Do Portfolio lenders typically want reserves?

[Samantha Klein]

This question is for anyone who has a relationship with a portfolio lender, does your lender require a set amount of reserves per property like Fannie Mae? This is not a debate on whether you should have reserves. For example, if I owned 5 properties and Fannie required 40k in reserves, if I had 15k, would a portfolio lender be able to close a deal if everything else was sufficient? 

[Travis Hughes]

All of the lenders that I've spoken with required reserves, yes.  That being said, they typically allow you to claim funds outside of your cash savings toward the reserves.  Retirement accounts, for example.  Check with your lenders to see what all they might allow you to count toward the reserves.

Once you find a good portfolio lender, be sure to send me a message directly with their contact info.  :)