Loans For Land

You’ve seen the parcel of land every day for years as you drive to and from work. Now it’s for sale, and you know that you can put it to good use. Maybe the parcel of land will make a great location for your dream house. Maybe it’ll be the perfect site for your new business venture. Maybe you just want to purchase the land so that no one else will build anything on it. Whatever your reasons for wanting this plot of land, the odds are good that you’ll need a land loan to buy it. So, what’s so special about land loans?

A land loan is similar to a standard mortgage loan that most people rely on to buy their homes. However, there are some key differences between the products.

For one, lenders usually require a larger down payment for land loans – or other loans used to purchase land. The reason for this is simple: Lenders view land loans as being riskier than loans used to purchase businesses or residential properties. That’s because it’s far easier for buyers to walk away from land without paying their bills.

That’s why the industry standard for land loans is a down payment of 20 percent. For comparison’s sake, most lenders only require down payments of 5 percent for borrowers with good credit who are applying for residential mortgage loans.

Lenders are also more cautious when giving out land loans. Again, this is because these loans are considered riskier. Lenders want to see a return on their investment. They want assurances that the buyers to whom they are lending money will eventually pay them back.

Because of this, lenders will be interested in learning what you plan to do with the vacant land you’re purchasing with their land loans. They’ll feel more comfortable if you plan to fill the land with an income-generating business. Again, this gives lenders more assurance that you’ll actually be able to pay back your loan.

Many buyers will want to use their new land purchase as passive open space. Others may want to leave it as an activity ground for their horses. If this is your desire, you’ll have to somehow assure your mortgage lender that you won’t default on the land loan. You can do this by disclosing your annual income level and by boasting a strong credit history.

In other ways, taking out a land loan is much like taking out any other mortgage loan. Lenders will be more willing to work with you if you have a steady, solid annual income. They’ll be more willing to lend you money if you have a good credit score. And they’ll be less likely to deny you if your level of revolving debt isn’t too high.

Taking out a land loan is far from an impossible task. But it will require you to jump through certain hoops. Just be patient and honest, and always make sure that potential lenders know that you are not a risky borrower.

Popularity of Different Types of Land Loans

If you are trying to invest your money on a piece of land that may increase in price in the next few years or if you want to develop a land that you already own, then you should look into land loans. A land loan will allow you to purchase a piece of land even when it’s out of your budget. Just like any other loan, it comes with a hefty interest rate, but since most land loans are long term, you will find that land loan rates are not that high.

There are different types of land loans including vacant land loans, commercial land loans, raw land loans and also hard money land loans. Vacant land loans are also often referred to as loans for unimproved land. A commercial land loan is when you borrow money to buy a plot of land that has been already developed up to a certain stage. A raw land loan is exactly what its name says – a loan for pure land. In other words, it is the type of loan that you would apply for when there are no utilities on the land that you are interested in, or in other words, the land is pure land and with nothing built on it.

Hard money land loans are usually for land developers. They are usually easier to get because lenders basically give them out based on the evaluation of your investment. Then again, they often come with unfavorable terms compared to raw land loans. Furthermore, the repayment term of a hand money land loan is normally shorter than that of others. I would normally advise against such loans to buy land, however, they might sometimes work especially if your financial situation doesn’t allow for an alternative.

These types of loans will definitely help you start off your business. Whether you are planning to use that money to build a commercial or a residential building, or even if you just want to buy a piece of land in order to resell it when its value increases, there is a specific type of land loan that works according to your plans.

If land loans didn’t exist, then we wouldn’t see as many Donald Trumps out there. That’s how all of the, now wealthy, developers start off. Other than the fact that a traditional loan wouldn’t come with favorable terms, most lenders wouldn’t consider a traditional loan application for the intent of buying or developing land.

Land loans keep gaining popularity amongst both borrowers and lenders, and that is why a group of specialized types of land loans was introduced in the market. Always make sure that you carefully research the different types of land loans before applying for one, and even then, try to shop around in order to get the best deal. Fortunately, there are many banks and private lenders out there competing for your business, so chances are that you will be able to get a great deal if you spend some time on it. Furthermore, try to consider all the terms of the loan. Many people get blinded by low land loan rates and end up signing up for a loan that just doesn’t work.

Vacant Land Loans

Some experts claim that the demand for land purchases will increase in the next few years, and this will in turn make land limited. Obviously, these experts are not referring to any type of lands. I believe that it is safe to assume that the supply of land and will be for many years to come more than adequate. Nevertheless, anyone can see that in areas with high development, land is becoming less and less as years go by. Does anyone remember Las Vegas before it became the “Sin City” or “The City Of Lights”? Of course you don’t, simply because there was no such thing. What we now refer to as the entertainment capital of the world, the best place to shop, gambling, eat and so much more, used to be a naked piece of land – desert land if I may add – and that wasn’t too long ago. Nowadays, that previously deserted land is a multimillion dollar extravaganza full of world class resorts and buildings that would make even the most experienced world travelers shutter.

Now, stop for a minute, and imagine how much the value of that land has increased over the years. If you owned a fraction of that world renowned Las Vegas Strip, you would be a millionaire by now. Imagine that. I really don’t know if there is ever going to be a second Las Vegas type of investment in the future, but the same rules apply to much smaller scale developments as well. There are many important factors that affect the value of a land and you should carefully consider them all including choosing the right land loans for your investment.

Location, location, location. That’s probably the ultimate piece of your equation. There is no such thing as the best location in general, since it always depends on how you plan to market it. If you plan to use your land in order to build residential housing, then you need to consider the proximity to an airport, a freeway, or the center of the city. It doesn’t matter if you plan to develop the land yourself or if you just want to let it be as it increases its value over the years, the same rules still apply. You need to watch out for the right deals. There are many areas that remain cheap but have huge potential to be developed in the future. You should definitely benefit from acquiring your own piece now that the prices are still low.

Becoming a land owner opens a whole new world of opportunities for you. You just have to make sure that you use it wisely and always remember that you have a lot of options and that the final choice is yours!

Choose Carefully!

There are many different types of land loans available to investors and this article is going to examine each one individually to facilitate your decision on which one to pursue.
First there are vacant land loans. These are designed specifically for the need of purchasing land that is currently undeveloped.  In this case, even though the property is undeveloped, plans for development can be made since utility lines should be fairly easy to establish.

Secondly there are improved land loans. These are loans designed for land that has been partially improved and is in some kind of construction process. Improved property loans are sure to be much more preferable to lenders than any other type since they can be much more confident that development will take place in this land so their risk of not recouping the loan plus the accrued interest rate is much lower. Such improvements can include already established access to lines of utility, finished or even partially constructed structures or connection to a road network.

The next type of loans we will consider is raw land loans. These are loans designed specifically for land that has no trace of improvements at all. This means for example that there are no present utility lines like water or electricity, or furthermore that access to them is difficult. This type of loan is much harder to secure than the rest as the purchaser has a much lower stake than in other cases as the land is completely undeveloped. This on the other hand increases the risk for the lender which in turn means that he will probably require a higher down-payment and request much more information about plans for development such as access to utilities or building plans.

Even though it is not a type of land loan, it would be wise to include construction loans in this article. This is due to the fact that it will be in most cases associated with the above types of loans if the land is destined for any kind of development. This type of loan may not make sense for someone who has bought land with no plans for commercial development or for personal use but it most certainly does make sense if someone intends for example to build a lot of residential structures on his land. The way to secure such a loan is to provide adequate information about the type of construction you are planning to do.  Every type of loan above can be used in order to acquire property for residential or any other kind of commercial development. If that’s the case, then a construction loan is the way to go but always bear in mind that adequate information about your plans must be presented in order to secure one.