How to Find a Bank for Construction Working Capital Loans

For most people nowadays, finding something means going online and using Google to get the info they need. So if you are in need of construction working capital loans, you just enter that particular phrase and Google will give you pages of results which you can check out.

But while this method has its advantages—it’s certainly easy and convenient for you—it may not always be ideal. After all, quite a lot of the information on bank websites is designed to attract customers. The info may not always be complete, and the fine print may not be to your benefit.

So how should you find these banks instead? Here are some tips:

  • Ask your friends in the construction industry where they got their working capital loans. You’re probably not the first person in your network who needed an infusion of cash for their working capital.

Once you find these friends, inquire about their experience and satisfaction. What are the requirements? What type of loan can you get, how much money can you borrow, and what will it cost you? How well were your friends treated by the bank? Your friends will be much more honest about these things.

  • Check out online news reports about lenders offering these types of loans. For example, if your construction company is in Minnesota then you may be interested to know about the case of Bald Eagle Erectors. The owner, David Bice, was able to get a $200,000 working capital loan to tide them over until they were able to get a job working on the Minnesota Vikings stadium project. The company had about $1 million in receivable, but the client wasn’t paying them on time. So he had problems paying his crew until he got his loan.
  • Approach a bank that you already have a relationship with. Banks like to deal with people they already know, and if you know some bank officials on a first name basis, perhaps you can talk to them.
  • Don’t just go to one bank. Try to approach 2 or more banks. Just be honest and tell them that you are thinking of getting a working capital loan and that you’re also negotiating with other banks. Then note down the offers of the banks you talk to.

If you are the type of person or company that banks like to deal with, then the competition may spur them to offer more generous terms. You may be able to negotiate for lower interest rates. Even some requirements such as security or paperwork may be scaled back or waived.

  • Work with the SBA. The SBA and other similar eco-development groups are not just for companies who have poor credit and can’t get bank loans. These institutions can help you receive better terms for your loan too.

While getting a loan online is becoming much easier, sometimes you need personal negotiations and face-to-face meetings. Personally going to a bank can help you forge better relationships, and that bodes well for you should you ever need another loan in the future.

Need Working Capital? Call us Toll free at 1-888-382-3766

The Case for Long Term Construction Working Capital Loans

While in theory a construction working capital loan can be used for just about any purpose, its most popular use is for paying off all bills and supply purchases required for normal operations. For a construction company, that usually means paying salaries of workers, office expenses, and equipment and supplies.

Construction working capital loans are usually needed to help a company deal with a temporary lack of funds. The construction company may end up earning a lot of money over a course of the year. But sometimes there are dry spells, and some customers do pay late. A construction company then gets a loan when revenues are not currently available.

When the clients pay, then the working capital loan is repaid because the company doesn’t need the extra money anymore. This is why construction working capital loans are usually for the short term only. Another advantage of short term loans is that you pay less in interest.

Yet despite all these arguments for short term loans, long term loans (or even intermediate term loans of up to three years) do have their advantages as well:

  1. Long term loans are easier to get. Everyone knows that traditional bank loans are quite tedious affairs. They take a very long time to complete, and there’s a great deal of paperwork involved. And often, the process doesn’t end in approval for the loan application.

That’s the advantage of working capital loans in general. Usually, the process is much easy and quick, and the approval rate is pretty high.

But the process may be faster and the approval may be higher when you ask for a long term loan. That’s because the lender gets more money back from its loan. Banks, like other finance institutions, like it when they earn more money for their services.

  1. You focus beyond making loan payments. With short term loans, repayment periods are short, but the payment amounts are high per month. Long term loans, on the other hand, require you to pay lower amounts per month. That has its advantages, even though you’re required to pay back the loan for a longer period of time and consequently pay more in interest.

When you’re required only to pay a small amount, then it’s easier for you to pay back the loan on time. You no longer have to wonder about where to get the money for the monthly payments. It’s more likely that you can get the money ready, so you can focus on your construction business more.

  1. It lowers your stress levels. Trying to figure out where you can get money to pay your loan can be truly stressful. You may also end up having to borrow more money to pay back a loan.

With long term loans, you also don’t have to worry about any unexpected expenses that can come up. You can sleep soundly at night knowing that your working capital can cover even unforeseen expenses.

So if possible, try to get a long term loan. By going this route, you don’t have to worry about making large payments, and you can focus your energy into doing what you do best: growing your business.

 

Need Working Capital? Call us Toll free at 1-888-382-3766

Uses for Construction Working Capital Loans

Construction working capital loans are perhaps one of the most versatile loans you can take advantage of. It may seem like an exaggeration to say that a loan like this can be used for anything, but it’s the truth. Just take a look:

  1. Basic business expenses. This includes the rent for your facilities, utilities, office supplies, computers and other IT stuff, and office furniture. Every type of business needs all these things, and a construction company is no exemption.
  2. Heavy equipment. Unlike other companies in other industries, a construction company often requires the use of heavy equipment. Buying these machines or even just renting them can be very expensive. This may make it difficult for you to complete a project if you don’t have the budget for needed equipment.

And when you add the extra construction supplies, the expenses can really stack up.

  1. Your workers expect to be paid on a regular basis and on time, and they won’t really care that business is slow or that a payment from a client has been delayed. You have to pay them promptly, and in this regard a shortage in your working capital can be disastrous. A construction working capital loan can avert this disaster.

Some projects may also require you to hire more people, so you may need a fresh infusion of working capital as well to cover the extra costs of new hires.

  1. Having no insurance for construction workers working in the field where accidents are liable to happen is not a good idea at all. If you foresee having trouble coming up with insurance payments, it’s better to get a working capital loan than to risk not having insurance.
  2. Business taxes. It’s not just your civic duty to pay your taxes. The tax officials can actually seize your assets if you fail to pay. The tax man is the last person you want to deal with so pay your construction taxes promptly and in full.
  3. There was a time when construction companies relied mainly on word-of-mouth and personal networks to market their brand. Nowadays, construction marketing has become more sophisticated. This is especially true online, because more and more people use the Internet to find the construction company they want to do business with.
  4. Unforeseen expenses. Construction is an industry in which Murphy’s Law is pretty much in effect all the time. Schedules get delayed, problems appear out of nowhere, and accidents happen. Nothing is ever done on time and within budget. And when something goes wrong as it always does, you need to have sufficient working capital to cover the extra expense.

Since by definition you can’t foresee when such expenses will crop up—you only know that they will, sooner or later—you may want a construction working capital loan to shore up your ready funds.

Get a construction working capital loan, and be surprised at the many you ways you may be able to use it.

Need Working Capital? Call us Toll free at 1-888-382-3766