7 Fundamentals of a Real Estate Deal

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For a successful investment career, start with these 7 Fundamentals of a Real Estate Deal

Are you “money wise”? It’s not hard to get there. And it will save you a lot of cash down the line.

It’s like when a person who knows about cars goes to a mechanic – they have peace of mind because they understand what’s going on. If you’re not a “car person,” at the mechanic’s it’s harder to figure out if they’re telling you the truth, or just trying to sell you more than you need.

As a real estate investor, leverage is at the center of what you do. It’s like a foreign language when you first start out. But when you become money wise, the leverage in your real estate investment career is fully in your hands.

Here are 7 real estate loan fundamentals that will make you money wise.

Fundamentals of a Real Estate Deal

There’s certain information you’ll need to bring to your lender when you need a loan. If you know the answers to their questions, the time with your lender will be much more productive.

At the end of the day, lenders want to know: Do you have a good deal? (And you should want to know the answer, too!)

We’re going to dive into 7 main concepts to answer that question:

  • Strategy
  • Purchase Price / Contract
  • Scope of Work
  • Budget
  • Estimated Profit  / Equity
  • Comps / ARV
  • Exit Strategy

I. Strategy – What Is a Real Estate Strategy?

When your lender asks about your strategy, they want to know whether you’ll use the property as a

  • fix-and-flip
  • a rental
  • or if you’re not sure yet.

What is a real estate strategy dependent on? 1) your goals, and 2) the property.

You’ll have to know the numbers to know if the property will make a good flip with carry costs you can afford, or if it would cash flow well as a BRRRR-style rental.

But how do you “know the numbers”? Let’s start with the cost of the property.

II. Purchase Price / Contract – What Are the Fundamental Numbers of a Real Estate Loan?

Your lender could refer to this as purchase price, contract, or as-is value.

In real estate investment, there’s a distinction between what you’re paying for a property and what it’s worth. The purchase price isn’t necessarily what the value of the home is.

This is the number on the contract, the number you’ve agreed to buy the property for. And this number is foundational to whether or not your project will turn a profit.

III. Scope of Work – How Do You Fix Up a Real Estate Investment?

Many beginner investors mistake “scope of work” for the budget. Scope of work is what you’re going to do to the property, not the number of what that work will cost.

Will you add a bedroom? Re-do the garage? Are you going to convert the porch to additional square footage? Or add egress windows to the basement?

Scope of work is your rehab plan. Lenders need this info to find out what kinds of properties they should compare to yours to estimate an after repair value.

IV. Budget – What Is a Real Estate Budget?

During the conversation with your lender, have a high overview of your construction budget. You don’t necessarily need all the details ironed out quite yet.

For example, you can estimate that the kitchen will cost $10,000, siding $6,000, windows $4,000, and new paint $2,000. At this point, you don’t need to share a breakdown of the cost of each new appliance, labor and materials, etc.

You just need a realistic estimate of how much it will cost to get into the property. Having your scope of work lined out helps you with an estimated budget. When you know the purchase price an your budget, then you know how much the entire project will cost.

V. Estimated Profit (Flips) / Estimated Equity (Rentals) – How Much Will a Deal Make?

Estimated profit is what you expect to make on the transaction, between buying the property, fixing it up, and selling it again.

Equity is the difference between the amount you owe and what the property is worth. You build equity on your rentals by successfully refinancing after a flip and paying down the mortgage with rent income.

The number one reason to be in real estate investment is to make money and create wealth – it’s true for lenders, and it’s true for you. So, it’s important to both you and your lender that your properties make profit or build equity.

You’ll need your estimated profit / equity when you bring a deal to your lender.

V. Comps / ARV – What Does ARV Mean in Real Estate Investing?

ARV is the after repair value. It’s what the property will appraise for, or sell for, on the current market once the scope of work is completed.

You estimate a property’s ARV by looking at the prices of similar homes in the current market.

Comps (comparables) are those similar homes you look at. It’s important that your comps have the same value as your property.

For example, if your deal is for a 950 square-foot home, you’ll compare it to other 900 to 1,000 square-foot homes on the market, not a 2,000 square-foot one. A 2-bedroom, 1-bath house will be compared to houses of the same specifications, and not compared with 4-bedroom, 2-bath homes.

For your ARV to be accurate, you need to stay true to your scope of work. If you only repaint and re-carpet a house that needed much more work, you won’t get top-of-the-market value when you try to sell or refinance.

On the other hand, if your scope of work is a full remodel, your comparables should be homes that are fully remodeled, so you don’t miss out on any profit.

The money you put into fixing up a house isn’t a direct indicator of how much the house will be worth. What the property looks like when it’s finished has nothing to do with how much it cost to get it there.

To find the true profitability of a deal, your ARV and comparables help:

ARV – (Purchase Price + Budget) = Profit Amount

VII. Exit Strategy – How Will You Pay Your Real Estate Loans?

When a lender asks for your exit strategy, they want to know your plan for paying off the loan. For hard money loans, your exit should be fast.

If it’s a flip, your exit strategy is to sell the property, then pay off the loan.

If it’s a rental, your exit strategy is to refinance into a long-term loan, which will pay off the hard money loan.

 

The Why Behind Money Wise – Real Estate Investing Definitions

When you come to the table prepared, with strategies, numbers, and knowledge, you can speak the same language as your lender.

This is key to ensuring you have a safe transaction with a lender that is working in your best interest. 7 Fundamentals of a Real Estate Deal

Curious About Other Real Estate Loan Fundamentals?

If you have any questions, or want coaching through a deal, we’re happy to help. You can contact us here.

For more info on real estate loan fundamentals, keep up with our Hard Money 101 series on our blog, or visit our YouTube channel here.

Happy Investing

7 Fundamentals of a Real Estate Deal

7 Fundamentals of a Real Estate Deal

 

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BRRRR Refinance: How to Set Up Your Loans

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The BRRRR refinance is where you make or break your profit. Here’s how to do it right.

Buying a BRRRR with a traditional loan is limiting. Refinancing a BRRRR with a traditional loan is freeing. Let’s see how these BRRRR loans shake out once we get to the refinance stage.

Firstly, there are two types of refinances.

A cash-out refinance turns the equity in the house into cash. A rate-and-term refinance is more like trading your old loan for a new one. Cash-out loans are usually 5-10% less than a rate-and-term.

BRRRR Refinance with a Traditional Loan

Let’s take the example of an under-market house for sale for $300,000, but worth $400,000. We’ll compare the refinances if we used traditional vs  investor-friendly BRRRR loans to buy the property.

Our BRRRR property is worth $400,000. With the traditional loan, we could buy for $300,000. We’d have a loan for $240,000.

In this case, we have to do a cash-out. We’re already out $60,000 from the down payment, so we want the most we possibly can get back in our pockets.

For a cash-out refinance, you’ll likely be limited to a 70% LTV on the value of the home which is, in this case, $400,000. This means we’ll get a new loan for $280,000.

That still doesn’t cover the $300,000 total we paid for the house, so we’re still losing $20,000 on the deal.

Refinancing with an Investor-Friendly Loan

But the point of BRRRR loans is that you can complete the project with zero money down.

So now let’s look at how the investor-friendly loan set us up for the refinance.

With this hard money loan, we bought the house for $300,000 and now have a loan for $300,000. So far, we’ve put $0 of our own money into the property.

We’ll be able to use a rate-and-term refinance. We don’t need to get cash for ourselves – we just need to pay off our first lender.

Let’s say you’re still able to get a 75% LTV on the value of $400,000. Our refinance comes out to exactly $300,000, perfectly covering our loan.

This is how investor-friendly BRRRR loans let you invest in real estate with zero down!

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/YvgpyygIHp0

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How to Launch Your Retirement Through Private Lending

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How to Launch Your Retirement Through Private Lending

How to Launch Your Retirement Through Private Lending

Launch your retirement!

The most common ways to save for retirement are the stock market, 401Ks, and other retirement savings accounts. They’re common journeys most people take when they start putting money away for their future.

But did you know there’s another frontier to explore when it comes to preparing for retirement?

Although it’s a frontier that’s been around for centuries, and it’s a frontier that’s helped many, it’s not exactly a frontier people think to explore.

But this frontier can lead to lucrative cash flow and a safe, comfortable, and happy future.

We’re talking about private lending.

https://youtu.be/3shyEuw1zSI

Private lending can launch your retirement savings into a whole new universe. Compared to the stock market, which is volatile, and retirement savings accounts, which are questionable, private lending is consistent, easy, and safe. And, most importantly, profitable.

What is private lending?

Simply put, you become a bank for someone who needs cash. And, in the real estate world, that someone is a fix and flipper, rental owner, or another property investor.

These real estate investors can’t always rely on a traditional bank for funding.  Either because they can’t meet a bank’s strict qualifications, or because they need to buy a property super fast…and banks don’t close deals super fast.

So, they turn to private lenders. Private lenders, like you, lend them the money they need and charge them interest for it.

The amount of interest you charge is up to you. Most private lenders make between 5% and 12%. You can’t make that kind of interest by letting your money sit in a bank. And you can’t know for sure you’ll make it through the stock market.

So, how do you become a private lender? Well, there are a couple of ways to get going.

The easiest way is through companies like ours. We connect private lenders with real estate investors, and help with all the paperwork and other steps that secure your money.

Or, if you’d rather explore the private lending frontier on your own, then you can work directly with real estate investors. This is best known in the business as OPM (Other People’s Money). OPM puts you directly in the pilot’s seat, and you get to decide your path…and the risks that come with it.

Private lending is definitely a worthwhile adventure! If you’re ready to learn more about it and launch your retirement, then our team is always here to help.

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What is a Private Note?

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What is a Private Note?

What is a Private Note?

You have a variety of options when it comes to making money for retirement.

The most obvious and popular ways are retirement saving accounts and the stock market. But retirement saving accounts can be questionable, and the stock market constantly fluctuates up and down.

But, fear not. Did you know there’s another, more secure way to save up for your future?

We’re talking about investing in private notes. They’re an easy, lucrative method to boosting your cash flow…and your retirement funds.

https://youtu.be/sTh8QI07gpQ

You see, when people think about investing in real estate, they assume they have to fix and flip or rent properties. But private notes allow you to make money in real estate without ever picking up a hammer.

Basically, you become a bank for a fix and flipper or a rental owner.

But what is a private note?

Well, in a nutshell, it’s an IOU.

Essentially, a private note is an agreement between you and your borrower, and it outlines things like:

  • How much money you’ll lend.
  • The amount of interest you’ll charge.
  • The length of time you’ll let your borrower use your money.
  • And the date you expect them to pay you back in full.

And if you’re thinking, “Well, what if they can’t pay me back?”, then don’t worry.  Your money is secured by the property. So, as long as you do your homework and make sure it’s a worthwhile investment, then your money is safe and sound.

Now, how do you actually create a private note?

Well, the easiest way is to work with a company like ours. In addition to creating a secure private note on your behalf, we help with all the other steps to private lending. Those include:

  • Finding real estate investors who need funding.
  • Interviewing them and reviewing their portfolio to determine how much you can trust them with your money.
  • Analyzing properties to make sure they’re worth the investment.
  • Handling escrow draws.
  • And overseeing the life of the loan, including all payments, extensions, and modifications.

Of course, if you’d rather handle all of those steps by yourself, then you can simply hire an attorney to create your private note.

Bottom line, private notes are an excellent way to prepare for retirement, especially if you want to invest in real estate without breaking a sweat.

Ready to talk about investing your money in private notes and securing your future? Great! Our team is always here to chat.

Happy investing!

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Why You Can Be Thankful as a Private Lender

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Why You Can Be Thankful as a Private Lender

Why You Can Be Thankful as a Private Lender

If you’re thinking about becoming a private lender, then there are a few things you can look forward to being thankful for.

https://youtu.be/n–wIaxOQt8

Make Money

First, the most obvious, can make money in an easy, secured way. You don’t have to pick up hammer, worry about contractors, or stress out about getting a big project done in a short amount of time. All you have to do is find people who like fixing and flipping and lend them the money to do all of that hard work.

Boost Retirement Savings

Second, you can take the money you make and boost your retirement savings. You don’t have to worry about unpredictable fluctuations in the stock market or depend on low interest rates at the bank. You can make consistent, solid income with a safe and secured investment.

Positive Impact

Third, and the least thought about, you can make an extremely positive impact on your community.

Without your ability to lend money to fix and flippers, rental owners, and other real estate investors, communities would slowly deteriorate and eventually fall into disarray.

Think about the HGTV show, Good Bones. A mother and daughter team up to fix homes that have aged and withered throughout their neighborhood. But, home by home, they’ve revitalized and given their community new life. They given it value, once again.

That’s what all fix and flippers do.

They find neighborhoods, towns, and cities that have fallen into disrepair, and breath fresh life into them. By doing this, they revive the economy because people want to live there again. Schools, safety, and quality of life rise drastically.

But the only way this all can happen is if fix and flippers can find money to do their work. And many of them can’t walk into a bank and get a loan, either because they can’t meet the bank’s strict requirements, or because they need to buy a property FAST. We’re talking about closing homes within days, not months. Banks can’t do that.

So, they need private funding from people like you. People who have money they want to invest.

So, why not invest it in your local community…or a community of your choosing? Say, the hometown you grew up in? Perhaps it’s seen better days and needs some new life before it fades and falls off the map completely?

Private lending is something you can truly be thankful for. So why not give it a try if you’re looking to invest in real estate the easy way?

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How to Invest the Ancient Way: Private Lending

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How to Make Money in Real Estate: Private Lending is Ancient

How to Invest the Ancient Way: Private Lending

Since the beginning of time, people have needed money, and they’ve always needed to borrow it from someone.

Why not you?

You see, when it comes to making money in real estate, most people assume they have to fix and flip or rent properties. But there are other ways that don’t involve picking up a hammer.

And one of those ways is private lending.

https://youtu.be/N4IYdAods3w

What is private lending?

Private lending is exactly what it sounds like: you lend money to someone who needs it.

In the real estate world that means you lend it to someone who’s looking to fix up a property and either flip it or rent it.

It’s just like in the olden days when a person needed a loan and got it from a bank, a business tycoon, or a neighbor. Or just about anyone else who had money to lend.

So, how do you make money in private lending? Well, it’s fairly simple. You:

  • Find someone you trust
  • Create a secured, private note
  • Collect interest payments.

Now, you might be thinking, “What is a private note?”

It’s basically an IOU.

Essentially, a private note is an agreement between you and your borrower, and it outlines things like:

  • Loan amount
  • Interest rate
  • How long you’ll let your borrower use your money (aka, the term)
  • And the date you expect them to pay you back in full.

And if a borrower can’t pay you back, then fear not. Your money is secured by the property. So, as long as you do your homework and make sure it’s a worthwhile investment, then your money is safe.

And if you’d rather someone else do the homework, including prepping the private note and overseeing the life of the loan, then you can use a licensed and experienced company like ours to handle it. All you have to do is kick back, relax, and watch your interest payments arrive in your bank account.

Ready to talk about investing your money in real estate without picking up a hammer? Great! Our team is always here to chat.

Happy investing!

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How to Retire: Retirement Scares Me

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How to Retire: Retirement Scares Me

How to Retire: Retirement Scares Me

Retirement is just around the corner. It’s tiptoeing closer and closer…But, you’re not ready.

And that TERRIFIES you.

Because the stock market is constantly up and down, banks aren’t paying much if anything, and retirement accounts like PERA are questionable.

So, what can you do to prepare for retirement? Because whether you like it or not, it’s creeping towards you.

Well, one of the best and most secure strategies is private lending.

There are thousands of fix and flippers, landlords, and other real estate investors who can’t get a traditional loan through a bank. So, they turn to private lenders.

Someone like you. Someone who has a chunk of money they’d like to safely invest so they can boost their income…and their retirement savings.

So, how exactly do you make money in private lending? Well, it’s pretty easy, actually.

Step 1

Find a trustworthy real estate investor who needs cash to buy a fixer upper.

Step 2

Create a private note that includes the interest rate for your loan. Rates vary in private lending, so it’s your decision on how much you charge.  And how much you charge depends on how much you trust your borrower.

Step 3

Collect interest payments and boost your retirement savings.

That’s the basic gist. And if you’d rather have someone else find trustworthy real estate investors, create your note, and oversee the life of the loan, then you can use a licensed and experienced company like ours to help you handle it.

Here’s the thing. Since the beginning of time, people have needed money. And they’ve always needed to borrow it from someone. Why not you?

Don’t let retirement scare you. Take control now and start investing your money in a way that will help you face retirement…and face it with confidence.

Ready to talk about investing your money in real estate? Great! Our team is always here to chat.

Happy investing!

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Private Loans: Invest in Real Estate without Flipping or Renting

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Become a Private Lender: Invest in Real Estate without Flipping or Renting

Private Loans: Invest in Real Estate without Flipping or Renting

Do you know about private loans?

And did you know you can invest in real estate without resorting to fixing and flipping or fixing and renting?

It’s true. Everyone can put their money to work, even if they don’t want to put their muscles to work. If you want, you can skip the hammers, ladders, and paint. There’s no need to groan over dust-covered floors, clothes, and, well, everything. And forget about stressing over contractors and delayed projects. Because you can invest in real estate without ever stepping foot inside a property.

https://youtu.be/BnIJ81doM-0

How is this possible? Well, it’s actually pretty easy.

Rather than rolling up your sleeves and searching, buying, fixing, and selling or renting properties, you can become a private lender.

What does being a private lender mean?

Simply put, you become a bank for fix and flippers or rental owners. And you get to charge them interest for using your money.

Interest rates vary in private lending, but one thing is for sure: you’ll earn A LOT more interest in real estate than in your bank account.

Now, there are a couple of ways to become a private lender.

#1: A Helping Hand

So, the easiest way to get started is through companies like our sister company, The Note Shop. Through our licensed company, we connect private lenders with real estate investors.

And when you use a company like ours, you don’t need to:

  • Search for real estate investors who need funding.
  • Interview them and review their portfolio to determine how much you can trust them with your money.
  • Analyze properties to make sure they’re worth the investment.
  • Prepare loan documents, like deeds of trust and mortgages.
  • Handle escrow draws.
  • Oversee the life of the loan, including all payments, extensions, and modifications.

Yes, you can skip ALL of that and let our team do the work for you. That means we handle the entire list above.

Not you.

#2: DIY

Or, if you’re experienced and confident in private lending, you can work directly with real estate investors. This is best known in the business as OPM (Other People’s Money).

OPM puts you directly in the driver’s seat. Because you get to decide how big of a risk you’d like to take with your money, and that risk is based on trust.

Like, do you trust them to:

  • Pay you back?
  • Buy, fix, and flip a property within your agreed upon timeline?
  • Sell or rent a property for what they claim it’s worth after they repair it?

In addition to trust, you also need to tackle the entire to-do list we mentioned above. This is completely doable! But, again, it comes down to how much risk and work you want to take on.

So, there you have it! You can invest in real estate without ever picking up a hammer.

And, believe us when we say, private lending is easy, lucrative, and EASY!

Ready to talk about investing your money in real estate without breaking a sweat? Great! Because our team is always here to chat.

Happy investing!

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Credit Score 101: How Your Credit Score is Robbing You

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How Your Credit Score is Robbing You

Credit Score 101: How Your Credit Score is Robbing You

In this session of Credit Score 101, we’d like to introduce you to Sally Payday and Joe Robber.

Sally Payday is a wonderful guest. When she shows up on your front doorstep, she brings a smile, hug, and a bag of cash with her.

Joe Robber, on the other hand, doesn’t knock. He strolls right inside and steals money out of your wallet. Then takes it and runs!

So, who can you expect a visit from? Sally? Or Joe?

Well, it all depends on what credit score Mr. FICO gives you.

Mr. FICO can be a tough cookie, especially if you:

  • Forget to pay your bills
  • Overuse your credit cards
  • Or don’t use enough credit…meaning, you don’t have enough or any

Believe it or not, having debt can be a good thing. Because when you don’t have any, Mr. FICO doesn’t know you exist. Therefore, he can’t give you a credit score—or he can only give you a low one.

And if you have a low score, then, unfortunately, you can expect a visit from Joe Robber. Because a low score means you pay higher interest rates on your house, car, and other loans.

And if you’re paying higher rates, then Joe gets to take more of your money.

Which makes him a very happy man.

He loves stealing all the cash you could be using to save up for a dream vacation, a healthier lifestyle, or a more comfortable retirement.

Meanwhile, Sally Payday takes a different approach.

She doesn’t like to take money. She likes to make sure it stays in your bank account. But she can only visit people who have good credit scores. Because a good credit score means you pay cheaper rates.

And cheaper rates mean lower bills. Which means you can pay for your trip, gym membership, retirement, or anything else that would make your life better.

Sally Payday and Joe Robber are not one-time visitors. They show up on your doorstep every month.

And every month, Sally brings cash, and Joe steals it.

Which one would you rather welcome into your life?

Because it’s really your choice.

Everyone can have a good credit score. Even if you don’t have one now, it’s within your reach. You don’t need to keep letting Joe in the house. And Sally’s just standing there on the sidewalk, ready to present you with a bag of cash.

Want to find out how you can raise your score? Check out some of our other videos on our Youtube channel.

You can also join our live series How to Invest in Real Estate. Every Thursday at 11 AM MST, real estate expert, Mike Bonn answers all of your questions and shares expert tips on improving your credit score, investing in real estate, and building a comfortable retirement.

Happy investing!

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Money Chat: My Credit Score…What’s That About?

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My Credit Score...What's That About?

Money Chat: My Credit Score…What’s That About?

When you need a loan, do you ever think, “My credit score…What’s that about?”

Well, during our next Money Chat, Mike Bonn is going to answer all of your questions. He’s also going to share insider tips on how to raise your score so you can get the best loan possible.

My Credit Score...What's That About

Want to join Mike’s Money Chat? Then register for FREE here.

Mike will answer common questions like:

  • Is this based on my credit?
  • Will you pull my credit?
  • How can I boost my credit score? 
  • What score do I need to get the best rates?

By the end of the Money Chat, you should have a much better grasp of how your credit score impacts your loan options…and, more importantly, your cash flow and profits.

When: Thursday, September 30th, 11 AM MST

Where: Virtual nationwide.

Register for free at https://my.demio.com/ref/lw8s3Krd8n4vKXqo

Can’t make it? No problem. We run free Money Chats every week to make sure you have an opportunity to listen, learn, and ask all of your questions.

Mike and the rest of the Hard Money Mike/Cash Flow Mortgage Company team looks forward to seeing you on Thursday.

If you have any questions about our weekly Money Chats, then our team is here to answer them any time.

Happy investing!

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