Creative Real Estate Financing Methods

This is the age of creative real estate financing. Maybe you remember when financing meant you saved up enough to put 20% down on a house, and then got a mortgage loan for the other 80%? You can still do that, but there are many more options now. Here are ten of them.

1. Second mortgage loans from sellers. Many banks will allow you to have as little as 5% into a home purchase, but will then only loan you 80%. The seller can take payments on a second mortgage from you for the other 15%.

2. Manufacturer loans. Manufactured-home companies are arranging financing with 5% or less down for their buyers. This can be as little as $2,500 down if you already have a lot to put the home on.

3. State government housing programs. Most states have some sort of financing help in the form of a loan-guarantee program or outright loans for low-income buyers.

4. VA mortgage loans. If you have been in the armed services, have a decent job, and can save two or three paychecks, you can probably get a home with a VA loan.

5. Contract for sale. Called a “land contract” and other names depending on the part of the country you are in, this just means that you make payments to the seller instead of a bank. It’s up to you and them to negotiate downpayment amount, interest rate, and the term of the loan.

6. Builders gifting programs. In some parts of the country, builders fund foundations that give you a portion of the downpayment, so you can get into a home with as little as 3% downpayment from your own pocket. FHA and other lenders have so far approved of or allowed this.

7. FHA mortgage loans. The Farm Home Administration doesn’t actually loan the money, but guarantees your loan for the bank, so they can loan up to 97% of the purchase price, depending on the particular FHA program.

8. Friend and family loans. It may not be from charity that a brother or a friend lends you the money to buy a home. That 7% return might look awfully good if their money is sitting in the bank at 2%.

9. Bank no-doc loans. “No-doc” and “low-doc” loans, meaning no or low documentation requirements, are back, and you can find them through online banks. They are for those of you with bad credit but 20% to 30% to put down on a home. You don’t even need a job.

10. Your credit cards. A risky way, but if you have a low-interest credit card, you can use it to come up with the downpayment, especially if you can pay it off soon, perhaps with a coming tax refund. The banks generally won’t allow this, but you can combine this with seller financing.

So are there more ways to approach real estate financing? You bet there are. These are just some ways to buy your own home. When you start investing, you can use other techniques for really creative real estate financing.

4 Steps To Real Estate Investing Success!

Real estate investing is always good and sometimes it’s red hot. When it’s hot dozens of real estate seminars begin rolling across the country and thousands of people spend thousands of dollars for investing education.

It’s startling to learn that of all those thousands of eager folks who attend these seminars only about 5% buy even one investment house. Why? The real estate gurus sell the “sizzle” and make profiting from real estate sound easy. The truth is that it’s simple, but not easy.

Here’s a quick plan that will enable anyone to begin building financial independence.

There are basically four steps to investing in single family homes:

1. Buy homes below full market value. Yes, people really do sell homes for less than the home’s full value. The key is to understand that most home owners will only consider a purchase offer that is all cash and within 5% to 10% of their asking price.

The successful investor learns to find financially distressed home owners who have no choice but to sell for less than market value. They have lost their job or been suddenly transferred; they are divorcing; they been living beyond their income; the family has been overwhelmed with medical bills and, not uncommonly these days, their money has gone to support a drug habit.

Those are examples of motivated sellers. They have to sell and they will accept something other than a conventional, all cash offer.

2. How do you find motivated sellers? You work at it! Like any business it is important to develop a little marketing plan. One that is simple, yet very effective, is the one that was proven 75 years ago by the Fuller Brush company; door to door sales.

You are selling your skill as a home buyer to people who must sell. Your are there when they need you and you have the skill to help them solve at least part of their problem. With door to door prospecting you will learn more and buy more homes quicker than any other method. However, most people just won’t walk door to door for three or four hours per week. OK, there are other ways.

You can watch public notices for the announcement of foreclosure sales. Meeting with a home owner right after they’ve received a notice that they are about to lose their home allows you to deal with a very motivated seller. Other public notices that provide buying opportunities include probate, divorce and bankruptcy. You can follow the Homes For Sale listings in your local newspaper or Internet site.

You can telephone the names found in these notices or, and this is the least time consuming, send a postcard expressing your interest in buying their property. It will produce buying opportunities, just not as many as personal contact.

3. After you’ve found a motivated seller you must understand how to frame offers that provide benefits for both you and for the home owner. A good real estate investor quickly learns that this is not a business of stealing property, but of solving problems in a way that benefits the seller.

The home owner is in a tight spot of some kind and you can save them from public embarrassment and, in most cases, give them at least a little cash to get a new start.

No investor can afford to leave cash in every deal. No one but Bill Gates has that much available money. You must use creative techniques like, leases, option and taking over mortgage payments. Little or no cash is needed for those deals. You can find plenty of reasonable priced educational material on those subjects in book stores or on EBay. The same education that seminars sell for thousands of dollars.

4. You make your profit when you buy! Never make a purchase until you’ve carefully determined exactly how you will get to your profit. If you hold it as a long term investment will the monthly rental income more than cover the monthly mortgage payment? Will you sell the deal to another investor for fast cash? Will you do some fix-up and sell the property for full value? Will you quickly trade it for a more desirable property? Have a plan before you buy.

There you have four steps that even a part-time investor can execute in three to four hours per week. What’s the missing ingredient? Your determination and perseverance. If you will unfailingly follow the plan for a few months you will be well on your way to financial independence.

Home Sellers: 11 Great Tips for Showing Your Home

In order to sell your home quickly, and for the best price, here is a list of things to address BEFORE your agent brings that first potential buyer to look at it.

1. Make sure the lawn is mowed, the shrubs are trimmed, and the porch is clean and free of clutter. If it’s fall, rake up the leaves. If it’s winter, keep the walkways clear. Make sure the front door is either freshly painted or well-scrubbed. It’s all part of creating a positive first impression as potential buyers approach the home.

2. Inside, clean the house thoroughly, especially the bathroom and kitchen. Make sure the woodwork is either cleaned or freshly painted. Those two areas are very important in most people’s minds, and you need to pay special attention to them to create a good impression.

3. Make sure all the faucets work (without dripping) and all light bulbs come on when their switches are turned on. Little things like that can be distracting to buyers.

4. Make certain that every closet door and cabinet opens easily, and closes securely. Doors that don’t open or close properly give a negative impression to buyers.

5. Don’t let your kids leave out their roller skates or skateboards, and if there are slippery rugs that you’ve learned not to step on over the years, remove them so potential buyers don’t go flying.

6. Organize closets, basements, and attics, so that they look larger. Just like you, buyers are always looking for room to store things. If you have so much stuff that you can’t do that, consider having a garage sale, renting a storage space, or calling the Salvation Army truck.

7. Pay special attention to the bedrooms. Just like the kitchen and bathroom, comfortable, spacious, and well-organized bedrooms make a positive impression in home buyer’s minds, because they know they’ll be spending a significant amount of time in them.

8. Open your curtains during the daytime, to let in as much light as possible. It gives a positive feeling to the home and makes rooms feel more spacious.

9. If the home is being shown at night, turn on every light inside and outside of the house. You’ll be brightening the mood, as well as showing off your color scheme and wallpaper designs to their best advantage.

10. Don’t have a bunch of people around when the home is being shown. In fact, it’s a good idea to make an excuse to leave yourself, so that potential buyers are free to speak freely about what they see as they tour the home.

11. If you have pets, keep them away from the buyers. In fact, it’s worthwhile to take them with you when you excuse yourself and make your exit during the showing.

When getting ready to show your home, always point toward creating a positive impression on prospective buyers. They want what you would want, they’ll notice what you’d notice, so walk through your home and try to see it from a stranger’s perspective. Ask other people to walk through and tell you the negative things they notice. Then address those things. It will all help you to sell your home–quickly, and at the best possible price.

The Benefits of Real Estate Investing

Real estate investing is increasing at a staggering rate these days. More and more individuals are learning that real estate investments can offer wonderful earning potential. Real estate investing is a process which has many attractive qualities that make it a viable money-producing opportunity. There are a number of benefits that go along with purchasing real estate investments and the following paragraphs will highlight some of these benefits. As you will see these attributes make it quite apparent why individuals are becoming interested in investment opportunities of this type.

Build Equity in the Property
For those individuals who are looking to invest in real estate on a long-term scale, there are certain benefits to doing so. When individuals purchase real estate and hold onto it for awhile, they are ultimately able to build a good deal of equity in the home they are purchasing as an investment property. Equity is a beneficial aspect for the homeowners as the more equity a property has, the more that it adds to the net worth thereof. This is an important and frequently cited reason why individuals do choose to invest in real estate and maintain the property as an investment for a long period of time thereafter.

Possible Tax Advantages
Another benefit of purchasing real estate for investment purposes is the possible tax advantages that one may receive as a result of owning the investment property. Depending on a variety of factors, individuals who own investment property may just see some gracious tax advantages as a result. Therefore, individuals may be more than ready to invest in real estate once they have looked into possible tax advantages that result from engaging in a transaction of this type.

High Rate of Return on the Sale of the Property
When the investment property is sold somewhere down the road, the homeowners will most likely see a high rate of return on the sale of the property. Depending on the market at the time of the purchase and sale, this rate of return may be more than generous when one looks at the profit margin. Some factors to consider if looking to purchase property and sell it within a short period of time after the initial purchase include current market for property sales, renovations and upkeep necessary to get the property ready for the sale and ability to hold on to the property longer if a sale does not come as quickly as one had expected. If one has considered all of these possibilities and still feels that they will be able to sell the property quickly, then this is a wonderful benefit of real estate investment.

Lease the Property to Tenants
While some real estate investors choose to purchase the property and then sell it shortly thereafter, there are other individuals who have a different reason for purchasing investment properties and wish to obtain a profit by other means. These individuals are ones who prefer to purchase the property and then lease it out to tenants. By doing so, the homeowners are able to pay for any mortgage which may be present on the property plus receive any additional income from leasing the property to tenants.

Investing in real estate is a wonderful way to gain equity in a piece of property, take advantage of possible tax benefits and maybe even make a considerable profit from the sale of the property once the individual feels like doing so. These are some of the many reasons why individuals are purchasing real estate as investment property and current low interest rates make now a perfect time to buy. The benefits of real estate investing are difficult to pass up, so go ahead and find your first real estate investment property!

The Basics of Real Estate Investing

Real estate investing may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but some people who have already tried investing in real estate know that it can be highly profitable and lead to much better quality of life. There are several keys to making significant profits in real estate investing deals. And when the deals are profitable, you will certainly be well on your way to success.

For real estate investing newbies, don’t be afraid of the challenges and pitfalls you may encounter along the way. There is definitely a lot to learn, but in the long run after you have gained some experience, you’ll hopefully become a master at closing profitable real estate deals.

There are 5 core skills that are necessary for building a real estate investing business. These will be the key factors in creating a profitable real estate investment portfolio.

These are the 5 core skills of real estate investing:

1) You must learn when and where to find the right kind of sellers.

2) You must learn the art of being a master negotiator when it comes to closing your real estate investment deals.

3) You must be able to quickly and accurately analyze each real estate investment deal so you’ll know exactly when to proceed and when to pull the plug.

4) You must become an expert in all areas of real estate investing and understand such terms as lease options, cash sales, wrap mortgages, short sales and other terminology common in the real estate investing trade.

5) You should totally understand the meaning and concept of investing in real estate, including all of the financial risks and benefits.

Now is a great time to consider investing in real estate. There are great potential rewards and the effort you put forth can yield enormous monetary returns on your investment.

Your confidence level will grow when you’ve gained some experience and closed on your first few real estate deals. But, don’t stop there…

Continue to learn about real estate investing and to develop your investment skills. In a short time you may find yourself managing a profitable and growing portfolio of investment properties.

Continue to follow your real estate investing “game plan” and always keep an eye out for the hidden investment opportunities. The opportunities are definitely out there and with a little knowledge and desire can be yours for the taking. So, why not get started in what might be a new and exciting (and profitable) career today?

Six Real Estate Investing Principles

There are real estate investing “tricks” and techniques that you may know, or want to know. There are new ways of doing things that are worth learning. Knowing about the latest types of financing is another way can also help. Before all of these, however, you need to learn some basic principles. Here are six of them.

1. Build relationships.
2. Understand the numbers.
3. Reduce risk.
4. Be prepared.
5. Set goals.
6. Learn, and apply what you learn.

Real Estate Investing Principles

1. Real estate investing is about relationships. People are your most valuable resource, and the more of them you know, the more likely you are to find good properties to buy, or buyers for your properties. ask people for their names, and if your memory is poor, take notes. Know the right people too, including a real estate agent who gets many listings of the type you are interested in. Wouldn’t it be nice if you were the one he called first?

2. Know and understand the relevant numbers. When you look at a rental property, for example, you should be thinking about the income, the expenses, and the capitalization rate, or “cap rate.” Imagine how certain changes would allow you to raise the income, and what that would do to the value. A “feeling” about a property, without understanding the numbers, gets many investors into trouble.

3. Look for and use methods to reduce risk. Have inspection, financing, and other contingency clauses in the offer, so you’ll get your deposit back when a deal falls through. Consider your exit strategy before you buy, and have a “plan B.” Value real estate using comparables or cap rates, not “hunches.” Buy through your corporation or LLC.

4. Be prepared for real estate investing. Have business cards, pen and paper on you at all times. You never know when you’ll see a property for sale, or hear about one. Sometimes, when you mention that you invest in real estate, sellers, buyers and other investors suddenly appear with information, opinions, and sometimes even good deals. Be prepared.

5. Create action-oriented goals, not just wishes. For example, require yourself to look at a certain number of properties per week, and maybe even to write a certain number of offers each month. Set goals for all sorts of little steps, like making six phone calls per week, checking online listings twice per week, and so on. Action creates momentum. Repeated action creates habits, and good habits lead to more successful real estate investing.

6. Keep getting educated, and using that education. Learning more from books, magazines and even tapes or CDs is a great idea, as long as you spend as much time doing something as reading about it. Some of us let the interest and enjoyment of reading about investing get in the way of actually investing. Good information is crucial, but it should lead to good real estate investing.

Should You Tell Everything when Selling?

You may not know exactly how much to tell the potential buyer of your home about the property. Disclosure to potential home buyers about problems and issues has been a much debated subject. Many areas actually have laws that require certain disclosures to be made at the time the real estate contract is entered into.

Personally, I tell all. Everything from the once or twice the wind blew down the chimney the wrong way one windy spring to the small little hole in the guest room window screen. Nothing is too small and nothing is to large.

Caveat Emptor — “let the buyer beware” — used to be the law when it came to real estate transactions. Unless the buyer specifically asked about the defect, the seller didn’t need to disclose any problems.

But over the years, the Courts noticed that this was unfair. Car buyers get to test drive cars, so why should home buyers be so blind? If a seller knows about a problem in the home, the problem should be corrected or disclosed to a potential buyer.

Modern consumer protection acts have led to disclosure requirements for sellers.

Although the laws vary from place to place, the purpose of these diclosures remain the same. Sellers of residential real estate must disclose to their purchasers any known defects or information concerning the water and sewer systems, insulations, structural systems, plumbing, electrical, heating and air-conditioning systems, fixtures and much more.

These laws require the seller to complete a disclosure form at the time the real estate purchase contract is entered into and give it to the purchaser. If the purchaser has not recieved the form, he or she will have the right to terminate the contract and receive a full return of the earnest money.

What is considered a defect? Must it be something large? Do bones in the backyard really qualify as a defect?

Yes, they do. The courts have even ruled that land discovered to once be a graveyard or a scene of a heinous crime must come with a disclosure.

For example, in 1964, Mr. Louis Hickman created and recorded a piece of land that was once a graveyard. Mr. Hickman had removed the tombstones and all other surface evidence, leaving the graves underground.

In the 80’s, a couple built a house on the lot. Fifteen years later, they discovered the graveyard.

The case (Carven vs. Hickman) used the Statute of Repose. This statute basically is designed to protect builders from perpetual liability for defective conditions due to the improvement of a property. The graveyard did not count as an improvement and did not protect Mr. Hickman from liability for the “defect”.

This case isn’t your technical lack of disclosure case, but it gives you an idea of what you should disclose — everything. Otherwise, thirty-one years later, you or your estate could be sued for non-disclosure.

Caveat Emptor has no place in today’s real estate market. Disclosure of all known problems isn’t just being honest, it is beneficial for the home seller. You can protect yourself from litigation by simply stated everything. Yes, the price might drop a few hundred dollars, but it may save you tens of thousands in lawyer fees later.