TIps

Four Reasons Why Partnerships Work In Real Estate Investing

by Brandon · 0 comments

What do Fred and Barney, Bert and Ernie, Abbott and Costello, and Starsky and Hutch all have in common?

Successful partnerships.

I am a big believer in partnerships.  I believe everyone is equipped with different skills, abilities, and positions in life and by finding the correct corresponding puzzle piece, you can achieve together much more than you can achieve apart.

In a recent post I suggested using a partner’s income and down payment to secure property. This is a technique I have used several times, with great success. I received an email recently asking how to overcome a potential partner’s objections to doing this.  The underlying question is

“why would a partner put down all the down payment plus their income and credit to get a 50/50 partnership when they could just do it by themselves?

This is an excellent question.  I am often asked this by others when I mention this strategy. The funny thing is – I have never been asked this by my partners. Why not? There are four reasons why this is not an issue and how to overcome those objections when they do arise:

  1. 50% is better than 0%.  The truth is, most people with good income, stable jobs, and perfect borrowing ability don’t invest. It’s not because of lack of resources, but rather a lack of knowledge and motivation.  The simple truth is that although they could buy a real estate investment on their own – they won’t.
  2. My 50% is worth it. It is important that a partner knows that although I am not putting any money into the deal it doesn’t mean I’m not putting anything into it. I am putting years of experience, knowledge, and deal-making ability into the deal.  In many cases, I am going to be running the day-to-day operations of the rehab (if needed) and managing the property for years to come.
  3. I’m selling a valuable product – When I seek out partnerships, I do not come “begging” for help. I am not looking for a favor. I am offering a solid return backed by years of experience and the probability of profit many times greater than the stock market. When I made this shift in my thinking, my investment world was transformed. I have the deal – I found it, put it together, ran the numbers, and got the property under contract. I have an amazing investment opportunity, and I am giving others the chance to be a part of it.
  4. The property is an amazing deal – I believe that if you have a great deal, the financing is the least of your concerns. If you are having difficulty finding financing or partnerships – you need to ask yourself: “Is this deal really that great of a deal?”  I only buy properties that cashflow extremely well and have great amounts of equity (its worth more than I owe) . I only buy incredible deals. If you do the same, you’ll find eager funding.

Will some partners still have problems with this? Yes.  They will say “Well, I could just do it myself.” However, when you find a killer deal and make it work, those same people will regret not working with you. They will see that they have done nothing while you made a killing. You can guess who will be first in line to be your 50% partner on your next deal.

 

 

 

 

P.S. looking for hard money loans in California? Be sure to check out my friends over at northcoastfinancialinc.com. They have very competitive rates, can fund within a week and specialize in fix and flip loans and other hard money loans.

How To Buy Real Estate When You Are Broke

by Brandon · 16 comments

Buying real estate costs money. However – it doesn’t have to be your money.  With the right mix of resourcefulness, creativity, and knowledge you can buy real estate with no money of your own. Don’t believe me? I speak from experience! Nearly every single property I have ever purchased has been without any money from myself.  The following are seven strategies that can help you buy real estate without spending any of your own money.

  1. Use Hard Money– hard money lenders are private individuals who loan on property based primarily on the value of the property (read my post on Hard Money Lenders here).  Although lenders have been tightening their standards in recent years, they still will generally lend 100% of the purchase price and possibly even repairs if the deal is good enough. They need to feel secure in their investment, so if you only need $50,000 for a property that is going to be worth $100,000 – you may not need to put in any money. Just remember though – lenders are going to be conservative on their values so don’t overestimate the future value.
  2. Use your Home Equity – Do you already own your own home? Did you know you can pull out equity in the form of a Home Equity Line of Credit (usually a variable but low interest rate) or Home Equity Loan (usually a fixed interest rate but higher) to use to buy an investment? Not only is this money relatively cheap to borrow, you may also be able to deduct the interest on your taxes (but see a CPA for details).
  3. Use a Partner – Do you have knowledge, motivation, and skill but lack financial resources? You are in luck! Much of the professional world has financial resources but lack knowledge, motivation, and skill! Use your networking skills to find others who have the missing piece in your strategy and become partners. Make sure that everything is spelled out clearly up front and everything is in writing.
  4. Raise Private Money: Similar to a hard money lender, you may be able to find wealthier individuals who want to earn more on their investments than the stock market or a savings account can pay. Many real estate investors will offer their clients a set 12-20% return on their investment, secured by a lien on the property. This creates security for the private lender and funds for the real estate investor. A true win-win.
  5. Use a Lease-Option –  A lease-option is a strategy used in real estate to buy homes from homeowners without actually taking legal ownership. Instead, the real estate investor signs a long-term lease with the house owners as well as signing a legal “option” to buy the property at a specific price in the future. The owners are not legally allowed to sell the property until the option period is up, and the investor gets to lock in his future purchase price as well. The investor can then easily rent the property out for cashflow or find a buyer to sell his “option” to.
  6. Buy properties “Subject-To” – Buying a home using a “subject to” strategy involves actually transferring legal title from the old owner to the new investor – without paying back the original mortgage that the old owners had.  While the bank may not appreciate not being paid back, as long as payments are continued to be made, usually the bank will either never find out or never care. This strategy is a bit riskier, but as long as you have a backup plan, it is perfectly acceptable.
  7. Use a Combination – Finally, you can mix and match using any of the above scenarios. Perhaps use a hard money lender to purchase the property and use a partner to refinance into a thirty year fixed mortgage after the repairs are done? Or perhaps use a lease-option until you can raise private money to cash out the sellers?

As you can see, there are a huge variety of ways to buy real estate without sacrificing your own money. If you are resourceful and the deal is a good one, you will have no problem buying real estate without any money of your own. Don’t let “I’m too broke” become an easy excuse not to invest.

P.S. looking for hard money loans in California? Be sure to check out my friends over at northcoastfinancialinc.com. They have very competitive rates, can fund within a week and specialize in fix and flip loans and other hard money loans.

Real Estate vs. Stocks: Part 1- The “Hero Stock” Myth

by Brandon · 0 comments

(This article is part one in a two part series on the battle between stocks and real estate.)

“If only I had bought Apple stock when I had the chance! It was $X per share and now look at it! I would be so rich by now”.

No doubt this story sounds familiar to you. I’ve heard it dozens of times about dozens of stocks. “If only”. It is this story that drives millions of Americans to faithfully throw thousands of their hard earned dollars into the hands of stockbrokers with the hopes that they can pick the right stock and they too can be rich. It is completely absurd. The stock market is the worlds largest lottery, and as Dave Ramsey says, a lottery is just a “tax on the poor”.

For every one “hero story” of a stock soaring from bottom to the top there are hundred or thousands that disappear from the stock market entirely, giving investors a loss. In fact, in 1988 the Wall Street Journal did an experiment which pitted professional stock brokers against someone blindly throwing darts at a newspaper stock sheet. The results? The professionals only slightly beat out the darts, embarrassing the brokers and confirming that picking the right stock is a gamble even for those who’s whole life is dedicated to it.

When people look back and say “If only I had purchased X stock in X year, I’d be rich” it might be true. However, cheap stocks are cheap for a reason – they might not go anywhere. The vast majority do not.  Clearly, if we could hop in our Delorean and fly with Marty back to the past we could tell our old selves what we should invest in. This just isn’t plausible in our world, so we must find another way to invest and secure our future.

Next time I will look at a favorite among personal finance gurus called the mutual fund and why average returns are for average investors.

 

P.S. looking for hard money loans in California? Be sure to check out my friends over at northcoastfinancialinc.com. They have very competitive rates, can fund within a week and specialize in fix and flip loans and other hard money loans.

Screening For Ghost Tenants

by Brandon · 1 comment

I don’t believe in ghosts.

I especially don’t believe in ghosts who apply to live in one of my two-bedroom apartments (I hear they are more attracted to creepy mansions). This is why when poor Miss Abileen’s name came forth on the background check I ran this week, despite her death in 1987, I didn’t immediately call the Ghostbusters. While there are a number of “protected classes” that are illegal to discriminate against, I’m fairly sure being dead is not one of them. Clearly something was wrong with the social security number provided. It was fake, probably purchased by the applicant who was lacking a social security number.

This event has made me revisit just how important screening a prospective tenant truly is. As a young investor, it is easy to want to just let a tenant move in based solely on impressions. After all, throughout high school and college we are accustomed to gauging the integrity of a person based entirely on conversations. However, properly screening tenants is the most important step in decreasing the headaches you will get while investing in Real Estate. I would even be as bold as to say 90% of all management headaches could be avoided by adequately screening.  Nearly every problem I’ve ever had with difficult tenants has been from letting my standards slide when screening for them.  I have learned from my mistakes and hope to teach you to avoid them as well.  The following is a list of the top six things to research before allowing a tenant to move into your property.

  1. Valid Social Security Number: I’ll start with this, as it relates to the story above. There a number of reasons a tenant might have a fake social security number, such as immigration issues or trying to hide their shady history. While you might be tempted to allow a fake or non-existent social security number to slide – this is a terrible idea. Instead, just take all the money from your bank account and just mail it to me. Why? You are almost guaranteeing future financial problems. If they refuse to pay, trash the place, and skip town – you can’t garnish wages. If they hurt someone on your property, you can’t find them. Finally, without a social security number, you have no way of knowing who they really are and what they have done in the past. Do they have several evictions? Do they have seventeen felonies in the past year? Simply put, the risk taken when renting to tenants without valid social security numbers far outweighs the reward.
  2. Job Verification: Tenants may tell you they have an excellent job, but without verifying it from their employer, you have no way of ensuring that they are telling the truth. Even if they bring current pay stubs to you, it is still a good idea to call their place of employment because the job could be just a temporary position ending soon. Renting to tenants without a proper job is just asking for future evictions.
  3. Income Verification: I recommend setting a minimum income level for your property at 30% of the tenant’s gross income – and make this number visible from the start to avoid wasting time. I cannot tell you the number of times I have driven to a property to show a unit, only to find out that the tenant only makes $500 per month in social security and is looking to rent a $495 apartment. It is ludicrous, but it happens all too often. Tenants do not know how much they can afford, which is why you must. I now tell prospective tenants over the phone exactly our qualifications to minimize unnecessary trips to show units.
  4. Previous Landlord References: You do not want another landlord’s trash. Calling a previous landlord is vital to knowing the kind of tenant you might be soon renting your property to. However, do not simply just call the most recent landlord, because more likely than not, this landlord will give a positive review even if the tenant was terrible – simply because they want them gone! Instead, go back to other previous landlords and find out the quality through them. Additionally, a proper background check will include previous addresses for the prospective tenant. Make sure these addresses line up with the addresses they give you. Often times tenants will conveniently “forget” to include landlord information for the property they were evicted from.
  5. Credit – While understanding a prospective tenant’s credit is important, this is the only item on this list that is only necessary depending on the type of tenant you are looking for. Credit checks often just tell you one thing – they have bad credit. However, if you are renting higher income properties – by all means check credit. They way a person has paid their debts in the past is a huge indication of how they will pay you.
  6. Living Style: This includes a number of specific items of note about your perspective tenants that are pertinent to know before renting to the tenant. This includes items such as number of pets, other people who will be living with them, smoking status, and “how much cash do you have”. These questions will help you better determine the type of renter this prospect will be and how they will affect the condition of your home.

Screening tenants does not have to be a scary task, and can easily be subcontracted out to either a screening company or simply a trustworthy college student looking to make a little bit of money. I also strongly believe in charging a tenant for the cost of the background check. It is generally common practice and it will help weed out the tire-kickers and only get serious renters.

P.S. looking for hard money loans in California? Be sure to check out my friends over at northcoastfinancialinc.com. They have very competitive rates, can fund within a week and specialize in fix and flip loans and other hard money loans.

5 Tips for Hassle-Free Tenant Management

by Brandon · 6 comments

 

Management of Tenants can be tough work if you don’t manage properly. Here are 5 of my favorite tips in minimizing the work it takes to manage your tenants.

 
1.) Do Proper Maintenance.

Don’t be a slumlord. When things are broken, fix them. Not just because it will make your tenant happy and paying (it will), but it will keep up the value of your investment and keep you from larger hassles. Real Life Example: A tenant called once about a slow draining toilet. Rather than fixing the issue, I proceeded to put that on the bottom of my priority list, right below “fix global warming” and “find my missing sock”.

Bad idea.

Tenants don’ think like us. We think “broken toilet, stop using”. What do tenants think? “Hmmm… the toilet stopped draining… so… um… lets smoke some week and continue using.”. Three weeks later, I get a second call. The toilet has not been draining since the first call, but the tenants CONTINUED TOUSE THE TOILET EVERYDAY. They only called the second time because it began to overflow.

You cannot imagine the smell.

That day I learned three significant lessons:

1.) I will never fix another toilet again (perhaps the best choice I’d ever made)

2.) I will always address maintenance issues promptly and

3.) A toilet filled with human feces weighs too much to successfully dump upside down in the bathtub without losing 90% down the front of my body.

 

2.) Have A Policy To Refer To.

Just as the above tip involves having a “higher authority” to refer to, it is also wise to have a “policy” to refer to. That late fee that can’t be waived? Sorry, it’s our policy. You want a maintenance guy to come fix your  at 8:30 on a friday night? Sorry, our policy states that non-emergencies are only dealt with monday through friday, 9-5. Customer Service departments have used this technique for years, and with good reason. People will tend to argue with anything you say, but if its part of a policy, arguments tend to end there.

 

3.) Never Give In (if You Give A Mouse A Cookie).

One of my favorite books growing up was called “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”, which teaches kids not to give change to the poor because they will only want your Playstation next (or something to that effect). Tenants are that mouse. If you waive that late fee one time, they will be late again. If you allow them to park one car on blocks in their front yard, soon you will be the proud owner of the towns new scrap yard. Tenants will take what they can get. Set a line, stick to it, and don’t give in.

 

4.)You Are Not The Owner (Higher Authority).

This is one of my favorite tip in dealing with tenants. You are not the owner. You simply work for “him”. This tip revolutionized the way we manage tenants and our own time. The landlord is always, and will always be, the “bad guy”. He’s the money grubbing guy who tries to steal christmas presents from kids and bathes in the torment of good, hardworking people. By introducing yourself as simple “the property manager,” you are given a “higher authority” by which to refer to.

Additionally, it also allows you time to think when a question is asked of you that you don’t know the answer to. “I’m sorry Mrs. Johnson, we asked the owners about you keeping that new litter of pitbulls (you moved in secretly,) but they just won’t allow it in your studio apartment”. Notice who the bad guy is? The owner. The real fun begins when the tenant begins trash talking the owner. Go ahead, join in.

5.) Get a Resident Manager.

Tip number 5 is indispensable if you are looking to hack real estate and use it as your ticket to wealth and freedom.

You need to let go.

A resident manager is someone who manages the day-to-day operations of your empire (i.e. toilet repair, complaining tenants, renting units) in exchange for reduced or free rent. Obviously, there is an economy of scale issue when dealing with this, as you would not need a manager to manage just one single family house. However, perhaps offering $50 a month to a tenant to answer phones and show units at any of your properties or $100 to get a unit prepped and filled would tickle a tenant pink and keep you lying on the beach in Maui. The point is: look for ways to outsource all the mundane, boring, filthy, and cumbersome tasks so you can focus on building your empire and saving the world.

P.S. looking for hard money loans in California? Be sure to check out my friends over at northcoastfinancialinc.com. They have very competitive rates, can fund within a week and specialize in fix and flip loans and other hard money loans.

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