You Can Invest in Rental Property

You Can Invest in Rental Property

All that money lost in the stock market. Wow, no one thought it would or could happen so quickly. It did though, and millions of people lost millions of dollars, and they and you want it back.

Well, that just may be possible. An investment tool that originally came from the stock market is available to use in another area today, Real Estate. Property values have fallen in real estate from 8% to 30% depending on what part of the country you live in. This makes a real estate investment for the average investor more realistic than it has been in years.

I’m not talking about those so called real estate investment opportunities that you are asked to buy after midnight on TV. This is not for those looking for Zero Down Payment real estate deals, although there may be opportunities with foreclosures with values that have dropped by as much as 50% This requires that you actually have money to invest. It can be as little as 3-1/2% up to 30%. With the magic of leverage, your returns are multiplied and can help earn those stock market losses back sooner than you may realize.

Let’s say you want to start very modestly, and have $25,000 or $30,000 to invest. With your credit still intact you can purchase real estate previously valued at $150,000 or more as an investment. It could be a small commercial or rental property with an income stream. There are still lenders, even today, making conventional commercial loans.

Let’s use a $100,000 property as an example. You should be able to purchase the property with 20% down plus closing costs of about 5%. Now you control a $100,000 investment for about $25,000. If that $25,000 was in the bank and earning 5% interest, and banks are paying less than that as of this writing, you would earn $1,250 in a year. If that $100,000 real estate property appreciates only 3%, that’s 3% of the $100,000 value you control, you earn $3,000 on your $25,000 investment and that’s 12% return on your investment. That’s the magic of Leverage.

It gets even better, so let’s take a closer look. Now that you have bought the property you have to pay for it, usually by the month, and there are expenses. By choosing your property wisely in the beginning, the monthly income from rentals should pay the payments, taxes, insurance, and maintenance of the property and provide cash flow (additional profit). If it doesn’t, you are paying too much for the property and with the downturn of real estate values it should be easer to negotiate a price that will allow you to meet your goals.

If your personal situation permits it, with Government programs like VA and FHA, you should be able to increase your returns far beyond 12%. FHA financing is available for a four unit apartment building if the buyer is planning to live in one of the units. This allows you to leverage up to $280,000 in real estate for less than $10,000 down and allows you to get the seller to pay the closing costs for you up to 6%. It also allows the property to be financed up to 30 years, which gives you lower payments and more cash flow. Now let’s look at that return on investment. 3% of the $280,000 you control is $8,400 a year and an 84% return on your $10,000 investment.

Of course it’s a little more complicated than this, but not much. Leverage is a wonderful tool to use in investing today. Look into it, it could go a long way toward making up for your losses.


What Do Hard Money Lenders Look For?

Believe it or not, hard money lenders want the same thing you want – a shot at a great investment. Remember: investing involves putting up your time and/or money with the intention of realizing a profitable return. When you keep this concept in mind, it’s astounding just how broad the investing arena actually is. High rise buildings, apartment complexes, condominiums and luxury office space can become a reality – not just a dream!
If, for example, your credit rating is bruised and you’re pressed for time, securing a hard money loan for a shot at a great commercial property – that’s investing.
On the flip side, if an altruistic, financially secure professional discovers that they can make a nice return helping people just like you find the financing they need in order to build their real estate empire- even if all other avenues have failed – that’s investing too!
Of course, as a hard money lender works to decide if yours is a worthwhile opportunity, there are other things they’ll want to know.
What Your Hard Money Lender Will Want to Know…
There are several questions any hard money lender worth a grain of salt will want to know:
o While your credit rating isn’t as important to a hard money lender, they do want to feel confident that you can actually pay them back. This means you should try to gather your W-2s for the past few years, bank statements for at least the last six months, as well as what you’re offering as collateral in the event that you might possibly default on the terms.
o Hard money lenders – across the board – will take diligent measures to accurately assess the value of the property you’re trying to buy. In addition to third-party appraisals, most hard money lenders will require that a personal on-site evaluation is made. Because hard money lenders DON’T want to be stuck managing a delinquent property, they need to determine if your potential property can be profitably liquidated QUICKLY! This is the primary reason that hard money loan to value ratios are often stricter than those in traditional financing situations.
o Hard money lenders will require that you actively participate in the “due diligence” portions of your loan. This means that you’ll need to do your homework to insure that there are no other liens or suits associated with the property. If any are uncovered, they’ll have to be addressed in order for the transaction to progress any further.
o Finally, hard money lenders want to have confidence in your commitment and professionalism. You can help boost their confidence in you by returning phone calls promptly, responding to inquiries in a timely manner, and by actually doing the things you’ve agreed to do.
When it really comes down to it, a typical hard money lender is a lot like the rest of the world at large. They want a good deal. They’re enticed by the opportunity to make a nice profit. They want to handle deals that are secure. They want to team up with borrowers they feel confident about. They have empires that they want to build as well – and together, both of you can win.
If you can find a way to show them that your investment proposition is one that can satisfy all of their criteria, you’re well on your way to establishing a VERY strategic alliance.
If you can set their investment fears to rest, then they can do the same for yours!
A good, solid investment always involves the proverbial “two way street.” As soon as you embrace this fact, you’ll be surprised at how often you’ll hear opportunity come knocking!


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