When financial institutions give commercial loans, they tend to focus on three main ratios.

One of the ratios they use is called loan-to-value ratio also known as LTVR. To calculate this indicator, they will divide the amount that you own in commercial loans or mortgages between the fair value of the property. This value will represent the amount that a seller and buyer agree to pay for the property in the market being both satisfied. The LTV ratio will rarely go beyond an 80%.

The second reason of the considerations of commercial loans is the Debt Proportion. The lender of the mortgage market will look at the income of your business and then fix the amount of debt you owe each month. Their bills are denominated debt obligations and are divided by their monthly income-to-debt ratios. The rates of the debt must be maintained at a low level. Not exceed more than 40% in most cases.

Commercial loans are granted also on the basis of Debt service coverage ratio, or DSRC. However this is only requested when the commercial loans in question are large. The lender wants to see if your current property generates any income.

There are two parts of this relationship: net operating income and debt service. Operating expenses can be high for rental property. The net operating income is the income that your company has left after paying the repairs, taxes, insurance and all other expenses incurred in managing their assets. Debt service is a mortgage payment. The DSRC is obtained by dividing the net operating income for debt service.

A mortgage credit institutions will like that this ratio exceeds 1.0. If lower, the commercial mortgage lender will know that the net operating income is not high enough for the owner to obtain a benefit.

Mortgage credit institutions and commercial lenders will look at these three ratios and decide what commercial loan is best for you and less risky for them.

Buying rental property in a down market is actually the best time to purchase real estate. In a down financial market, real estate investing is much different. It’s not as easy as just finding a property and buying it. With so many questions looming over your head you’re probably thinking this is not the time to start my business. These questions are enough to scare the average person away. Let me put your mind at ease and let you know there’s no better time for buying rental property than when financial markets are low.

In a market where banks aren’t lending much to anyone, preparation is your best course of action. Know that the banking industry cannot and will not be like this forever. Banks make money when they lend money to you. At some point they’ll resume their typical lending practices. Your job right now is to learn as much as you can about the real estate business while properties are sitting idle. Remember, if they aren’t lending, for the most part, no one is buying. New investors will always be able to buy properties. The banks are still giving money to individuals who own fewer than five properties. For the larger investor it’s much harder to get financing. They are most likely the ones who will want the property you are interested in. Having some of that competition out of the running creates a great opportunity for the new investor.

Most new investors need to do their research now and study the market and the business. Learn how to be an investor. Study the banks and lending institutions to determine which is best for your situation. Find a realtor that you can trust. Go look at some properties. Take your time and really get a feel for what you should be paying attention too. Do a mock estimate to see how much a property is going to cost to complete all the repairs. Call other people who are renting their properties to see what they are looking for in a tenant. This will give you good ideas on what you should be looking for in rental properties. Now is the time to do this research. If the market was really moving, you wouldn’t have this time. Every day would mean another property off the market and money lost.

So now is the time take advantage of this unique opportunity. While others think this is a bad time to get into this business, now you know better. There is no better time for the new investor. So, what’s the best thing to do right now? Prepare yourself now so you’ll be ready when your time is right. Now you should feel confident about buying rental property in down markets and enjoy success.