Funding has dried up for residential investment property (1-4 family), but it’s plentiful for large multi family projects.1. Funds are available for large multi family properties, but not for residential investment homes.President Obama said during his Economic Recovery Act Speech, “there is no money available for you speculators” and he meant it. Try to get a loan for a residential (1-4 family) non-owner occupied property and see the results for yourself. There are no more stated income loans available for residential investors. If you have been in the residential investment game for a while, you already know it, if you are just starting out; you will experience this problem on your first residential investment deal. Its cash, hard money at 12% and a 65% LTV or you’re done.The good news is that government backed funds are plentiful for larger, multi-family properties. This presents tremendous opportunities for those who know how to access the funding sources.2. You don’t have to personally qualify for the loan the properties qualify.Imagine that! Anyone who has ever attempted to purchase a residential investment property (1-4 family) has encountered the issue of personally qualifying. Sure the rents may cover part or the entire mortgage, but the lender only considers a percentage of that income toward your ability to pay the new mortgage. You need, tax returns, financial statements, proof of funds for down payment, etc. Not only that, but of course your FICO score becomes a big factor. Get through all of this and every time you buy another residential property your FICO score drops and you are viewed as more of a risk to the lenders. The more successful you become in this arena, the harder it gets……With commercial financing, the properties qualify for the loan, not you. The loan is not reported to the credit bureau’s. The more successful you become, the easier it gets…..3. Most loans on large multi family properties are fully assumable.Ever try to assume a residential loan without having to qualify for it? Not happening, at least not since the early 80′s when FHA and VA loans went from “fully assumable” to “qualifying assumable”. It’s the same as having to secure a new purchase money mortgage, so unless the interest rate is very attractive, it’s never done. The first home I ever purchased was a little bungalow for $25,000. It was 1980, I was 20 years old and didn’t qualify for a $200 limit MasterCard, but I assumed a $23,000 VA loan, no questions asked. The same criteria hold true to this date for large multi family projects, but very few know about it.The financing on many large multi family buildings are fully assumable. Remember, the properties qualify not the buyer. You can buy 100 + unit apartment complexes without qualifying, no verification of funds, no credit report, no tax returns, just knowledge.4. You ARE NOT personally obligated to repay the loan.Try getting a residential mortgage and tell the lender that you don’t want to personally guarantee the loan. Not happening! We are accustomed to all loans carrying personal guarantees. It’s incorporated into every residential mortgage, by every lender in the country. Of course they want recourse if you default, they get the property and then have the right to a default judgment for any balance that may be due after they liquidate the property. Residential loans carry “FULL RECOURSE” to the mortgagee.Larger commercial loans are “NON RECOURSE” to the borrower. The property and its ability to generate cash flow is the lenders security, not you personally.5. Multi Family Properties are built to CASH FLOW, single family homes are not.Single family homes are designed, built and price for owner occupants, not for cash flow. Study the numbers on almost any single family home and you will discover that after you pay the mortgage, taxes. Insurance, utilities, maintenance, etc, you will lose money every month. Single family homes are terrible for cash flow despite what the residential guru’s on TV tell you.Multi family properties are designed, built and priced to do one thing and one thing only, “make money”. Lenders lend based on the fact that there are sufficient funds to cover the debt obligations, not on what your credit score is, or what the house down the block sold for or what your personal income was last year, etc…..6. Professionals manage the property- No tenants and toilets to deal with.With residential investment property YOU generally have to manage it. The property has negative cash flow to begin with; there probably is no budget to hire a management company to run it. You go from watching the guru on TV sitting by the pool telling you how great your new lifestyle is going to be once you buy a couple of homes, to fielding leaking roof calls and clogged drain problems on Saturday nights.With the larger properties a professional management company handles all of that for you. It’s budgeted in just like taxes and maintenance. The lenders require a professional management contract be in place at closing. They handle all the problems; they are staffed for it and deal with repairs, collecting rents, renting vacant units, etc. They send the funds to you. You never have to deal with a single tenant, yet you reap the rewards. Now you have a lifestyle.There are many more reasons to move from residential to large multi family including dramatically increasing the property’s value by simple rent increases, etc. I encourage anyone investing in residential property to take a good look at moving up to larger properties. It’s easier than you think when you acquire the knowledge.Copyright (c) 2009 Joe Florentine