Bridge Loans in New York: How to Unlock Home Equity to Buy Before You Sell

These advantages make bridge loans an appealing option for New York buyers who need financial flexibility before selling their existing home, allowing them to use the sale proceeds to settle the bridge loan.

What are the drawbacks of a bridge loan?

While bridge loans offer unique advantages in managing real estate transactions, they also come with certain drawbacks that are important to consider.

These factors highlight the importance of carefully assessing your financial situation and the potential risks before opting for a bridge loan.

When is a bridge loan a good solution?

A bridge loan isn’t always the right choice for every real estate situation, but it can significantly ease the transition from your old home to a new one in certain scenarios.

• You need the equity from your current home for a new home’s down payment.
• Avoiding a double move and interim housing is crucial, or bridging sale and purchase timelines is essential.
• Your dream home is on the market, and you must act fast to avoid competitive delays.
• Your offers with a home sale contingency are consistently rejected, and you need immediate purchasing power.
• Selling an empty or staged home which can be more lucrative and convenient.
• You’re unable to prepare or stage your current home for sale while still living in it, perhaps due to needing a significant renovation or a blank slate to achieve the best sale price. A bridge loan can provide the necessary funds and flexibility to move out and make these improvements, potentially increasing your home’s market value and appeal.

What’s required to get a bridge loan in New York?

To qualify for a bridge loan in New York, you typically need to meet the following criteria:

• Qualifying income: Lenders will assess your income to ensure you can handle payments on your current mortgage, new mortgage, and the bridge loan.
• Sufficient equity: You need at least 20% equity in your current home, though some lenders may require up to 50%.
• Good credit history: A credit score above 650 is usually necessary, influencing your interest rate and other loan terms.
• Home listed for sale: Many lenders require that your current home is on the market, ensuring it’s likely to sell during the bridge loan term.

How much does a bridge loan cost in New York?

In New York, the cost of a bridge loan generally exceeds that of a standard mortgage. Interest rates on bridge loans are typically 1-3 percentage points higher than those for traditional mortgage loans. Additionally, bridge loans may include extra transaction fees.

This higher cost is due to the increased risk lenders take on with bridge loans. It’s important to consider that your current home may not sell within the expected timeframe. If this happens, you must be financially prepared to cover your mortgage and bridge loan payments.

The rate you receive will depend on factors like your credit score and the lender you choose.

How to reduce bridge loan costs

Applying for a bridge loan with your new mortgage’s same lender can reduce costs. In such cases, you might avoid additional underwriting or mortgage fees, as your bridge loan and new mortgage will be processed together.

It’s advisable to compare different lenders and loan options. Remember, bridge loans are meant as a short-term solution. Evaluate what financing option aligns best with your needs, considering total costs, convenience, and suitability.

Budget for closing costs

Apart from the loan itself, you must also budget for closing costs and legal and administrative fees. These costs typically range from 1.5% to 3% of the loan amount and can include:

• Appraisal fee
• Administration fee
• Escrow fee
• Title policy costs
• Notary fee
• Loan origination fee

Understanding these costs upfront can help you budget effectively for your bridge loan in New York.

Bridge loan cost example

Below is an example of how much a $500,000 bridge loan might cost, along with possible fees.

You find a home you’d like to purchase, but you’re still waiting for your current New York house to sell. The asking price for the new home is $750,000. You can only come up with $250,000, but you have at least another $500,000 worth of equity in your current property. You want to access that money to cover the shortfall before selling your new home to another buyer.

*These closing costs typically range between 1.5%-3%

Who provides bridge loans in New York?

In New York, the availability of bridge loans may be more limited due to the specific underwriting requirements of this loan type. If you’re considering a bridge loan, exploring options with various lenders is wise. The most common sources for bridge loans in New York include:

• Your mortgage lender: Start with the lender of your current mortgage; they might offer bridge loans to existing customers.
• Local banks: Many community banks in New York have programs tailored to local real estate needs, including bridge loans.
• Credit unions: Member-focused credit unions often provide competitive bridge loan options.
• Hard-money lenders: These lenders can be a good source for faster approvals but might come with higher interest rates.
• Non-qualified mortgage (non-QM) lenders: They offer loans that don’t fit the typical federal guidelines, including bridge loans.

Additionally, some modern real estate companies offer services to help you find a bridge loan, streamlining the gap between buying and selling a home. More on this will be discussed later in the post.

Are there alternatives to bridge loans in New York?

While a bridge loan might not work for every New York homeowner’s unique situation, there are alternatives to consider:

• Home equity loan: This kind of loan (sometimes called a HEL) allows you to borrow money using the equity in your home as collateral. Interest rates for a home equity loan can be more expensive than your current rate on your first mortgage, but instead of completing a cash-out refinance (paying off the first mortgage and borrowing cash), you can just borrow the money you need at the higher interest rate and leave your first mortgage at its lower rate.
• Home equity line of credit (HELOC): Another option to use your existing equity is a HELOC. This lets you pull money out of your property for a relatively low interest rate. Instead of receiving the money all at once, your lender will extend a line of credit for you to borrow against. You may have to pay an early closure fee if you open this line of credit and close it very soon after. Unlike a home equity loan, HELOCs typically have adjustable interest rates.
• Cash-out refinance: This type of loan lets you pull cash out of your home while refinancing your previous mortgage at the same time. Interest rates are typically higher for these kinds of loans compared to regular refinances, but are lower than those for bridge loans. This is not a solution for everyone, though. For example, you cannot do two owner-occupied loans within one year of one another. This would mean that you might have to wait longer to finance your new purchase with an owner-occupied mortgage using the cash from your cash-out refinance.
• 80-10-10 (piggyback) loan: This option is called a piggyback loan because you would be taking a first mortgage and second mortgage out at the same time to fund your new purchase — this means that you would only need 10% down. For buyers who can’t make as large of a down payment before selling their previous home, this could be a solution that helps them avoid the cost of mortgage insurance. You would, however, still be carrying the cost of three mortgage payments until you sell your current home and can pay off the second mortgage.
• A 401k loan: Borrowing against your retirement account has some benefits and drawbacks — your repayment period will be relatively short (up to 5 years), and your monthly payment will likely be high. This could affect your ability to qualify for your new mortgage, as your lender must include this monthly payment when calculating your debt-to-income ratio. If your 401k plan allows, you can borrow up to $50,000 to put toward your new purchase.

Are there modern ways to buy a house before I sell?

With today’s technology, there are real estate solution companies like HomeLight that incorporate bridge loans into convenient programs that streamline the process of buying and selling a house at the same time in New York. These “Buy Before You Sell” programs can provide a more complete “bridge” to help you move to a new home, thereby reducing stress and worry.

With your New York agent, HomeLight can help you move into your new home with speed and certainty while helping you get the strongest possible offer for your old home. Check with your agent to see if HomeLight Buy Before You Sell is available in your area.

Examples of other “Buy Before You Sell” or home trade-in service companies include Knock, Orchard, Flyhomes, and Homeward.

How does HomeLight Buy Before You Sell work?

Here is how HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell program works for home sellers:

1. Talk to a loan officer to get qualified and approved: Find out if your property is a good fit for the program and get your equity unlock amount approved in 24 hours or less. No cost or commitment is required.
2. House hunting and close on new home: Once approved, you’ll have access to a portion of your equity in your current home. You’ll be able to submit a competitive offer with no home sale contingency at any time — regardless of how long it takes to find your dream home. Our near-instant Equity Unlock Calculator lets you estimate how much equity we can unlock from your home.
3. Sell your former home with peace of mind: After you move into your new home, work with a top agent to list your unoccupied home on the market to attract the strongest offer possible. You’ll receive the remainder of your equity after the home sells.

HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell program is available in most states throughout the country. Learn more program details at this link.

HomeLight also offers other services for homebuyers and sellers in New York, such as Agent Match, which helps you find the top-performing real estate agents in your market, and Simple Sale, a convenient way to receive a no-obligation, all-cash offer to sell your home in as little as 10 days.

You might also try HomeLight’s Net Proceeds Calculator as you plan your home sale.

A creative financing solution for New York homeowners

As New York homebuyers face the challenges of a tight housing market and rising home prices, many are considering bridge loans to streamline the process of buying a new home while selling their old one.

Bridge loans offer the advantage of borrowing against the equity in your previous home, providing more flexibility in timing and reducing the stress of perfectly aligning the sale and purchase of homes.

However, while bridge loans can be a highly convenient option for navigating this transition, they also come with higher costs and may not be suitable for everyone’s financial situation.

If you’re looking for an alternative, consider HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell program. This program is designed to alleviate the uncertainty of your next home purchase. Additionally, HomeLight can connect you with a top-performing New York buyer’s agent who is experienced in handling bridge loans and other real estate financial solutions.

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