A bridge loan, or buy before you sell loan, allows homeowners to take out a loan on their existing home/mortgage to afford the down payment on a new home they’re interested in purchasing. Bridge loans are ideal for buyers who are interested in moving forward with financing a new home purchase that haven’t quite sold their current home yet.
These loans require borrowers to use their existing home or other valuable assets as collateral to secure the debt. Because mortgage lenders have more significant financial risk when offering a Bridge loan, borrowers can anticipate more difficult qualification requirements or strict loan terms.
Unlike typical purchase loans (otherwise known as fixed-rate mortgages) — which are relatively standard, straight forward to qualify for, and reasonably easy to mitigate risk on — bridge loans carry a bit more risk to both the borrower and the lender. Buyers that wish to take on new debt before offloading a significant asset, in most cases, spooks most lenders and is not an ideal situation.
As a result, to qualify, buy before you sell loans require:
Able to afford multiple loan payments at once? Get in touch with our team today to see how we can help secure a bridge loan for your new home purchase in California and the Ventura, CA area.
Yes - but you’ll need to meet specific approval requirements in order to qualify for a Bridge Loan. Our mortgage consultants can help determine if you meet the criteria to purchase a new property in 93065 before selling your existing home.
You’ll need to provide us with proof of income, have at least 20 percent equity in your existing home, and a solid credit history and score. Additionally, bridge loans may take the current real estate market into consideration when determining if you qualify.
Not necessarily. If you can qualify for a bridge loan by meeting some of the criteria mentioned above, you may be able to purchase your new home before finalizing the sale of your current home. With that said, bridge loans are usually available on much shorter terms than traditional purchase loans, so be prepared to sell your existing home within a reasonable time frame.
As long as you can prove that you have 20 percent or more equity in your existing home, you won’t need to pay off your current mortgage before moving forward with a bridge loan. The whole purpose of a bridge loan is to bridge the gap between your transition from one home to another.