Newport Condos - Kenwood Chicago
Financing a condo can be tricky.
Here are some important questions to ask the listing
broker BEFORE you submit an offer on a condo:
1. How many units in the building are rented out?
Most lenders require that at least 51% of the units be owner occupied.
So if there are a lot of rentals in the building, it will be hard to finance.
2. Are there rental restrictions?
Many associations are starting to restrict rentals. So if you are planning
on buying a condo as an investment property, be sure to check if rentals
are allowed in the building. If there are restrictions, you might be required
to complete an owner-occupant addendum which states that you intend to use
the property as your primary residence.
3. How much does the association have in reserves?
It is important that the association have adequate funds in reserve to
pay for future repairs. If the association is underfunded, lenders will
be hesitant to finance a condo there. Also, if the association is underfunded,
they are likely to hit you with a special assessment in the near future.
4. What special assessments have been mandated in the past five years?
Occasional special assessments are often unavoidable. But frequent special
assessments probably indicate that the property is being mismanaged, or the association is
underfunded.
5. Is the condo building in litigation?
If the association is facing a pending court case, or is currently in litigation,
start looking for another condo to buy.
6. Are more than 10% of the units owned by a single entity?
If several units are owned by the same person, the lender will view this as
being risky. For instance, if a developer hits hard times, multiple units can
go into foreclosure simultaneously. The property value of the remaining condos
in the building will probably decrease significantly as a result.
7) Have there been any recent sales in this building? And did they involve financing?
If a condo has been sold in the last 6 months, and it was financed,
then you are probably in good shape. If all the recent transactions were
cash deals, then this might indicate that the building didn’t qualify
for financing.
8) Do you have FHA financing?
Most condos and condo buildings will not qualify for FHA financing.
I estimate that for every 100 condos on the market, only 5 of them will
qualify for FHA financing.
So if you are shopping for a condo, you should line up conventional financing
instead of FHA financing.
Conventional financing will require higher credit scores and a higher down payment.
Most lenders would like you to have at least a 680 credit score and a 10%
down payment to go with it.
9) How many units are behind on their assessments?
If several owners are behind on their assessments, this could be a red flag.
If the owners are not paying their assessments, they are probably in financial
distress. It will only be a matter of time before they stop paying their
mortgage. If several owners are behind on their assessments, most lenders will
not finance a condo in the building.
10) How many short-sales and foreclosures are on the market in this building?
If there are other condos in this building on the market, are they distressed sales?
If so, it could mean trouble. Lenders only want to finance condos in stable buildings.
If more than a couple of units are in some stage of foreclosure, then you should probably
find a condo somewhere else.
As you can see, financing a condo can be tricky. It is now more important than ever
to work with an experienced real estate agent that understands the complexity of condo financing.
Otherwise, you may waste a lot of time viewing condos that won’t qualify for financing.
Until the next time,
Mark Killion
RE/MAX Premier Properties
1205 N Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60610
Visit me online: www.773property.com
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