Summarize:

A lender will pull your credit history to decide if you are a good credit risk. For this reason, you should review your credit history before applying for a loan. You can get a free credit report from each credit reporting bureau every year by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com or calling 1-877-322-8228.  Study the report for errors. For example, information might be included on your report that isn’t yours. Instead, it might belong to someone else with a close name or Social Security Number. Also, credit reports sometimes list the incorrect payment status on accounts or don’t include remedied problems, such as an account paid in full.  If you find errors, then dispute them with the credit reporting bureau whose report contains the error. It can take up to 60 days to complete the dispute process, so plan accordingly. There are two types of loans available to purchase apartment buildings. A non-recourse loan is secured with the building itself. They are available to certain buyers if the building is worth $2.5 million.  The other type is a recourse loan. With this loan, you will be personally liable on the loan. This means that if you default, the lender can come for your personal assets, such as your home. Loans can be long term (up to 30 years) or short term (five, seven, and 10 years).  Interest rates can be fixed or variable. If you pick a variable rate, then the interest rate will change as the loan matures. You’ll need to submit quite a bit of paperwork to a lender when you apply for a loan. You will probably need to submit the following, so gather it ahead of time:  property description, including year of construction and number of units pictures of the property map showing the property’s location and competitor apartment buildings plans for upgrades information on rents copies of floor plans purchase price and closing costs names of others involved in the transaction (such as attorneys, real estate brokers, and title companies) You can apply for a loan with many different lenders and the choose the one that offers the best terms. Share your supporting documentation with them and then complete the required application.  After you submit the application, a loan officer will review your application. They may reach out to you for additional information.  You’ll then receive a term sheet or letter of intent from all lenders you applied to. This document will identify all the parties, the type of security, the amount financed, and other key terms. The purpose is to make sure everyone understands the terms of the loan. You sign the letter of intent or term sheet for the most attractive loan. Submit it to the lender. You may need to pay a deposit at this point or submit supporting documents, such as an appraisal. Wait to receive the final, full loan commitment from the lender.
Review your credit history. Understand commercial loans. Gather required documents. Apply for a loan.