Funding the Last bit

You know what really stops real estate investors from making a fortune.  It’s not finding most of the funding for a deal–it’s finding that last bit.  For example, almost anybody can get an 80% LTV mortgage.  But the next 20%–there’s the rub. 

Oh and you “subject to” investors where the seller is giving you their house or apartment?  Isn’t it true that more often then not, there’s additional cash required for mortgage arrearage the seller left you with, or minor (sometimes major) repairs, other liens, marketing expenses, etc?  You can easily go broke doing subject to deals without an additional source of money.

There are actually quite a few other sources of money, and they work quite well with primary funding strategies like institutional loans.  I call it, the multiple funding strategy.  These days with credit tighting, institutions lowering the loan to value ratios they’ll fund, and looking for more security from the investor, a multiple funding strategy is practically a necessity.

This is an especially good strategy to use with private lenders who expect a high return on their investment (20%+).  Just do the math.  If you use an investor’s money to buy a house worth $200,000.   And let’s say you end up paying $160,000 for acquisition, repairs, etc.  You put a tenant in the house for 3 years on a lease option which the tenant exercises for $230,000.

Okay, your profit is approx $70,000.  However, if your investor put up the entire $160,000, what’s his return if you gave him the entire profit?  It’s about 44%–that’s over 3 years.  The investor’s annual return is only 14.5%.  If the investor expected 20%, he’d be pretty disappointed.

And what do you get in this scenario?  Just the cashflow from the property.  Now with no mortgage, let’s say that’s about $1000/mo.  You net $36,000.   However, if you owed the investor the 20%/y interest, $26K would come out of your share to the investor, netting you only $10,000.

Now compare the same scenario with getting an 80% institutional loan at 7% for the $160,000 purchase price.  Now, you’d only have to borrow $32,000 from the investor.  3 years at 20% would amount to $19,200.  The investor is happy, and you’d net $50,800, plus the net cashflow from the property!

Which scenario would you prefer?

By the way, if you want to know how to fund every deal you do, I’ve created the absolute best and most comprehensive funding manual you will ever see called “Show Me the Money“.  It contains step by step instructions on how to get money from private lenders, high net worth individuals, lines of credit, financial institutions, buyers, sellers, notes, and much, much more.   And, it’s a ridiculously low investment (for now!).  Click here and Get in NOW.

“Nothing Down” Can Cost a lot

Years ago Robert Allen introduced the concept of “nothing down”, meaning being able to acquire property without any cash out of your pocket for the purchase.  For real estate investors today, these deals take the form of taking over a homeowner’s property “subject to” meaning that you the buyer gets a deed to the house, and only has to pay the former owner’s mortgage to avoid foreclosure.  There are also seller financing deals where the seller creates a note which obligates to the buyer to certain payment terms.

Both these strategies can work well…If it’s a good deal.  I mean that there is often a fine line between taking over someone’s property, and taking over someone’s problem.  Some of the problem’s the unwary investor can encounter are:

1. additional liens that the seller didn’t reveal

2. mortgage arrearages the buyer will have to satisfy

3. repairs and operating expenses.  And these repairs can be a lot more than the buyer counted on.

4. back taxes and unpaid utility bills

5. Not being able to rent the unit for enough to create a positive cashflow.

6. no financial “safety net” if things don’t work out as planned (holding the property without a tenant, eviction costs, etc.)

Bottomline - don’t be suckered into getting a “free” house, because it can seriously drain your finances unless you’ve done your homework and have done the math.  How do I know this??  This is why I developed my Expert Deal Evaluation Tool.  It’s an expert system that will tell you to the penny your projected costs, profit, cashflow, and quantify the risks so that you can always choose the best deal and terms.  Click here to get it now.