Commercial Construction Loans: Signing On The Chalked Line

By Tom G. Honeycutt


Financing business premises or a new commercial development is a process that usually involves large monetary figures and extensive forward planning. Like any property finance arrangement, it is expensive, not least because it involves substantial periphery administrative costs besides the property's actual price. It is also the longest term commitment to debt that businesspeople make, spanning years or decades. However, where the financed structure does not yet exist, there are additional factors to be considered. Commercial construction loans are therefore not the same as conventional credit purchase agreements.

The most important use of a business property is the making of money. In light of this issue, the credit provider (typically a bank) is required to determine whether the property's income is going to be adequate to service the loan instalments or is germane to the amount of money lent. In turn, the lender also needs to be sure that the property's intended utilization is going to be able to secure that type of income.

Once the feasibility of the project has been established, the borrower and the lender need to thrash out the terms and structure to be included in the financing agreement. A construction loan typically has more than one phase. Initially, there is a loan to cover the costs involved in the actual building process. Once the structure is operational, i. E. Producing the anticipated income, a longer term agreement commences to pay it off entirely. The transition between the two loans is made possible by what is known as a mini-perm loan.

Prior to the approval of a construction loan, the credit provider should take into account the contractor's past projects, technical abilities and industry stature. The quotation on the construction should also be juxtaposed with comparable projects to see how market-related it is. In support of the quotation, project management must supply a full report on all costs in the building work, so that the lender may understand how the loan amount has been arrived at.

Because the structure does not exist yet, potential lenders cannot make an inspection, so the full technical data of the project should be made available to them. Time frames, engineering specifications, estimates and any other salient information should be presented.

It is sometimes extremely hard to gain approval from a bank or other institution for credit. Project initiators should therefore put together an informative business strategy which is substantiated by market research and data. If the project is seen as incompatible with prevailing market conditions the entire loan application may be rejected by bank analysts for that reason.

New construction is always an exciting event and is very important in the economy's growth. Approaching these loans in an effective, professional fashion makes the process much easier for all parties concerned and allows for smoother business.




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