Why we care about whether or not a property is rural relates to both how we source capital for loans and assess the risk of a mortgage default. This is one of the most ambiguous aspects of underwriting a mortgage, and how we evaluate property location depends on whether we are providing short-term mortgage debt or long-term rental financing (e.g., a 30-year mortgage):
● Short-term mortgage: We rely on geographic characteristics to determine if a property is rural. Those characteristics are location in a metropolitan statistical area (“MSA”) with less than 75,000 people, in a city or town with less than 7,500 people, more than 30 miles from a commercial hub or airport, and in a local area that does not show gridwork from a satellite view from Google Maps. If a property valuation reports a property is rural, that is a consideration in deciding.
● Long-term mortgage: We rely on the appraisal to determine if a property is rural. We use the above geographic characteristics and USDA designation to determine if the appraisal designation of rural status is reasonable. If we believe it is not reasonable, we may dispute the designation with the appraiser. Ultimately, we do rely on the appraisal because of how we fund long-term rental loans through institutional capital partnerships and securitizations.