Florida Mortgage Loans | Condo-Hotel/Condotel Rental Income Rules

Condo Hotels or Condotels continue to grow in popularity in Florida, especially in hot tourist areas like West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Bonita Springs and Miami.  Because of this, it is important to keep in mind what Lenders are requiring in their lending guidelines concerning this unique property type.

One major issue that comes up with Condo Hotels is the rental pool.  Part of the allure of the property is the ability to allow the hotel to rent the room out to guests while it is not being used by the owner.

Unfortunately, Lenders require that the rental pool be voluntary.  Involuntary rental pools are to be classified as Timeshares. 

What this means is that when the owner of the Condotel unit wants to rent out their unit, they must make sure they put the unit into the rental pool... it isn't automatically rented without their say so. 

Considering issues like seasonality, major local events, and discount room rates/sales, there is no valid way to forecast the actual income that will be shared by the hotel and the room owner. 

An owner that does not want to rent their Condo Hotel room at all has that option under a voluntary rental pool.   While this might bother some hotel operations that want the room to rent, this is the only way that financing can be obtained.

The voluntary rental pool also affects the potential net income.  A buyer cannot be promised $10,000 a year return on a property if they are only going to make it available for 6 months out of the years or only on weekdays.

Realtors (listing agents) and Developers are therefore strictly prohibited from advertising rates of return, cap rates or even offering investment advice concerning Condotels.  Any potential rate of return could only be hypothetically based on an assumed usage rate that may never be reached.

Because of this, any rental income will not be counted as part of the qualification income for the Condo Hotel Loan.  To the borrower, this means that their debt to income ratios will not benefit from any potential cash flows from the property. 

Given this information, it is prudent that Realtors and Mortgage Brokers advise their clients who are interested in purchasing Condo Hotel properties that they will need to be able to qualify for this purchase on its own with all their other current debt. 

If they are unable to meet the Lenders' Debt to Income Ratios with their current debts and current primary residence, then they will likely not qualify for a Condo Hotel Loan.

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David A. Podgursky, MBA
The Mortgage Go To Guy!!
Your Source for Residential, Commercial, Investment and Relocation Mortgages in Florida

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Florida Mortgage | Foreign National Homebuyers: How to get your Loan Started!

Florida is a HOT market for Foreign National's to purchase both Second Homes and Investment Properties. This is a great time and a great market for their purchases. With the weak dollar and the strong Euro and British Sterling, European investment in Florida is at an all time high!

A Foreign National Loan is a very simple process if you have your documentation in place. Here is a great checklist to use when you want to get the ball rolling on that process.

Documents needed for a Foreign National Loan Program:

1) Three Personal Reference Letters from Country of Origin. Letter must be from a lending institution and include the following:

• Credit was extended to the Borrower
• Borrower is in Good Standing
• High Balance
• Current Balance
• Payment Amount
• Payment History

2) Two Months' Bank Statements from a US Based Bank.

3) Employment Verification Must Include the Following:

• Must be on company letterhead from Country of Origin.
• Must state Income for for prior 2 years and current income.
• Length of Employment
• Position of Borrower
• Type of Business

For Self Employed Borrowers, please include:

• Percentage of Ownership in company
• Address of business for the past 2 years.

4) Copy of Visa (if applicable)

5) Copy of Passport

All letters must be translated into English by a certified translator.

For more information about Foreign National Loans, please check the following links:

• Florida Mortgage | Foreign National Homebuyers - Visa Waiver Program
• Florida Mortgage | Foreign National Homebuyers - "Dollar weakens on Subprime Woes" is good news for you!
• Florida Mortgage Loans | Foreign National Homebuyers: Seasoning Funds in US Banks
• Florida Mortgage | Foreign National Homebuyers: Europe has come calling!

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More Florida Mortgage and Real Estate News You Can Use From
David A. Podgursky, MBA
The Mortgage Go To Guy
Your Source for Residential, Commercial, Investment and Relocation Mortgages in Florida

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Florida Mortgage | Foreign National Homebuyers - Visa Waiver Program

When applying for a Foreign National Loan in the United States, a Foreign National Borrower must provide a copy of a valid passport and Visitor Visa for the lender to verify the eligibility of the borrower.

The Visa Waiver Program is available to residents of certain countries to come to the United States and stay for a period of no longer than 90 days without obtaining a visa.  These Foreign Nationals can come for either Tourism or Business reasons... Business or Pleasure.

Currently there are twenty seven (27) countries who qualify for the Visa Waiver Program.  They are:

Andorra	Iceland	Norway
Australia	Ireland	Portugal
Austria	Italy	San Marino
Belgium	Japan	Singapore
Brunei	Liechtenstein	Slovenia
Denmark	Luxembourg	Spain
Finland	Monaco	Sweden
France	the Netherlands	Switzerland
Germany	New Zealand	United Kingdom

In order for a Foreign National that qualifies for the Visa Waiver Program to obtain a Mortgage on a Second Home or Investment Real Estate, the Foreign National Borrower will need to obtain a letter certifying their Visa Waiver Program status from the nearest US Embassy or Consulate.

Foreign Nationals using the Visa Waiver Program as opposed to obtaining a full Visitor Visa will likely have trouble qualifying for a property as a primary residence, therefore only a Second Home or Investment Property mortgage program will work for these borrowers.

For more information on the Visa Waiver Program choose one of the links below:

• Department of Homeland Security   Customs & Border Protection   website.
• Visa Waiver Program Traveler Guide

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More Florida Mortgage and Real Estate News You Can Use From
David A. Podgursky, MBA
The Mortgage Go To Guy!!
Your Source for Residential, Commercial, Investment and Relocation Mortgages in Florida

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