaking, the home was foreclosed on because the owner of the home failed to make their scheduled payments. The bank set up and went through a public auction, but there was not any bids placed on the home, so the bank ended up owing the property. Yes, the home was foreclosed on, but it is well past the foreclosure process and the bank will be anxious to get rid of the property.

Advantages of REO vs. Foreclosed Property

When you are thinking of buying an REO you have to distinct advantages that a buyer does not have with a foreclosed property. The first is that you are able to buy on your schedule, as you do not have an auction date to work with and around. You can make an offer of the home any time; you don’t have to wait for bidding to begin. Another big advantage of an REO compared to a foreclosed property is that you can inspect it before you buy, when you cannot do this with the majority of foreclosed homes that you think about purchasing. Being able to inspect the property before you buy will let you know how big of a project you will be dealing with.

Best types of REO to purchase

You might not think the type of loan the home was purchased with the first time around matters but it does. You should attempt to purchase REO’s that had a conventional loan the first time around, as you will likely get much better deals with these than you will if you look at FHA and VA loans. The federal government backs FHA and VA loans, and the government can actually buy them back if they are so inclined. Homes that had conventional loans the first time are often purchased for just a fraction of their value, meaning that they can make an investor a lot more money.

Which REO’s you should not purchase

Just because the bank owns a property does not make it a good deal. In fact, when you see that a home or property is an REO you have to wonder exactly what IS wrong with it. The house was not bid on because no one saw the worth in it. Did the home just not have enough equity? Were their IRS liens against it? Was the property just too badly damaged? You need to ask these questions. If the bank cannot answer the questions then you need to be even more skeptical. Take advantage of your right to inspect the REO so that you can see with your own eyes what may or may not be wrong, hire professionals if necessary as well.

One must also be sure that if they are purchasing an REO to fix it up and sell it, that the property is located in a desirable part of town. If the home is not located in a desirable part of town, you should really think about how wise of an investment the property may be. Perhaps location is why the property was not bid on at auction. There are three big things to consider when dealing with any type of real estate and those are location, location, location. Never let a seemingly good deal let you lose sight of how important location is for any piece of real estate that you intend to sell.

Why the bank will sell an REO cheap

Basically, a bank is not set up to deal with real estate. Sure, they give loans to people, but really, they are not equipped to buy and sell real estate. Because banks are not accustomed to dealing with real estate, it often takes them awhile to get the ball rolling so that they can repair the property, and get an agent to sell the property. What this means is that while the bank attempts to get their business together they are losing money hand over fist and the federal government often penalizes them for each and every REO that they acquire.

Because the bank is loosing so much money on each REO, they are willing to sell it fast and cheap. In fact, banks commonly sell an REO property for around 30% of its value just to be done with it. Sure, they end up losing money on the deal, but they end up losing less if they sell cheap now than they would if they kept the property for another six months while they try to pull everything together so that they can sell the property.

The great thing about working with the bank with an REO is that you aren’t buying site unseen. Because you can walk through the house and make all the inspections that you want, you can deal with them in a way that will give you the best deal, and the bank will typically be happy with any serious offer because it will get the house off of their hand and they will stop losing money.

Generally REOs are a great investment as long as you know what you are getting into. The bank simply wants to get rid of these homes, and if you find the right property and are ready to make the serious investment, it can be a great way to get off and running in the real estate business.