Let us create a 3D eBook for you!
Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com

 

Investing in Real Estate Profitably: Financing Options for Purchase of Rental Houses, Part 1.


This is not an article about tricks for 100% (no money down) financing. Even if you do take advantage of various no money down strategies from time to time, these strategies are not generally applicable when you begin investing systematically in multiple rental homes with the goal of making significant rental income.

This is because some of these strategies require a degree of deceit and careful timing, others require difficult-to-find pricing or seller situations, and others require sophisticated legal instruments and training, or a combination of all of the above. These complex strategies are good for selling mentoring programs, books and training courses.

However, none of these methods are practical, in our opinion, as a consistent practice for profitable and stress-free ethical investing. For a consistent winning program of investing, you want to be able to act quickly, repeatedly, openly and consistently, which will enable you to build up a portfolio of rental properties in a relatively short period of time.

It is therefore much more profitable and sensible in our opinion to play it safe and keep it simple. This means to focus on obtaining good investments from the point of view of future rental income and appreciation, and pay whatever down payment the banks require.

Simple as that. If you do this, you will be able to build up a portfolio of properties quickly.

You can still get very good loan deals by shopping around for financing, or by using an independent loan broker. Make sure your loan broker shops around on your behalf. Standard bank financing at good interest rates generally needs only a 5% to 10% down payment for investment property, which is not very much in the big picture.

Unless you are going to flip a property quickly, you probably want to maintain positive cash flow for most of the time you own a rental property. This is true even if you eventually plan to sell the property at a profit. After all, you never know how long you may have to hold the property before its value appreciates significantly, particularly if you have to survive the inevitable down turn in property values which can last a year or more. The only way to ensure you can comfortably hold the property as long as you need is to have positive cash flow each month.

To this end, consider the advantages of paying a full 20% to 25% down payment. This will allow you to qualify for the lowest interest rate programs. Lower interest rates mean lower monthly payments, which mean positive cash flow. In fact, with a 20% to 25% down, you may qualify for so-called "payment option loans" with minimum payment rates as low as 1%. With these loans, the minimum payment stays low for the first 5 years, with a payment increase cap each year of just 1.075 times the previous year's monthly payment. At these levels, you will almost assuredly achieve a very good positive cash flow.

With such minimum payment loans, you still have to pay the current adjustable rate (usually around 4.5% today). However, most of the interest is deferred. At the end of 5 years, the deferred interest is added onto the loan balance. This will probably be much less than the property has appreciated. Therefore, it is a small price to pay for the positive cash flow gained during the first 5 years.

Another option readily available today is "interest only" payments. The "payment option loans" described above usually include an interest-only option. That is, each month you have the option of paying either the minimum payment described above or an interest-only payment. Other loans do not have the minimum payment option and have only an interest-only payment option. In any case, when you make an interest-only payment, you are paying only the interest for the month, and not paying down the principle. This reduces your monthly payment allowing positive cash flow in most cases, but of course you do not build up any equity in the property.

As a general rule in most states, most loans are available with interest-only options nowadays. Sometimes you have to pay a small fee at closing for this option (typically .125% to .250%) and sometimes there is no charge. If there is no charge, you may find that the interest rate is a little higher. You just have to shop and compare loans to get the best deal, as stated earlier, or make sure your independent loan broker is shopping for you.

Here is a comparison of three monthly payments plans

1) A typical minimum payment (in a payment option loan)

2) An interest-only payment (in a payment option loan or any interest-only loan)

3) A fully-amortized payment (in which you are paying down the principle a little each month.)

For a $200,000 loan, a 1% minimum payment is $643 per month. By comparison, a typical 4.5% interest-only adjustable rate loan produces a monthly payment of $750. Lastly, a fully amortized 4.5% payment is $1013.

You can see that the minimum payment and the interest-only options are low and fairly close but the fully amortized loan can make a significant dent in your cash flow.

Beware that the minimum payment in a payment option loan and the interest-only option in any loan program lasts (generally) for only 5 years. However, there are interest-only loans where the interest only option lasts 10 years. The latter is preferable if your intention is to hold the property for more than 5 years without refinancing.

Beware also that, in order to get the low interest-only rate I have used in the example above (about 4.5%), you would need to accept an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) program where the rates adjust annually or even more often. If interest rates jump significantly in the next two years, you could get stuck with a relatively high payment.

We are recommending for most borrowers who plan to hold properties for more than a year or two to either:

1) Obtain a "payment option loan" as described earlier with minimum payments that last a full 5 years, or

2) Obtain an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) loan with an initial fixed interest period of 5 years. This will cost 1% to 2% more in rate, but the insurance is absolutely worth it, in our opinion, at this time in the real estate cycle.

This article has reviewed some modern strategies for minimizing your loan payments when purchasing investment rental homes. There is much more to say on this topic. So keep an eye out for additional articles by the same authors on this and related topics.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher and Robert S. Kramarz. All rights reserved.

Jeanette Fisher, Design Psychology Professor, is the author of "Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars: Using Design Psychology to Increase Real Estate Profits," the only book to reveal interior design secrets on how to make top dollar investing in real estate. For real estate and interior design psychology books, articles, tips, and newsletters: http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com.

Robert S. Kramarz is a loan officer for a major loan brokerage. He has over 20 years experience in finance and business management and comes from a family a long background in real estate investing and banking. He specializes in providing financing for purchase of investment real estate. He can be reached by email at MrFunding@22cv.com. Further information is available at the website http://www.sweetloan.info.


MORE RESOURCES:

Real Estate - Google News

Mountain Real Estate Capital, L Star buy Durham's Brightleaf at the Park - Charlotte Business Journal


Mountain Real Estate Capital, L Star buy Durham's Brightleaf at the Park
Charlotte Business Journal
Mountain Real Estate Capital and L Star Management have acquired Brightleaf at the Park, a master-planned community near the Research Triangle Park. The acquisition comprises 900 residential lots, including townhome and single-family lots.
Mountain Real Estate Capital and L Star Acquire Brightleaf at the ParkMarketWatch (press release)

all 5 news articles »

Real estate is a team sport - Boston.com (blog)


New York Times

Real estate is a team sport
Boston.com (blog)
Sam Schneiderman, Broker-owner of Greater Boston Home Team, discusses the importance of having a team that works together when buying or selling real estate. Whether you are buying or selling, I believe that a successful real estate transaction ...
Entering the World of Real Estate, for No PayNew York Times

all 2 news articles »

Manhattan Software Announces Strategic Partnership With Indiabulls for ... - MarketWatch (press release)


Manhattan Software Announces Strategic Partnership With Indiabulls for ...
MarketWatch (press release)
6, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Manhattan Software, the global leader in enterprise real estate software and a leader in the 2011 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Integrated Workplace Management Systems, announced today a strategic partnership with ...

and more »

Will 1st real estate Super Bowl ad in 20 years help boost home sales? - San Francisco Chronicle (blog)


San Francisco Chronicle (blog)

Will 1st real estate Super Bowl ad in 20 years help boost home sales?
San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
Amongst the highly anticipated Super Bowl ads this year was real estate brokerage, Century 21′s thirty second media blitz featuring real estate tycoon Donal Trump, Deion Sanders and Apollo Ohno. Century 21 reportedly shelled out $3.5 million for the ...
Real Estate's Hail Mary Sales PitchSmartmoney.com (blog)
Were You Convinced By Century 21′s Super Bowl Commercial?ChicagoNow (blog)

all 8 news articles »

Zephyr Real Estate Announces Top Producers for 2011 - MarketWatch (press release)


Zephyr Real Estate Announces Top Producers for 2011
MarketWatch (press release)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Feb 06, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Zephyr Real Estate, San Francisco's largest independent real estate firm, is proud to announce the company's top producing real estate agents for 2011. The Company Top 10, in order by highest ...

and more »

Real Estate: National foreclosure settlement delayed, Nevada AG concerned - Reno Gazette Journal


msnbc.com

Real Estate: National foreclosure settlement delayed, Nevada AG concerned
Reno Gazette Journal
Ap File BY THE NUMBERS Foreclosure-related filings for 2011 for Washoe County, Nevada and the United States. Filings include notices of default, notices of sale or auction and bank-owned foreclosures. Washoe: 7981 (down 27.3 percent and 27.6 percent ...
Week ahead in real estate (Feb. 6-10)U-T San Diego
Mortgage relief: Partial solution better than nonemsnbc.com

all 270 news articles »

TEXT-S&P says European real estate should weather downside credit risks - Reuters


TEXT-S&P says European real estate should weather downside credit risks
Reuters
"We think that our macroeconomic forecast of a mild recession for the first half of the year will have a moderate effect on the operating performance of our rated Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) portfolio," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst ...

and more »

RMR Real Estate Income Fund Announces Date For 2012 Annual Meeting Of Shareholders - TheStreet.com (press release)


RMR Real Estate Income Fund Announces Date For 2012 Annual Meeting Of Shareholders
TheStreet.com (press release)
By Business Wire 02/06/12 - 11:00 AM EST RMR Real Estate Income Fund (NYSE Amex: RIF) today announced that its 2012 annual meeting of shareholders will be held at 9:30 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at RIF's offices at Two Newton Place, 255 Washington ...

and more »

London, New York, Paris Benefited Most from Cross-Border Commercial Investment ... - World Property Channel


Bangkok Post

London, New York, Paris Benefited Most from Cross-Border Commercial Investment ...
World Property Channel
"Despite the financial crisis over the past two years, commercial real estate remains a core asset class for many investors," said David Green-Morgan, Global Capital Markets Research Director at Jones Lang LaSalle. "The year 2011 finished with a bang ...
Global Real Estate Markets Making Steady Progress with Eighth Consecutive ...MarketWatch (press release)
Peter Riguardi of Jones Lang LaSalle Honored by Realty Foundation of New YorkRealEstateRama (press release)

all 15 news articles »

Select Your Real Estate Agent Carefully in Today's Market - MarketWatch (press release)


Select Your Real Estate Agent Carefully in Today's Market
MarketWatch (press release)
WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Feb 6, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- In a difficult housing market, buyers and sellers rely upon good, solid real estate counsel to close deals. Many properties in the Virginia real estate market have lost value over the last ...

and more »

Click here for Best Buy In-Store Pickup

StreetSideAuto.com

Looking For Royalty Free Photos for your Website, Business or Advertising?

My Life Through The Lens

List4Sale Domain Is For Sale - $10,000 For Enquiries eMail Us

© www.List4Sale.biz 2011

home | site map | links

eXTReMe Tracker