The best cliche I ever heard for hard money was, “always remember, it is hard money, not stupid money.” This applies to both the borrower and the lender. This type of financing serves a purpose. Yes, the rates are high and the lender could charge more than 10 points. Still, the borrower chooses to pay the premium because the overall transaction just makes good business sense. Often, the borrower gains far more than what the loan actually costs. These gains make the loan “smart money” for the client.
In this unique lending space, the lender must lend wisely as well. If your lender is genuine and is in the business of lending fast money on “make sense” deals, he will always look for an exit strategy. An exit strategy is simply the borrower’s game plan for retiring the debt. True, some hard money lenders are “loan-to-own” lenders. These types really don’t care about the borrower’s ability to pay back the loan because they hope the borrower defaults which results in them taking ownership of the property.