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All Forum Posts by: Danny Lyu

Danny Lyu has started 1 posts and replied 14 times.

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Robert Ellis:
Quote from @Danny Lyu:

Hi All,

First-time poster here. I’m currently in the pre-approval process to purchase a 2-4 unit multi-family property. I’ve approached a local bank in Upstate New York offering a 30-year loan with a 10% down payment. However, the loan would need to be under my name, as they won’t allow LLCs.

I’ve received advice from others who feel comfortable with this arrangement as long as they have high insurance coverage limits, which the lender also recommended. Assuming the insurance premiums don’t significantly impact my cash flow (which is one of my primary goals), how do you assess the risk of taking out a loan under my personal name versus opting for a commercial loan that requires a larger down payment and comes with a higher interest rate?

My goal is to spread my funds across multiple investments to grow my portfolio while keeping my down payments as low as possible. At the same time, I prefer to minimize liability, though I’m not a seasoned investor.

Is this one of those calculated risks that investors eventually become comfortable with, or should I prioritize limiting liability from the outset?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

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 Thanks for the push, Robert! I own property now but want to expand my portfolio. 

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Ryan Vienneau:

Hi Danny,

I've personally owned several rentals in Schenectady, and also own a local PM company in the capital region so we work with tons of clients in the area that ask this all the time. Several things to consider: 1) One of the main purposes of segmenting your assets into separate LLC's is so that your personal net worth or equity in other business ventures or properties isn't exposed, so unless you have a high net worth or a lot of equity in a property, it might not be worth bothering going the separate LLC route, especially when it restricts your financing of the property. 2) Most any commercial financing you get from a local bank for a small property is going to have recourse anyhow and require that you sign a personal guarantee, so you're still personally on the hook to the bank even in the case of a commercial loan. 3) If you're a newer investor and buying a deal that's tight on cash flow, or if you don't have a ton of cash sitting in the bank already, your greatest risk factor as an investor is your investment failing economically due to poor financing terms or not operating the investment properly, not because you get sued. Yes, getting sued is a risk factor and I've been involved with frivolous lawsuits which are not fun, but in my opinion you'd be in a much better spot owning a property in your personal name that let's you keep an extra 10-20% of the purchase price in your pocket as emergency funds, as opposed to buying the loan under an LLC that requires every last penny you might have to make the higher down payment, then you have to operate on a shoestring.

Hey Ryan. Everything I own is in an LLC including my residence. I am much more concerned about the personal liability exposure and less about the personal guarantee. 

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Tom S.:

@Danny Lyu  If you're getting 10% down on that loan product, I would definitely do that and just close in your personal name.  Will be far easier to purchase more property with 10% downpayments vs 20-25% for each one.

Umbrella insurance isn't too expensive, $2M for $1200 per year.

Just be sure to run the properties as a good business, address any concerns brought up by the insurance company (they usually do annual inspections).  If they say put up higher railings, additional smoke detectors, etc, complete it promptly and document it.

I've been in the landlord business for 20 years, and I've always kept my properties to code and well maintained.  No issues with any lawsuits.

Good luck!

Thank you, Tom1

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Nick Belsky:
Quote from @Danny Lyu:
Quote from @Nick Belsky:
Quote from @Danny Lyu:
Quote from @Nick Belsky:

@Danny Lyu

What bank is offering 10% down on an investment 2-4 unit property?  That is not likely unless there is more to this than what you are telling us.

Cheers!

Hey Nick - just confirmed over the phone with the lender. Still waiting on terms. 

 Who is the lender?


 Local lender named Community Bank

https://cbna.com/ ?
That’s the one. 

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Nick Belsky:
Quote from @Danny Lyu:
Quote from @Nick Belsky:

@Danny Lyu

What bank is offering 10% down on an investment 2-4 unit property?  That is not likely unless there is more to this than what you are telling us.

Cheers!

Hey Nick - just confirmed over the phone with the lender. Still waiting on terms. 

 Who is the lender?


 Local lender named Community Bank

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Erik Estrada:
Quote from @Danny Lyu:
Quote from @Erik Estrada:
Quote from @Danny Lyu:

Hi All,

First-time poster here. I’m currently in the pre-approval process to purchase a 2-4 unit multi-family property. I’ve approached a local bank in Upstate New York offering a 30-year loan with a 10% down payment. However, the loan would need to be under my name, as they won’t allow LLCs.

I’ve received advice from others who feel comfortable with this arrangement as long as they have high insurance coverage limits, which the lender also recommended. Assuming the insurance premiums don’t significantly impact my cash flow (which is one of my primary goals), how do you assess the risk of taking out a loan under my personal name versus opting for a commercial loan that requires a larger down payment and comes with a higher interest rate?

My goal is to spread my funds across multiple investments to grow my portfolio while keeping my down payments as low as possible. At the same time, I prefer to minimize liability, though I’m not a seasoned investor.

Is this one of those calculated risks that investors eventually become comfortable with, or should I prioritize limiting liability from the outset?

Thanks in advance for your advice!


 You found a bank that will allow you to do 10% down on a non-owner occupied property?


 Thanks for the question, Erik. Yes. Just got off the phone with the lender and confirmed. Still waiting on the terms. 


 Wow that’s impressive. I hope it’s legit, because that’s definitely not the norm on long term financing 


 Me too! I was referred to the lender by numerous agents and and investors in the area. Fingers crossed but she confirmed over the phone. 

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Jaycee Greene:
Quote from @Danny Lyu:
Quote from @Jaycee Greene:

Hey @Danny Lyu. Did the bank give you any other terms (usually spelled out in a term sheet or LOI) relevant to its loan?


 Waiting on terms. Will update this post once the details are clear. At the moment, I've only submitted the paperwork for pre-approval. I've got great credit and a healthy amount of capital compared the loan amount. I'll let you know how it plays out. Thank you. 


 A "pre-approval" sounds like a "consumer" mortgage rather than a commercial loan for investment real estate, is that correct?


I just confirmed with the lender that it's for investment real estate but it has to be under my name. No LLC. 10% down. NOT owner occupied.

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Griffin Malcolm:
Quote from @Danny Lyu:

Hi All,

First-time poster here. I’m currently in the pre-approval process to purchase a 2-4 unit multi-family property. I’ve approached a local bank in Upstate New York offering a 30-year loan with a 10% down payment. However, the loan would need to be under my name, as they won’t allow LLCs.

I’ve received advice from others who feel comfortable with this arrangement as long as they have high insurance coverage limits, which the lender also recommended. Assuming the insurance premiums don’t significantly impact my cash flow (which is one of my primary goals), how do you assess the risk of taking out a loan under my personal name versus opting for a commercial loan that requires a larger down payment and comes with a higher interest rate?

My goal is to spread my funds across multiple investments to grow my portfolio while keeping my down payments as low as possible. At the same time, I prefer to minimize liability, though I’m not a seasoned investor.

Is this one of those calculated risks that investors eventually become comfortable with, or should I prioritize limiting liability from the outset?

Thanks in advance for your advice!


Hey Danny, I'm based in Schenectady. What bank are you looking into? I haven't seen any yet that do 10% down on non-owner occupant purchases, but that is awesome if that exists. 

On refinances, I use Community Bank because they do 90% LTV, but if we can get 10% down on the buy side too that would be great

Hey Griffin, let's connect and I'll share the information with you. I just got off the phone with the lender. She's near your area. 

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Nick Belsky:

@Danny Lyu

What bank is offering 10% down on an investment 2-4 unit property?  That is not likely unless there is more to this than what you are telling us.

Cheers!

Hey Nick - just confirmed over the phone with the lender. Still waiting on terms. 

Post: My 2 Options: Personal vs Commercial Loan

Danny Lyu
Pro Member
Posted
  • Posts 14
  • Votes 4
Quote from @Erik Estrada:
Quote from @Danny Lyu:

Hi All,

First-time poster here. I’m currently in the pre-approval process to purchase a 2-4 unit multi-family property. I’ve approached a local bank in Upstate New York offering a 30-year loan with a 10% down payment. However, the loan would need to be under my name, as they won’t allow LLCs.

I’ve received advice from others who feel comfortable with this arrangement as long as they have high insurance coverage limits, which the lender also recommended. Assuming the insurance premiums don’t significantly impact my cash flow (which is one of my primary goals), how do you assess the risk of taking out a loan under my personal name versus opting for a commercial loan that requires a larger down payment and comes with a higher interest rate?

My goal is to spread my funds across multiple investments to grow my portfolio while keeping my down payments as low as possible. At the same time, I prefer to minimize liability, though I’m not a seasoned investor.

Is this one of those calculated risks that investors eventually become comfortable with, or should I prioritize limiting liability from the outset?

Thanks in advance for your advice!


 You found a bank that will allow you to do 10% down on a non-owner occupied property?


 Thanks for the question, Erik. Yes. Just got off the phone with the lender and confirmed. Still waiting on the terms.