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Property owners take advantage of construction lending options on a regular basis. Whether they receive loans from banks or individual lenders, borrowers need financial guidance to manage risks. As a finance professional, you need to gain advanced knowledge on construction lending mitigation in order to provide the best services. Your knowledge on commercial lending and mortgages will not suffice for clients lending or borrowing for property construction purposes. Financial advisors who offer quality instruction earn positive reputations. In turn, they expand their client base and produce larger profits. Continue reading to learn how to manage construction lending risks.
Establish A Budget
Firstly, encourage borrowers to establish a budget as a construction lending risk management strategy. Many borrowers grow too excited when they get approved for a loan. They do not take the lending and borrowing process seriously enough. They use the funding that they receive hastily and focus on what they want. However, they should focus on what they need to do to avoid falling into debt. Explain to borrowers that they can avoid dealing with bad credit in the future if they focus on budgeting their personal finances. After all, they do need to repay the lender the money that they borrowed. Furthermore, they need to do so by the end of their short-term loan. Advise borrowers to budget their expenses to manage the construction lending risk of not being able to repay loans in time.
P&P Bonds
Performance and payment (P&P) bonds also assist borrowers in managing construction lending risks. This type of bond manages the risk of incomplete projects. If a borrower receives funding for a construction project, they provide their contractor with the money. They do so with the notion that the contractor will get the work done in a timely manner. This is particularly true for borrowers who hired a contracting company to renovate their homes. Depending on the type of renovations, they might not be able to stay in their home during the construction process. Unfortunately, mishaps occur during construction processes. With P&P bonds, your clients can guarantee themselves complete projects by a certain time. The bonds are made between the contractor, the obligee and the bond company. Provide your clients with this construction lending risk management option. Do so before they even fill out their loan application so that they can establish a clear financial plan.
Construction Cost Consulting
Another risk management practice to bring up during client meetings is construction cost consulting. While you may not specialize in construction risk management in particular, there are accountants who do. Encourage your clients to reach out to a construction risk management accountant. They will be able to offer them specialty advise on associated costs. Then, they can avoid wasting the funding they received from a lender. Construction risk management accountants can assist them in managing their newly obtained finances through feasibility studies, corporate strategic planning and reproduction cost studies. Put your clients who are struggling with construction lending risk management in touch with specialized accountants. In doing so, you minimize their financial risks.
Loan Inspections
Also, loan inspections lower risks in construction lending situations. This practice is similar to P&P bonds in the way that it protects borrowers from ending up with incomplete projects. They, too, can prevent clients from applying for lawsuit loans in the future. Your clients can have loan inspections take place frequently. During an inspection, professionals monitor progress. They compare the progress being made to what the signed contract states. If the construction company falls behind on work, your client will know about it. The professional conducting the inspections will make a point to bring the issue to all parties’ attentions. In this way, loan inspections reduce change order review risks.
Risk Management Policies
Lastly, risk management policies protect lending institutions who offer construction loans. Since you may have a lender as a client, this is also important knowledge for you to obtain. Risk management policies need to include a variety of details to ensure security. Lenders need to define their purpose and the associated risks that their institution could face. These risks include physical risks, financial risks and legal risks. Once they write out this section, they need to supply the details of the policy as well as the best practices for implementing the policy. Assist your clients in creating an effective policy to manage construction lending risks.
Borrowers and lenders alike need to learn how to manage construction loan risks. Financial professionals need to encourage borrowers to budget their finances so that they can pay off their loans on time. Explain what P&P bonds are and how they provide security for borrowers. Put clients in touch with accountants who specialize in construction risk management. Understand how loan inspections guarantee timely progress on borrowers’ properties. Additionally, assist clients in building risk management policies. Use these ways to manage construction lending risks to provide clients with high quality services.
