Of all the different types of lenders, private mortgage lenders have the most lenient approval criteria. Private lenders will generally provide mortgages up to 75% of the value of the property. The ratio between the value of the requested mortgage and the value of the property is called a “Loan-to-Value” (LTV) ratio and is the main factor when it comes to approval on a private mortgage. These criteria are different from those of banks, trust companies, and credit unions, which will also consider a borrower’s income ratios, employment, and credit score in addition to their LTV ratio. Private lenders are usually not concerned with the creditworthiness of the borrower.
Since private mortgages are considered to be a high-risk investment, these lenders demand higher rates and fees. A borrower can expect to pay rates between 8% to 12% and fees equal to 4% to 6% of the mortgage amount. The rates are dependent on the LTV ratio, while the fees are dependent on the complexity of the mortgage. Which includes the cost of dealing with any legal issues. Approval can also depend on the location of the property, and in general, larger cities will have higher maximum LTV ratios. This rate estimation tool will take into account all of these factors and estimate what interest rate you can expect to pay for a mortgage.