Buyers Guide to California Pt 2 – Demographics

International Mortgage UK

CALIFORNIA

Californication, Red Hot Chili Peppers

In last week's "Buyer's Guide to California Pt 1 - Education Matters,," we discussed why Education is an important driver of where overseas borrowers choose to invest in real estate. 

In that report, we looked at the top 50 Public, and Private high schools, average ACT/SAT scores, Median Household Income, Average Home Prices, and Rental Yield.

We argued that when looking at where to make your US property investment, the quality of education in the nearby city/area is a factor in the decision since there is always a notion of "can I live there one day" and "maybe my children can go to school there". Popular cities in the US will undoubtedly have good schools in the city or in the vicinity. 

"Popularity as a living destination" in turn drives demand, home value appreciation, and strong growth in rental income.

This week we focus on Demographics.

An under-appreciated factor in determining where to own is what city has the most culturally similar population. It's much easier when you have neighbors that speak your language and share similar cultures and values. 

We will answer these questions (and much more)!

  • Which high schools in California has the highest Asian population?
  • Which cities have the most Korean-born residents?
  • Which cities have the highest total Asian population and the respective top schools?
  • Does the highest Asian population determine how home prices will behave?
  • Which California cities have the highest: Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, India, South Korea, and Philippines-BORN residents?

Demographics matter!

In this study, we solely focus on the Asian population in schools. Asians have been the biggest group of immigrants over the last 60++ years, spurred mainly by the Immigration Act of 1965 but also the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the Luce-Celler Act of 1946 as well other obvious political issues of the time.

In addition to the above reasons, many immigrants just wanted a better life for their families, they studied hard, and slowly communities grew around the top education destinations.

Here is the Asian population (>40%) for the top 50 Public and Private Schools in California.

You can also see that these cities have the highest Home Price to Median Income ratios, highlighting the center of attraction for Asians moving to the US.

Note a common rule for affordability is for a home price to be UNDER 3x your income!

Public High Schools

Private High Schools

Takeaway - You can see cities where the top schools are located have very high Home Price to Income Ratios which highlights the property value growth driven by families moving to these cities, in particular Asians.

The next study is very interesting!

Our team looks at which California cities have the highest overseas-born residents, specifically from:  China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, and India.

You guessed it, many are in the cities where the top schools are

We only used cities with over 20,000 population.

*Refer to full chart below

Here is same chart in Alphabetical Order

Illustrating popular cities ranked by multiple demographics

As you may observe in this report, the cities with the highest Asian immigrant population tend to be where the most demand is, especially when compared to household income, and it's no surprise it's also where the top high schools are.

That is to say, the schools and cities mentioned in last week's report on Education being the main driver of price appreciation and rents are very similar to the cities mentioned in this report.

While this study is not meant to be a rigorous analysis by any means, it is close to my heart since I moved from Singapore to San Francisco when I was 16. My parents had the same thought process…strong Hong Kong population and good schools. I ended up finishing high school in San Francisco and attended UCLA.

Stay tuned for the final part of our Buyer's Guide to California, where we take a quick look at the general carrying costs for a rental property, including taxes, deductions and other administrative costs. 

Finally, we will be hosting a webinar with our California Partner for a real "on-the-ground" discussion along with a panel of real estate experts for the Bay Area, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, and Orange County. We are still finalising the exact details, but this will be in September. 

Have a good weekend!  If you want a copy of the spreadsheet with the data from our research, please contact us. We are happy to share our findings.

www.gmg.asia

“Ex-post, Ex-ante” + When rates will fall

Bridging Loan Canada

Welcome to our newly revamped weekly product, where we do a quick summary of salient news over the past week and what to expect the following week and beyond. It took a while to think of a catchy name for our weekly and we hope you like it. We also plan to include our house view of the major macro events and, of course, how it all relates to the global real estate markets, in particular the US.

Contents:

  • Ex-post; Ex-ante
  • Will rates decline? Yes, starting in March!
  • Why US home prices will not collapse
  • Buyer’s Guide to California
  • Loans of the week! 



Ex-post

Last week saw major headlines with UK printing a 10% inflation number and Europe continuing to see hefty price increases in energy costs, with Germany at €700 ($696) a megawatt-hour, up from under €50 in January. 

In the US, mortgage applications dipped slightly for the week ending August 12, 2022, down 2.3% week on week. Things are generally slower in all areas of the economy in August, and this is no different. 

30-year fixed rate 5.45% mortgages are down 50 bps from June 2020 highs of 5.98%

* This reference rate is for conforming Fannie Mae loans, not applicable for overseas borrowers.

Ex-ante

This week, all eyes will be on Jackson Hole, where Fed chair Jerome Powell will speak on the economic outlook at 10 am Washington time. We cannot see Powell becoming incrementally dovish at this stage, while there could be an outside chance of being less hawkish. As a firm, our house view is that given the fact that the “reputation and credibility as an institution” is under pressure, the Fed will risk over-tightening in this economic cycle – right or wrong. To us, tightening into a recession is extremely heavy-handed, but Powell certainly does not want to be remembered as Arthur Burns 2.0. 

The Trillion-dollar question is IF rates will be cut, and if so, how much?

If you look at the Eurodollar implied futures curve, you will see that the market is expecting rates to peak in March 2023 at 3.93% and then start to decline to 3.51% by December 2023, and drop to 3.03% a year later. That is to say; the market is expecting 90 bps of decline in Fed Funds by December 2024! The charts also imply that rates are expected to stay under 3% thereafter.  

3-month Eurodollar Futures Yield Curve

ISM Manufacturing Index - US 30-Year Mortgage, YoY%, 18-Month Lead Inverse"

One area of potential concern is US industrial production, which is at risk of significant contraction (below 50 on ISM Manufacturing Index is a contraction). If so, this could trigger deeper recession concerns. The next the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) report will be out September 1st. 

If you look at this chart, it appears that the ISM Manufacturing Index (black line) lags the inverse of the US average 30-year mortgage rates (red line) by about 18 months. If the US manufacturing economy pans out in this manner, the Fed may be forced to make deeper cuts and we could see a bigger decline in rates than the market is pricing in, giving another opportunity for US home buyers who are waiting for lower rates! 

Home Prices

There is no impending collapse. We see strength in housing prices.

As we read in the media that home prices are softening, housing starts declining, home prices are falling, and it paints a doom and gloom picture, but we cannot see a collapse in housing prices and a repeat of 2008.  

Did you know that 40% of all homes in the US are held free and clear without a mortgage?

The average outstanding mortgage is 33% of home values. There is simply too much equity in the market for a collapse. Since 2008 underwriting standards have been significantly more stringent with more regulatory oversight. More importantly, most of the outstanding mortgages were printed when rates were below 4%!

Sure, in some cities, there will be softening as residents gentrify out to lower cost of living areas. It’s no surprise that San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City are at the tops of those cities where there are significant outflows of residents.  

According to a Redfin article on July 18, 2022, here are the:

Top outflow cities in 2Q2022:

Top inflow cities in 2Q2022:

Buyer’s Guide to California

Over the past 2 weeks, we have published a Deep Dive into what drives overseas buyers to California. In Part 1 – Education. We look at the top 50 public and private high schools in the state, average SAT/ACT scores, Median Income and Average Home prices and conclude the cities with the top schools tend to have the strongest property price appreciation and rental reversions.



In last week’s Part 2 – Demographics. We look at the Asian population in each of these schools and conclude the schools with the highest Asian population is another driver of home prices where the top schools are located.

This week, in Part 3 – Taxes and Benefits. We will conclude the report with a tax guide for overseas investors, how rental income is taxed and various deductions that are allowed.  

Finally, to wrap-up our Buyer’s Guide to California, we will be hosting a webinar with Susan Kim, our Private Client US Concierge Partner and top real estate experts in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, and Orange County to give you an on-the-ground discussion on the respective cities, where the value is now and in the future. Stay tuned!

Loans of the week!

1. Switzerland Family Office purchases luxury condo in New York

Client wanted options outside of their private bank which did not require pledging assets.

Type: Luxury Condo

Price: $20M

Loan Amount: $11M (55% LTV)

Use: Second home

Loan type: America Mortgage HNW+

Qualification: Using borrower’s liquid investment portfolio as a reference without encumbrances. (Example Fidelity account)

Term: 5-year fixed / 30-year amortized

Interest-only: Fixed for 5 years

Rate: 7.875%

2. UK technology entrepreneur purchases home in Atherton (near Palo Alto)

UK-national client attended Stanford and plans to move their children there in 3 years to attend high school. His goal was to rent out the home to tech executives or AirBNB in the interim.

Type: Single-family home

Price: $10.9M

Loan Amount: $6M (55% LTV)

Use: Investment

Loan type: America Mortgage HNW+

Qualification: Using borrower’s liquid investment portfolio as a reference without encumbrances. (Example Fidelity account)

Term: 5-year fixed / 30-year amortized

Interest-only: Fixed for 5 years

Rate: 7.25%

3. Singaporean family purchases home in San Antonio for rental income

Father attended the University of Texas and, after reading our Deep Dive report, decided to own a home where he could take advantage of the strong USD and rental income currently in San Antonio and potentially will move there for retirement.

Type: Single-family home

Price: $350,000

Loan Amount: $245,000 (70% LTV)

Use: Investment

Loan type: America Mortgage Foreign National+

Qualification: Based on overseas income and credit

Term: 30-year fixed

Rate: 6.875%

Thank you and feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Buyers Guide to California – Education drives prices and rents

Buyers Guide to California - Education drives prices and rents

CALIFORNIA

"California, Here we come" Phantom Planet

(click for an awesome Indie rock song from 2002)

We are super excited to kick off our "Buyer's Guide to U.S. Real Estate" series, where we go in-depth into the main U.S. states for property investment purchases, starting with California!

We also have a surprise guest at the end of the month (see bottom of article)!

What's not to love about the Bohemian vibes of San Francisco, the technology center-of-the-universe in Palo Alto, wineries in Napa, food in Yountville, golf in Steinbeck country, the quaint and exclusive Montecito, and year around perfect weather in San Diego.  

And finally, Los Angeles – Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Bel Air, Pasadena, Orange County – it's almost endless. 

It's no surprise that California is a favourite investment destination for our clients, both Overseas Expats and Foreign Nationals, primarily from: the U.K., Canada, Australia, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, France, UAE, Germany to name a few.

Want Home Value Appreciation and Rental Income Growth?

Education is key!

Job market growth is certainly a key driver for price appreciation and is normally driven by the new business formation in the area, but popularity as a living destination is driven by things like safety, cost of living, ease of transportation and quality of education, especially for families with young children.   

"Popularity as a living destination" in turn drives demand, home value appreciation, and strong growth in rental income. 

Why is Education important?

In this week's report, we will take a deep dive into Education – an important (if not the most important) factor for overseas property investors in determining where your next home purchase will be in the U.S.

With Foreign National buyers, in particular, the objective of owning real estate to earn income almost always comes down to "could I live there one day"?   

In Asia, where owning property is ingrained in their culture, it's common to purchase an investment property "in anticipation" of sending their child to college. They could even live there during or after they graduate, and the price appreciation could even pay for college if they sell the property. Or, if the child decides to get a job in the U.S., they can stay in the apartment as a post-graduation gift to build up their credit or even rent it out to earn income. 

Which are the top high schools in California?

We look at the top 50 high schools in California, both public and private, ranked by average SAT and ACT scores. As you can see, the SAT scores will range from 1300-1500. To get into a top 25 U.S. university, the SAT scores should be at least 1400 as a reference, so these schools are all great.

Why high schools?

Many new immigrants or returning expats will choose to live in areas where there are good schools and a higher population of similar background families (the latter we will investigate next week). High schools are a very important decision since it will determine their experience during these formative years between 14-18 years old but also potential college choices. 

"Popularity as a living destination" drives demand, home value appreciation, and strong growth in rental income. 

Schools with the highest SAT/ACT scores

- Public: Lynbrook High School, San Jose

- Avg SAT 1450 / ACT 33

- Private: The Nueva School in Hillsborough & Basis Independent in San Jose

- Avg SAT 1510 / ACT 34 for both

Household Income, Home Prices, and Rental Yield

We also look at the Median Household Income, Average Home Prices, and Rental yield in each city. When moving to a new city, aside from the quality of education, most will look at how expensive it will be to live there, own a home, and potential rental income potential. 

It's probably no surprise cities like Palo Alto, San Diego, San Jose, Los Angeles, and others will have higher home prices, but we also look at a rough gauge of affordability which is a "Home Price to Income Ratio," which tends to be where most immigrant buyers choose as their base.

Cities with the highest Median Income

- $250,000+ per annum income

- Cities: Piedmont, Hillsborough, Los Altos

- Neighbouring schools: Piedmont High School, Los Altos High

Cities with the highest Home Prices

- $2,000,000+ home price

- Cities: Piedmont, Palo Alto, Hillsborough, Ross, Atherton, Los Alto, Saratoga, San Marino

- Neighbouring schools: Piedmont High School, Los Altos High, Palo Alto High, Henry Gunn, Aragon High, Nueva School, Crystal Springs Uplands, The Branson School, Menlo High, Pinewood School, San Marino High

Highest Rental Yield

>5% gross yield: Riverside
>4% gross yield: Lo Jolla, San Diego, San Jose, Fresno, Irvine, San Clarita

- Neighbouring schools: Riverside STEM Academy, Canyon Crest Academy, Torrey Pines High, Westview High, Del Norte High, The Bishops School, La Jolla Country Day School, Francis Parker School, The Harder School, Basis Independent, Bellamine College Prep, Notre Dame High, University High Fresno, University High Irvine, Woodbridge High, Arnold Beckham High, TVT Community Day School, Academy of the Canyons

America Mortgage Concierge Program

We launched this free service last month to connect potential home buyers with our approved panel of realtors in each major U.S. city, which only focuses on overseas buyers. If you would like to learn more, please contact james.morales@americamortgages.com.

Our surprise guests!

At the end of August, we will be hosting a webinar with our California partner, who will present a "Guide to California Real Estate" along with a panel of the top realtors in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Bay Area to give you a real "on the ground"feel for all the points we discussed above and more.   

Stay tuned…this is going to be amazing! 

Sources: Niche, City-Data, US News, OECD data, US Census Bureau and respective school websites

Have short-term liquidity needs? GMG Bridging Loans can help!

Mortgage Loan Canada

"Bridge over Troubled Water" Simon & Garfunkel

Globally, but especially in the main overseas investor markets like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, the housing market has seen intense competition, massive price surges, and dwindling inventory since 2020 - but if you're a real estate investor, all of that may be about to change, and for the better. 

Using the US as a reference, mortgage rates are rising. In mid-June of 2022, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.81%. That may seem high; however, rates now are where they were right after the financial crisis of 2008 when many people were actively trying to obtain a mortgage. 

What makes this type of market great for real estate investors?

These higher rates make it more difficult for would-be home buyers to afford new homes. It's not that people are trying to buy extravagant houses, but that a modest home with an increase of $50 a month in mortgage payments could be the difference between buying or renting. 

These higher costs are putting pressure on the housing market. It has already led to a decrease in mortgage applications to purchase and refinance for owner-occupied property, but an increase in investor mortgage applications getting in on high rental prices, demand, and lack of available rentals.

What once was a seller's market is shifting slightly, causing properties to stay on the market longer. This has resulted in liquidity issues for investors looking to sell their properties quickly to buy additional properties.

Luckily, there is a relatively simple and easy financing solution - GMG bridge loans

What is a Bridging Loan?

Investors use real estate bridge loans as a short-term financing tool to bridge gaps in financing. For example, an investor might take out a bridge loan against a property they are selling in order to purchase or act on another investment property immediately. 

In this case, the homeowner may need the money before their property sells. They can now use a GMG Bridge loan to extract equity today while waiting for the right price to sell.

Bridge loans can be secured quickly, often closing within a week to 10 days, and with little paperwork, because lenders are more interested in the collateral (i.e., a house) than a credit score or cash flow.

We offer Bridging Loans in: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand.

How to use Bridging Loans to free up liquidity 

Bridge loans allow investors to quickly free up liquidity using their real estate assets as collateral. This is a quick asset-backed mortgage where your financials or credit are not the primary underwriting criteria; the asset is. In order to better understand how this works, let's take a look at two examples;

1. Waiting for a property to sell at the right price:

You're selling a property but waiting for the right price. Another investment property becomes available that is too good to pass up, but you won't have the available funds until after you sell the existing property. No problem. Extract the equity from the property you're selling. Take advantage of the new investment. Wait for your property to sell and pay off the bridge. It's that easy and quick! 

2. Financial strain:

Often, unpredictable circumstances can impact our financial position. The equity in your property can be the perfect way to ride out the storm without worrying if you'll qualify for a "conventional" mortgage loan. It is easy, quick, and straightforward to release up to 70% equity from your property based on the asset value alone. We can also structure these loans to where you do not have to make any monthly debt servicing for up to 12 months. This allows you to get the liquidity you need and then relax, reset and focus on your situation at hand. 

When do Bridging Loans benefit investors? 

As explained above, bridge loans are a great way to free up liquidity. A bridge loan may also be a good fit for you if you:

  • Need to free up liquidity in a fast-moving market
  • Can't afford to take out a mortgage on a new property without selling your other property.
  • Need to secure funds to acquire or renovate real estate quickly.
  • Already purchased a property, but you can't sell your current property quickly enough.
  • Financial strain where conventional financing won't work or is difficult to obtain. 

The housing market is evolving rapidly. Investors would be wise to understand their options so that they are able to adapt, take advantage of opportunities, and free up liquidity when they need it. 

As a company, we only focus on non-resident mortgages for major international real estate investor markets: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand.

In the US, our wholly-owned subsidiary, America Mortgages, is the only US mortgage specialist outside the US.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about the structures and options of short-term bridge financing solutions at hello@gmg.asia.

www.gmg.asia

High Net Worth Focus: GMG U.S. Super Jumbo+ & LADMI

World's Most Expensive Home - Global Mortgage Group Asia

Direct from our Loan Development Team – we have created a solution which allows our international high-net-worth clients to use their liquid asset portfolio to qualify for a U.S. mortgage loan without pledging or encumbrance, nor the requirement of any minimum deposit held at a bank (AUM).

Introducing “GMG U.S. Super-Jumbo+" & "LADMI"

  • Are you a businessperson with low reported income?
  • Are you retired with little to no fixed income? 
  • Are you self-employed but with little to no “provable” income? 
  • Are your assets held in a bank with a U.S. branch or presence?
  • Do you have Trust assets with completely unrestricted use?

If you answered Yes to any of these questions, you will qualify for this program. 

Asset Rich, but Cash Poor?

It’s a common issue for high-net-worth investors who report low income but have sizeable asset portfolios including stocks, bonds and other liquid securities.  

Traditional banks require pay stubs, employment letters, and credit scores (we have fantastic programs for this as well), but many of our clients are not in the corporate world and require more flexible programs to suit their specific needs.

Separately, private banks will undoubtedly require Assets Under Management (AUM) and normally at least the amount of the mortgage.

We are seeing a trend that high-net-worth investors are now open to looking at financing options outside of their private bank, even if the rate is higher than the subsidised rate they would get from their private bank.  

“A small price for freedom,” as one of our European clients recently told us. 

Introducing: Liquid Asset Derived Monthly Income “LADMI”

Salient Points:

  • Qualify for a loan using your liquid asset portfolio instead of income from employment.

  • No AUM (Assets Under Management) or encumbrance of your portfolio at all, rather, it is ‘only’ to qualify for a loan. 

  • Liquid Asset Derived Monthly Income (LADMI) is calculated by taking total liquid assets and dividing by the duration of most mortgage loans, 360 months (30 years). 

  • LADMI allows you to prove your ability to service the debt without regular income from employment – great for entrepreneurs and high-net-worth investors! 

  • No need to show any other sources of income or employment.

  • If your LADMI is sufficient to service the mortgage – as well as regular living expenses – you can qualify based solely on this calculation.

  • No need to cash-in your portfolio or encumber in any manner. 

  • Your assets are used “only to demonstrate” an ability to make the mortgage payments. 

Commonly-used Liquid Assets:

  • Checking or savings accounts 
  • Money market accounts 
  • Certificates of Deposit (CD) 
  • Investment accounts such as stocks, bonds, crypto, and mutual funds
  • Liquid retirement accounts

[Note] All accounts, banks and or brokerages will be required to have a U.S. presence. IE Fidelity, Capital, Coinbase, Charles Schwab, HSBC etc.

Here is an example:

59-year-old mortgage borrower has:

  • Cash: $750,000
  • Investment portfolio: $3,500,000
  • Cryptocurrency: $300,000
  • Liquid retirement fund: $500,000

    = Total Liquid Assets: $4,300,000 (2+3+4)

This is how we calculate LADMI:

  • Cash: $750,000
  • Total Liquid Assets: $4,300,000
  • Discount Factor: 30%
  • Discounted Liquid Asset Value: $4,300,000 x 70% = $3,010,000

    = Total Allowable Assets: $3,010,000 + $750,000 = $3,760,000

    = LADMI = $3,760,000/360 months = $10,444

In this case, we will calculate the borrower’s maximum mortgage payment based on a monthly ‘income’ of $10,444.

The next question you will ask is, what kind of property can this get me?

If we assume a minimum 43% debt to income ratio (DTI) for most lenders and use the current market mortgage rate, you can qualify for a US$1M home (approximately $4,000 P+I monthly payment).

[Note] This is just an example and there are many factors that go into qualifying for a mortgage. This illustration is show that you do not need a salary to qualify for mortgages anymore thanks to our program. 

If you have any questions about our GMG U.S. Super-Jumbo+, LADMI or any of our international mortgage or asset-backed financing solutions, please contact us at: hello@gmg.asia or send me a confidential Whatsapp at +65 8499-3229.

Hong Kong Businessman required financing for a private jet

Hong Kong Businessman finances private jet

The Client

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, our client decided to invest in a private jet for his future travels when countries begin to open travel restrictions. Referred to us by a former customer of GMG, the client required US$10M to purchase a G550 normally valued at US$20M.

How We Helped

Given the slowdown in global travel, the agent was offering the pre-owned 2011 vintage plane at a steep discount of US$13M, which would normally be unavailable.

Our team found aviation financing from a specialist lender at favorable terms of 3.5% on a 5-year loan. The entire transaction was completed in 30 days.

NationalityResidenceIndustryAsset ValueLoan Amount
Hong Kong Citizen​​Hong Kong​ ManufacturingUS$20,000,000​US$10,000,000

Asian Family Office required a loan on their existing commercial fleet of vessels towards a distressed asset purchase

Asian Family Office loan

The Client

A friendly competitor in our client's industry faced financial difficulty and needed to raise cash to pay off a loan coming due and offered his commercial vessels for sale below market prices. Our client required US$15M to purchase Supramax vessels at a price significantly below their FMV broker valuations.

How We Helped

Since their traditional financing options have been very restrictive over the past 12 months, the client needed flexible options quickly.

We were able to secure a bridge loan at 45% of the FMV value with terms that met the client’s requirements.

NationalityResidenceIndustryAsset ValueLoan Amount
Asian Family Office​Singapore ShippingUS$35,000,000US$15,800,000

Introducing “BREFI” (pronounced /brèːfè/), a New Loan Programme by GMG

New Loan Program by GMG Asia

Over the past 12 months, the most common funding problem is the lack of financing options at the early stages of a real estate project: land acquisition, initial development, real estate purchase before the renovation, equity cash out towards new development, etc.

GMG receives high-value financing requests in almost all major countries, and it’s been very clear that traditional banks are less willing to take on the risk of financing the early stages of a real estate development or project. There has never been a greater need for non-bank alternatives than now.

Many of our High-net-worth clients have relied on the ‘long relationship’ with their banks (Implicit Put option) to be their lender of last resort, and when they are not, there is a scramble for financing options in a short period of time, which we see now. A separate issue is that banks, in general, may require recapitalization from losses due to Covid-19 and are looking to preserve capital.

Bridge Lending (the B part of BREFI).

As many of you know, one of the advantages of bridge loans is that they allow the borrower to secure opportunities that you would otherwise miss. Another advantage is bridge loans allow for flexible payment terms depending on the loan agreements. You can choose to start paying off the loan before or after securing long-term financing.

Also, qualifying and getting approved for a bridge loan takes less time than a traditional loan, giving the borrower the convenience of quickly owning the asset and begin getting the project off the ground with the intention of replacing the bridge loan with a more permanent construction loan, as an example.

GMG BREFI (short for Bridge + Refi).

We created the BREFI to combine 2 types of mortgage origination effort into one single offering to help clients with their initial bridge and onto the next stage of funding, usually a construction or development loan.

For example, in some cases, the initial bridge loan is used to purchase the property or land and prepare it to be “Shovel-ready.” That is land or structure that has plans, zoning, and issued permits in place. Having these ready allows for construction to begin immediately after closing.

A major difference between these two is that new construction loans fund the construction of a new structure, whereas bridge loans allow investors to purchase land or property but typically do not fund any construction costs. A GMG BREFI combines them both into one service offering.

Investors who obtain a bridge loan will usually begin construction after they have refinanced out into their long-term loan.

Typical Bridge Loan

  • Used to purchase “shovel-ready” land or land with an existing structure for a quick flip
  • Used to pay off the existing loan by refinancing into another loan
  • Not normally used to fund construction

Typical Construction Loan

  • Used purchase "shovel-ready" land or land with an existing structure to tear down and rebuild
  • Used to pay off the loan upon selling the property
  • Always used to fund construction

Our team uses GMG BREFI by finding lenders that will take both portions of the funding stack, Bridge + Construction.

Some common uses of GMG BREFI

Purchasing a plot of land to build a new development

Investors looking to purchase a plot of “shovel-ready” land would normally use a construction loan which is not available in this market environment. A BREFI will allow you to acquire the desired land and finance the new development on the property.

Purchasing an existing property (IE en bloc in Singapore) to tear down and build a new one

For clients planning to tear down and rebuild a structure on a piece of land, a BREFI can be used as a financing option.

Financing required to purchase land and begin construction immediately

Property developers who have the required documentation to begin construction on a piece of land can use the BREFI, where typical construction loans are not available with traditional banks. The hardest part of any new construction is getting the needed permits; once this is done, our lenders can disperse the funds in “construction draws” to start building.

We have many Case Studies for the GMG BREFI for transactions globally.

Please contact your GMG International Loan Specialist for more information: hello@gmg.asia

Great Real Estate Reshuffling

Great Real Estate Reshuffling

According to a survey by Zillow, 1 in 10 Americans has moved in the past 12 months. With the COVID-19 vaccine implementation and the economy and housing market recovering, Zillow predicts that this number could increase to more than 40 percent in 2021; this means that millions of households could enter the housing market in 2021.

What prompted the Great Reshuffling?

A significant cause of the Great Reshuffling is due to the fact that work-from-home became a norm during the pandemic. Homebuyers quickly caught on to the fact that they can live and work in their dream home and location as long as they have an internet connection. Approximately 75% of those surveyed reported moving for positive reasons, such as being closer to their family, friends, or simply living in their desired part of the country.

Many cities, known as "secondary cities" across the country, have seen a massive influx of movers looking to take advantage of bigger homes with lower prices. According to Zillow, there has been an uptick in the number of people moving to the South over the past year.

The rise in people moving to more affordable areas has triggered a wave of first-time buyers. This is especially true in Phoenix, Charlotte, N.C., and Austin. Zillow's data also showed the highest for-sale inventory climb in 4 major real estate areas – Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York.

We see this as an excellent opportunity for real estate investors, as over the past couple of months, the housing markets outside of the urban areas have flourished. "We have created a process specifically for our overseas clients which is easier, faster, and more transparent than international banks." Robert Chadwick, Co-Founder of GMG and America Mortgages.

At GMG, we understand our global clients' needs, and we provide solutions to match their needs. We make investing in U.S. real estate easy. Schedule a call with our mortgage specialists today.

Sources: Housingwire.com & Realtrends