Many lenders require that certain loans be secured with collateral. The actual value of the collateral (usually a property) is used in combination with a variety of factors, such as creditworthiness, to determine how much money a creditor feels comfortable lending you. You’ve probably encountered the term “loan-to-value ratio”, and may be wondering what that means. Related: Investors are buying huge parts of the housing market. Here's what you need to know. What is Loan-to-Value Ratio in a Hard Money Loan? The loan-to-value ratio (LTV) is a method of determining what percentage of a property’s value can be issued as