Belize Real Estate Links 
| Belize Real Estate Links | |
| |
|
Real Estate Information |
|
|
|
How I Became a Real Estate Investor
Recently I closed on the sale of two homes. They were located about a mile apart and had comparable market values. However, beyond these two similarities, the two deals were very different from each other. Let me discuss in more detail the similarities and differences of the two deals. My business partner and I purchased both properties from families who were in preforeclosure. The leads for each property came from letters that I had mailed to families who had recently received Notices of Default. The one family responded to me within 24 hours of receiving my first letter. I met with them within two hours of receiving their phone call and signed a contract with them on the spot to purchase their home. The other family responded to me after receiving the fourth letter from me. After a couple of broken appointments and two meetings we signed a contract to buy their home. With each home we did a "kitchen table" type closing within a couple of days of signing the contract. Both homes were purchased "subject to" the existing financing remaining in place. The earnest money given for each home was one dollar. First Deal We began marketing the first house by advertising it in the newspaper at market value and putting signs in the neighborhood and nearby intersections. We had a verbal agreement with the seller that they would clear all of their belonging out of the house within two weeks. The house was very messy and dirty. When the sellers failed to make any progress clearing the house we went ahead with the marketing and reduced the asking price. Within two weeks we had only received a few phone calls from mostly non-interested prospects. At this point we reduced the asking price further and changed our signs to notify the public that owner financing was available. At that point we started to get a larger number of phone calls from truly interested prospects. Our owner financed terms and the lower than market value asking price separated us from the hundreds of realtor represented homes that needed bank financing. With the second home, purchased a month later than the first, we immediately marketed it with owner financing. When we purchased the home we stipulated in the contract that the seller had to vacate the property in two weeks or be charged a fee for failure to do so. The seller was agreeable and cooperative and moved quickly to remove their belongings from the house. The seller of the first house was still dragging their feet and the house was still a mess. Shortly after changing the marketing of the first house, we received an offer from a highly interested buyer. This house was truly ideal for this family and we wanted to help them get into it. They offered to buy it with bank financing and we agreed to sell it to them. There was still enough time before the foreclosure auction to close the sale with bank financing. I cautioned the buyer that he should seek a loan other than an FHA loan since we had not held title to the property long enough for FHA to approve a new loan. In case you didn't know, FHA recently changed a rule that now requires a property to be on title at least 90 days before they will approve a new loan. So guess what the buyer did? Right. His mortgage broker and his real estate agent steered him toward an FHA loan program. Luckily, the buyer qualified for a good FNMA program as well. So I stipulated in the contract that the buyer had to gain approval for the FHA program within 5 days or else drop the FHA program and proceed with the FNMA program. Both the broker and the agent needed education on this point, which I provided in writing, and four days later the broker notified me that the buyer would not be approved by FHA and that they were proceeding with the FNMA program. The next obstacle we faced was the home inspection. The inspection resulted in asking for several hundred dollars worth of repairs that we agreed to do. The repairs took two weeks to complete. While repairs were ongoing we ordered a property appraisal. The appraisers in our area are backlogged eight weeks but we knew an appraiser who would perform an appraisal within a week for 150% of his normal fee. Of course we didn't have the luxury of being able to wait eight weeks so we bought the expensive appraisal. The next obstacle was to order a preliminary title search, which showed a clear title luckily. The previous owner did not have an as-built survey so we had to order an expensive set of survey documents from the county. Now that the obstacles to closing were nearly erased and we were close to a hard closing date, we still had a problem with the previous seller. They had only moved a few things out of the house and the house was still well cluttered. They were getting around to moving out eventually but not fast enough to be out of the house before closing the sale. Their lack of cooperation and their inability to follow through with their verbal promises made it clear why they had neglected their home and let it go into foreclosure. Since the utilities were turned off and the seller was no longer living in the home I had the legal right to declare their belongings as abandoned property and I notified them that I would move the items out for them. My partner and I spent a day boxing and bagging up the seller's personal items, and grudgingly they picked the boxes and bags up the day before closing. Whew! Second Deal Now, on the other hand, events with the second property proceeded much more smoothly. We bought the home, found a buyer for it within eight days, and closed on the sale eight days later. We decided to sell the second home on a land contract or wrap mortgage with the existing financing remaining in place. We also decided to stipulate that the home had to be refinanced within two years or it would be foreclosed back to us. We did this to protect the previous seller's interest in the underlying financing. They didn't want it hanging out there for a long period of time. Our "owner finance" signage attracted several buyers quickly. We required a large enough down payment to "cure" the loan, that is, to pay off the existing arrearage and attorney fees. We found an eager buyer who had sufficient cash on hand and a good income, but without enough time in the area to have a high credit rating. He understood the concept of the wrap mortgage and the underlying financing and we negotiated a contract with him at Starbucks. He negotiated a lower sale price by offering a larger down payment. Basically we were able to immediately receive all of the "back end" profit that would have been paid to us in two year's time when he refinanced. We received this up front in exchange for a lower sales price. It was a fair exchange for both parties. He agreed to buy the home "as is" and to do some repairs himself. No home inspection was needed; no appraisal was needed; no repairs had to be made; no real estate agent needed to be paid; and no survey had to be ordered. The buyer paid all of the closing costs which were far less than he would have paid if he had used a real estate agent and a mortgage broker.We used a closing agent who is very familiar with transactions of this type, which she calls "unacknowledged wrap sales." Our closing agent has become a friend and has spoken at our local Real Estate Investment Club. In summary, each of the two deals netted about the same profit, but it is obvious which deal one would prefer to do if given a choice. If I were Robert Kiyosaki I might call one deal my rich dad's deal and the other my poor dad's deal. We learned enough to make deals of the first type go more smoothly in the future but I'll take deals of the second type every day of the week. I hope all of your real estate investing deals proceed smoothly and quickly. *****************************
MORE RESOURCES:
Real-Estate - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Buying Property in Bulgaria : How to Avoid Making A Bad Investment Where is it possible to buy a property on your credit card? Bulgaria, of course! With thousands of potential property buyers seduced by Bulgaria's bargain property prices, the temptation is to think that making a solid return is a no-brainer! Searching the Internet, dozens of articles and property websites boast about the 100% capital growth that can be achieved on Bulgarian property investments in the space of 12 months.For first time investors with small budgets looking for a step onto the property ladder, this seems like an opportunity almost too good to be true! The result is that thousands of novice speculators and second homebuyers are flocking to Bulgaria to cash in on the investment opportunities it offers. Real Estate Remains A Strong Investment Opportunities to make big, quick profits in residential real estate tend to come and go in cycles. When a local market is hot, families may find it possible to buy a house at an attractive price, fix it up, and watch its value rise in just a few years. Should You Sell Your Home Yourself? Are you thinking about selling your home? Would you like to sell it by yourself instead of hiring a real estate agent? If so it would be beneficial to review the pros and cons of selling your home by yourself before hanging out the sign.PROSSelling your home without an agent means More Money. How To Realistically Get Started As A Real Estate Investor When it comes to real estate investing, most beginners find themselves with plenty of desire, a little bit of knowledge (from books, seminars, online message boards or something like that) and in most cases they have little or no money to get started with. Does this sound like you? If so you are not alone. Investment Real Estate Made Easy - Make the Most from Each Investment Dollar When it comes to buying investment real estate, there are many schools of thought on how to get the most out of your money. Some say lease optioning your houses is the best and safest way to go. Best Time to Buy? Best Time to Sell? When is the best time to buy? When is the best time to sell? I get asked these questions constantly everywhere I go. In short, the answer is that it depends on your individual circumstances. Rehab Your Way to Wealth: The Quick Way to Fixer-Upper Success Completely rebuilding a house is not necessary to make money in investment real estate. Most times, if you have bought smart, you won't have to make a huge improvements on your investment property. Safe, Scenic & Secure Sussex County Delaware As I write this, there is a considerable concern about the dangers of urban life, triggered by the terrorist attacks on the USA. As some of you know, I have been a student of disaster preparations and a real estate consultant for those seeking "secluded and survival properties" for over thirty years. 7 Different Ways Anyone Can Become a Real Estate Investor Being a real estate investor is not really that hard, Sometimes you do not need any money down. Other times you do not need any of your own money down. Real Estate Investments Real estate investments come through a variety of different options. However, whether it is a vacation property, a first home, an early retirement house, or a rental property that you find appealing, real estate investments are all the rage, and are quickly becoming one of the safest investments available, especially in our less-than-perfect economy. When is the Best Time to Move? As Realtors, we are often asked, "When is the best season to move?" This is a tough question, one we cannot answer for you. Most people are asking about price, do they fluctuate throughout the year? NO. Investing in Real Estate for Your Retirement (and Now!) You've probably heard a lot of opposing information about Investing in Real Estate, which is completely annoying! The straight-forward fact about Real Estate is that it is probably the best and safest investment you'll ever make, especially if you live in it, and that you are far more likely to make money in this market than with any other type of investing. The chances are very slim that you'll wake up one morning and the housing market will have dropped by 40%. Real Estate Investing - The Motivated Seller How the heck do you find a "motivated seller?"The motivated seller doesn't wear a tattoo on his forehead that announces the distinction. And he never drags you onto his property begging you to buy. Commercial Real Estate: Assessing The Unique Features Of Commercial Real Estate Parcels As commercial real estate development progresses into the 21st century, many of the principles upon which the market was founded remain the same. Whether you are a property owner, developer, or commercial real estate agent, identifying and marketing the unique features of your commercial property will maximize the attractiveness of the site to prospective buyers or tenants. Buying Foreclosures - Knowing Why Helps You Buy One big potential deal-killer in buying foreclosures is the homeowner. If the homeowner does not trust you, buying their home (even at a foreclosure auction) can become a greater challenge. Rental Properties: 10 Ways To Increase Income What if you want better cash flow from your rental properties? You can't just raise the rents arbitrarily. If tenants leave, income goes down, not up. European Second Home Prices Wilt in Drought Spain and Portugal have suffered one of their worst droughts on record this summer, with consequences from empty swimming pools for the tourist to economic disaster for farmers losing their crops and livestock.Roger Munns, Managing Director of Tribune Properties, predicts that property prices in the two European countries could drop as much as fifteen per cent in some areas as more owners decide to put their villas and apartments on the market. The Echo Boomers - The Next Big Consumers The Echo Boomers or Generation Y currently make up about one third of the US Population. Many of the Echo Boomers are starting to reach an age where they want and need things like, Houses, Cars, Insurance. Should You Buy Hud Homes? Buy HUD homes are sometimes the cheapest option available for a common man to own a house. The fact that teachers and police officers could buy HUD homes at 50% off the market value attracts more potential buyers. 3 Top Real Estate Investing Methods for Maximum Wealth Real Estate investing can be used to gain wealth in three major ways -1. Long-term Real Estate investing is most often utilized using appreciation as a planning tool.
|
| home | site map | Colorado Log Homes | Homes for Sale in Denver Metro |
| © 2006 |
