Tag Archive for: real estate leverage

Leveraging Bargain Properties for Maximum Gains

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Leveraging Bargain Properties for Maximum Gains

Real estate is all about creating leverage. Another way to create that leverage is to buy undervalued properties. What exactly is an undervalued property? It is a property that is being sold for less than it is worth. These are the properties that provide an opportunity for you to receive 100% financing and steady income for the rest of your life. Let’s take a look at a few examples of how an undervalued property can help you to succeed. 

Hoarders helper

Just the other day a friend of mine helped someone move out of a hoarder house that was under foreclosure. The homeowners no longer wanted the property, and they just couldn’t get everything done in time. My friend was able to come in and give them some money to take care of things, allowing the homeowners to get out of the property.. My friend was able to get the house at 70% of the value and put in 10%. In doing so, he created 20% net worth for himself. With the condo appraisal for $250K, he created $50K in wealth within just one weekend. 

Starting with nothing

Another local guy we know sold his car in order to get his first real estate deal. Fast forward 4 years, he has built three 6 unit apartment buildings with cash. These properties are owned free and clear, which is creating a steady income for him for the rest of his life. He achieved this success by being very diligent with both his process and his numbers. This is a prime example of how people who put their mind into something, can in turn create the wealth that they want. 

Lenders like undervalued properties

Lenders consider undervalued properties to be safe. This is because they are such a good deal compared to other properties on the market. Therefore, real estate investors can often get 100% financing on a property that is under market value. There are a lot of properties that are well under market value out there and many of them need some work. By taking the time and fixing them up correctly, you could guarantee a future profit for your investment.

Buy undervalued properties for maxim gains

Real estate is all about leverage. By leveraging bargain properties, you will in turn have maximum gains on your investment. It doesn’t take a PhD or a masters, it just takes some Doers! These are people who want to get out there and just do it. Investors who go through the correct steps can in turn make great returns within a short period of time. Some people want to make $50K to 80K in a year and have 6 months off. That is the beauty of investing and leveraging correctly. 

Watch our most recent video to find out more about Leveraging Bargain Properties for Maximum Gains.

Contact us to find out more about the importance of leverage and how to fill up your money buckets.

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What Credit Score Do You Need To Succeed?

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What Credit Score Do You Need To Succeed?

Investors are struggling in this current economy with the impact that business expenses are having on their personal credit scores.  Alex Erlich, a credit advisor and educator, is joining us today to discuss the importance of leveraging business credit vs personal credit. Credit and debt are not equal in any shape or form, but we have to play the game to win it. 

The importance of Leverage

So many investors are putting business expenses on their personal credit. Resulting in 70-80% of clients becoming overextended on projects, and maxing out their credit cards. By separating personal and business credit, it will prevent further strain on your personal credit, increase loan eligibility, and create more leverage. What exactly do we mean by leverage? Leverage is how much you are eligible for and what it looks like on paper. Leverage is the King in real estate. Having more leverage allows for more opportunities, not only your business, but for your personal life as well. 

The ideal Credit Score

MyFico.com is the best place to obtain credit score information. This site not only provides an overall credit score, but it also separates scores into 40 different categories. It can be an information overload, however, by going straight to the source it provides you a cost free and spam free way to gather all of the information you need. So what is the ideal credit score that lenders are looking for? The ideal credit score range should be between 680 and 720. However, with the current economy, banks are increasing their minimum requirements to 720 and above. How do you get from 680 to 720? We can help you discover ways to improve your scores quickly to get you back in the game.

Don’t let your personal credit score impact your business success!

The faster you can separate your personal credit from your business credit, the better your personal credit score will be. We can guide you through the steps. From establishing your business, to finding the right business credit cards, and even providing a 911 loan, we have the tools to help you win.

Contact us today to find out more about setting yourself up for success.

Need more tips and tricks? Watch the full interview with Alex Erlich

 

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Empower Your Business: Business Credit Vs Personal Credit

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Empower Your Business: Business Credit Vs Personal Credit

Alex Erlich, a credit advisor and educator, is joining us today to discuss the ins and outs of what real estate professionals and other companies are struggling with in this current economy.The main focus for today’s conversation is the importance of leveraging business credit vs personal credit. Credit and debt are not equal in any shape or form, but we have to play the game to win it. Knowing the rules of how to play will get you in the best position to win! Whether it’s the credit card game, credit game, or the leverage game, you need to create a leverage profile. Let’s take a closer look to discover what you need to not only establish your company, but ways that can set you up for success.

How to leverage business credit instead of personal credit?

So many people are putting business expenses on their personal credit. Unfortunately that is not as efficient as one might assume. 70-80% of clients are overextended on projects, and have maxed out their credit cards. Thus making it extremely difficult to be approved for additional loans moving forward without further impacting personal credit scores. In order to prevent this landslide, we need to approach business expenses more professionally and keep everything business focused. In doing so, it will prevent further strain on your personal credit, increase eligibility, and create more leverage. What exactly do we mean by leverage? Leverage is how much you are eligible for and what it looks like on paper. Leverage is the King in real estate. Having more leverage allows for more opportunities, not only your business, but for your personal life as well.  

How do we turn the focus from personal to business? 

First and foremost individuals need to acknowledge that they have a business. Surprisingly, many business owners don’t consider themselves to be entrepreneurs. From relators, to contractors, and everyone in between, they typically consider themselves to be employees of the overwriting company. However, this mindset needs to change! They should not only view themselves as entrepreneurs, but also a representation of the brand. Another component that should be evaluated are items on your personal credit that need to be removed. This will in turn prevent you from personal liability as you continue to grow your business.

What is another problem that business owners have to navigate?

The quick and simple answer to this question is social media. The majority of info is on TicTock, Twitter, and even on reals. Even though not all of it is bad information, it’s not always complete information. It is imperative that any information found on social media should be researched further. In regards to credit score expectations, there is a lot of misinformation on the internet as well. Do your research and always seek out support from professionals if you have questions.

Where do you go for correct credit score information?

 MyFico.com is the best place to get not only basic credit score information, but specific scores that can impact you differently depending on what you are needing them for. It can be information overload with 40 scores available, however, by going straight to the source it provides you a cost free and spam free way to gather all of the information you would need to make a financial decision. Ideally you should have a personal credit score of 680 to 720 in order to qualify for various lending options. Ultimately it is better to be at a 720, but how do you get there? Here are the top 4 things you can do to make your personal credit score improve quickly.

First:

Do not open new credit unless you have talked with a professional and they have created a step by step outline. At The Cash Flow Company we can help you apply for a 911 loan instead to take care of the one or two items that are holding you back financially.

Second:

Remove any derogatory information that is on your credit report. Now is the time to see what can be done about it and how to leverage it. Especially if it’s a local bank. Something from three to five years ago that already has a zero balance, should be removed. Be methodical and purposeful.

Third:

Take into account your inquiries. If you have been shopping for money and applying for things, look into a fast inquiry removal. This can make a substantial positive impact on your credit score. If you are using your personal credit to inquire about your business, those should all be disputed as well. 

Fourth and final:

Relationships are your key to a successful business. Determine which companies are having the hardest time or tightening their budget. These are the ones that will leave you behind so they can swim upstream in search of bigger and better clients. By building local, human, real relationships, the more successful you will be.

Personal Relationships

In working with real estate investors, realtors, and contractors, a lot of what we enjoy doing is working human to human. In forming that connection with our clients, we are able to focus on how we can make them better both as a person and as a company. They are all unique and don’t all need the same things. For one client they may need a little rearranging to raise their credit score, while others could require a longer process to get back on the right path.  By forming personal relationships with local banks, you are more likely to be approved for lines of credit, credit cards, or loans that can in turn grow your company. Another benefit to going local is that regional banks or smaller banks, don’t have the same guidelines as the big banks. They can do “make sense deals” when they make sense. 

Getting started is daunting! Here is what you need to get in it to win it.

  1. Make sure personal credit is setting you up for success. Identify and separate business credit vs personal credit to get your credit score back on track. 
  2. You need to decide what the business is and it’s subcategorization. Banks will look at the NAICS to determine what industry you are in, as well as the subcategorization when you are applying for business funding.
  3. How do you select a name for your  business? Will there be a parent company? 
  4. Establishing the company properly through the secretary of state, applying for an EIN, applying for a business license, and opening business accounts for expenses. Setting this up correctly will ensure that you are seen as a business not only to lenders, but to clients as well. 
  5. Be very clear with your goals! Where do you want to go with your business, how many properties do you need, do you need to buy machinery? All of these goals need to be established first and foremost when starting your business. 

In conclusion, it is important that you are establishing your business correctly from day one and forming positive relationships that will set your business up to win. The faster you can separate your business vs personal credit, the better your personal credit score will be, and will in turn create more leverage for future growth. All the little tricks will get you there! We can help guide you through this process! 

Contact us today to find out more about setting yourself up for success.

Need more tips and tricks? Watch the full interview with Alex Erlich

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Take the Fast Track: #1 Lesson I’ve Learned in Real Estate Investing

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Take the Fast Track: #1 Lesson I’ve Learned in Real Estate Investing

Over the past 23 years, I’ve helped thousands of people navigate and conquer real estate investing. Looking back, there are a number of things that I would do differently to not only simplify the process but put me on the fast track as well. While there are five valuable lessons, I would like to share with you, one in particular will make a significant impact on your real estate investing venture.

How to Take the fast track

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel! Find systems and people who have worked hard and copy them. Look at what they are doing, what their systems are, and what they are looking for, as well as what they are avoiding. Discover exactly how to win by exploring what makes sense for your investments and what doesn’t. There is so much noise out there! You want to make sure that you are watching the people who are doing great and ignore those who are just talking about doing good. Here are the top three things that you need to get on the fast track!

Properties:

A valuable lesson that every fast-track investor needs to learn is how to find good properties. Find and look at as many good properties as you can.

Funding:

The most important thing as a real estate investor is leverage and using other people’s money. Funding is available through banks, lenders, or individuals.

Put together a good team:

It is vital that you partner with good contractors, knowledgeable realtors, stagers, and property managers. By putting the whole team together, they can support you by knowing what you are looking for as well as what they can or can’t do.

How can we help you?

Our goal is to make you successful! There is no need to start from scratch and struggle along the way. By researching and following what others have done, you can quickly and easily set your business up to win. 

Watch our most recent video to find out more about these 5 valuable lessons. 

Have more questions on how to get started with your business and how you can win in real estate investing? Call us today! 

 

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Credit Score 911 How to Qualify for a Utilization Loan

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Credit Score 911 How to Qualify for a Utilization Loan

A utilization loan, or 911 utilization loan is useful for both flippers, as well as real estate investors. Unfortunately, not everyone can qualify for a 911 loan, but it is available to those who pay their bills on time and need to quickly raise their credit score. Many of the clients we see get stuck in the trap of using their personal credit cards for business expenses. This in turn can have a significant impact on credit scores in the long run. There are three things that we look for to determine if you qualify for a utilization loan. Let’s take a closer look!

First, make sure payments are on time.

This loan is ideal for clients who spiral into personal credit card debt from using their cards for business expenses. The most important requirement to qualify is that they have been paying on time every month. If you haven’t been paying on time, then you will need to get back on track in order to be considered.

Second, have something to secure the loan with.

We are an asset-based lender and require a piece of real estate to secure the loan. We want to not only ensure that we have the security for lending, but that you also have leverage for your next step.

Third, how do you pay a usage loan back.

In using the 911 loan, you are able to increase your credit score. Which, in turn, allows you to get your next loan, qualify for a refinance, purchase your next flip property, and so much more! However, it is important that you think ahead about how to pay off this usage loan once you get back on track. This can be done by either getting cash out or using a HELOC to pay us off. 

Is a usage loan right for you?

We have a client for example with 200K in credit card debt who is paying 6-7K per month now. By doing the 911 loan, we were able to cut their debt in half to 3K per month in credit card payments. Another client was able to raise their credit score 12 points and receive a HELOC. While someone else was finally able to qualify for a SBA loan. Again, this is not a long-term loan! This is a 911 loan that will help get your credit score back on track and provide the leverage you need to be successful.

How can we help you?

Not sure if you would qualify for a credit utilization loan or where to go next? We have resources that can help guide you through the process. It only takes about 10 to 15 minutes to run through the information and see if we can help. After that, we will also help to set things up correctly to ensure you aren’t faced with these issues again. 

Before reaching out, there are a few things you can do to see if this is the right move for you and your business. 

  1. Go to MyCredit, MyFico or another credit website to run a simulator. This will show how your credit score is impacted once you pay off certain debt.
  2. Look at your payments and leverage. Are you paying everything on time, and do you have a real estate property that can be used to secure the loan?
  3. How can you get out of it in less than 12 months? You need to have a way to pay off the 911 loan in a short period of time. 

These are good loans for real estate investors who are trying to get credit card payments paid down. So many people go into credit card debt, and it can take a year or two to recover by paying them off as they build. It’s easier however, to pay 8-10% interest on a HELOC then 29% interest on a credit card. 

Watch our most recent video or contact us today to see if you qualify for this quick fix, so you can enjoy investing in the future! 

Go to our website to fill out an app and set up an appointment to discuss more. The more information you can give us, the more we can do to get you back on track! 

 

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5 valuable lessons learned in real estate investing

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5 Valuable Lessons Learned in Real Estate Investing 

In the past 23 years, I’ve helped thousands of people become successful in real estate investing. Looking back over those years, there are several things that I would do differently to not only make me successful but also, ways to do it quicker. There are 5 valuable lessons that I’ve learned and want to share with you about real estate investing.

1. Take the fast track

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel! Find systems and people who have worked hard and copy them. Look at what they are doing, what their systems are, and what they are looking for, as well as what they are avoiding. Discover exactly how to win by exploring what makes sense for your investments and what doesn’t. There is so much noise out there! You want to make sure that you are watching the people who are doing great and ignore those who are just talking about doing good. Here are the top three things that you need to get on the fast track!

Properties:

A valuable lesson that every fast-track investor needs to learn is how to find good properties. Find and look at as many good properties as you can.

Funding:

The most important thing as a real estate investor is leverage and using other people’s money. Funding is available through banks, lenders, or individuals.

Put together a good team:

It is vital that you partner with good contractors, knowledgeable realtors, stagers, and property managers. By putting the whole team together, they can support you by knowing what you are looking for as well as what they can or can’t do.

2. Times VS Time

The question that all investors ask is, how long does it take to be successful? Success is heavily reliant on the number of times you practice evaluating properties, as well as exploring your lending options. The more you practice and look at properties, practice and comp out a property, and reach out to lenders, the more knowledgeable and confident you will become. It takes 100 times to walk through these steps before an investor becomes confident in the process. Some investors can achieve this in a week, while others may take 6 months to 6 years. Again, it’s not the amount of time it takes to be successful, it’s the number of times you practice.

3. Set your business up to win 

You must set up your business correctly from the beginning. To do this, make sure that your business is properly set up with the state, has a bank account, and has an office location. Every correct step will ensure that the business is set up to win the leverage game. One of the most important steps in this process is selecting your business name. Avoid putting “real estate” directly in your name because it will impact your funding moving forward. Instead, you can use “management”, a name, or a group in order to make your business name unique.  Once everything is established, find local banks that love to work with real estate investors. While national banks are great for unsecured lines of credit and credit cards, it is the local banks who will partner with you long term.

4. Create simple processes

Investors can easily become overwhelmed by all of the components that need to be considered before purchasing a property. By walking through the steps over and over again, it makes it easier to not only set up a simple process for yourself but then allows you to hand things over to others. Begin to find people who can support you and follow your established processes. You must ask yourself:

  • How do I comp out a property?
  • How do I walk through a property to see what needs to be fixed or repaired?
  • How do I pick a contractor?

5. Scale with flexibility

To add volume to your investments, you must bring in more people. However, these individuals are not on the payroll. More importantly, their partnership and expertise can guide you on the fast track to success. From having real estate agents help comp out properties, to bringing in more wholesalers, this can help you win with flexibility with your scalability. As long as you have your systems established, there is no ceiling to your success.

Bonus

6. Do whatever it takes

You must do whatever it takes to get you to where you want to be. Only you can determine what that means to you. Identify what you need to do upfront, and just do it! If you get into that mentality, you will be able to navigate the road to success within your market. The people who have the “do whatever it takes” attitude will not only win in this market but in every market thereafter!

Our goal is to make you successful! By following these 5 valuable lessons in real estate investing, you will be on the fast track to success! Watch our most recent video to find out more about these 5 valuable lessons. 

Have more questions on how to get started with your business and how you can win in real estate investing? Call us today! 

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The Real Estate Investor’s Battle: Hurdles and Solutions

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The Real Estate Investor’s Battle: Hurdles and Solutions

Do you want to use other people’s money to generate cash flow? Wondering what hurdles you will face along the way? Unfortunately people tend to get greedy and let emotions take over their investing decisions. They begin purchasing multiple properties in a short period of time, which is not always a profitable method. Investing is all about the numbers and determining whether a property will create cash flow, or will instead create spiraling debt. By setting your business up correctly and not letting your emotions take over, the sky’s the limit for your success. Let’s take a closer look at the real estate hurdles and the solutions that will get you back on track. 

First, limit the number of properties

We see so many people who want to do 5 or 6 deals a year. In doing so, they tend to lose money on at least 2 if not 3 of those properties. Thus resulting in investors breaking even, as opposed to making money. By taking on too much too quickly, investors fail to grow their money. It is possible in 3 years to obtain good wealth, but achieving it in one year is very difficult. Be strategic to ensure that you’re making money on each deal!

Second, regulate your emotions

80% to 90% of people either take on too much, or they let their emotions drive their business. Even though they know their numbers going into a deal, many investors let their emotions drive the bidding. This causes them to become overextended and unfortunately results in little to no profit on the property. Real estate investment is designed for everyone, however it’s only profitable for those who can take their energy and put it back into the property.

Third, leverage

It is imperative that you leave your emotions out of the deal and instead focus your attention on the leverage that your investment holds. As an investor, you have to understand how to use leverage properly in order to create income and generational wealth. While not everyone has $300K to start investing, you need to make sure that the property can pay for itself. For example, if a property is bringing in $4K and is only costing $2K, then you can feel comfortable taking on another mortgage without facing financial strain.  

Fourth, do your research 

Whether you are house hacking or joining a fellow investor, you need to make sure that you are comfortable with the numbers before diving in. It is important to research and compare properties prior to investing to determine if the investment will be profitable. Another component in this process is evaluating the property for sellability. Unfortunately there are a number of properties that have been fixed quickly or had things covered up for a fast sale. In knowing what you are looking for, you can save time and money by investing in a property that people want to buy. 

In conclusion

There is a reason that it’s “simple not easy” in real estate investing. You have to follow the process and take the steps until you feel comfortable enough to eliminate the emotions. This in turn will prevent you from getting into a situation that could jeopardize your success. Finally, by getting help from realtors, designers, or even finding ideas online, you can ensure that you have something that your audience will love. We can help you tackle the hurdles and find solutions to the challenges that are holding you back from achieving cash flow.

Watch our most recent video to find out more about Real Estate Investment Hurdles and Solutions

If you have any questions on liquidity, fix and flip loans, or any other real estate investment questions, please reach out to us!

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What Are the Downsides of a DSCR Loan?

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Always shop around for loans. What downsides of a DSCR loan should you look out for?

A disclaimer: you should always shop around for DSCR loans.

There is no universal underwriting for DSCR, so every lender will be a little bit different. This product is extremely segmented. So while one lender might have a deal-breaking con, another one will have all the pros you’re looking for.

That being said, let’s look at some of the potential pitfalls of a DSCR loan compared to a conventional loan.

Downsides of a DSCR Loan: Higher Interest Rate

A DSCR loan will have an interest rate somewhere between 1-3% higher than a conventional loan. Because, unlike the conventional market which is controlled by two pseudo-government agencies (Fannie and Freddie), DSCR is made up of hundreds of different investors who design these products. One lender may offer a rate of 6%, while the same client at another lender could only get 8-9%. 

 Prepayment Penalty

There are only a few states where DSCR loans don’t have prepay penalties. With a prepay penalty, there is a period (usually 3-5 years) where you must pay a fee if you want to pay off the loan. If you think you’ll want to sell or refinance the property within that time frame, DSCR might not be a cheap option for you.

For Rentals Only

DSCR loans are designed for investors with rental properties. You cannot use a DSCR loan for an owner-occupied property (aka, your personal home). These are business-based loans, so they do not follow the same standards as personal mortgages.

Credit

Since DSCR loans don’t look at your income, they do rely heavily on your credit score. Without a good score, you’ll have a hard time getting a DSCR loan (or at least one with decent rates).

Community and Loan Size

Lastly, DSCR loans aren’t ideal for smaller communities or projects. DSCR lenders typically only lend in cities with a population greater than 25,000. The lowest loan they’ll give is generally around $75,000.

How to Find DSCR Loan with the Fewest Downsides

It’s always important to shop around for the best leverage, but this is especially true for the segmented market of DSCR loans.

Not sure where to start? Reach out to us at Info@TheCashFlowCompany.com.

We work with 10-15 different DSCR wholesale companies to find the best rates, highest LTVs, and lowest credit requirements.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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The Benefits of a DSCR Loan for Investors Who Own a Rental

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How do you benefit from a DSCR loan? Why should you get one?

A DSCR loan can replace a conventional loan for real estate investors.

But what’s it all about? Let’s go over the benefits of a DSCR loan.

Benefits of a DSCR Loan vs Conventional

These loans are relatively simple:

  • There are no personal income requirements (no W-2s, tax returns, etc). Instead, it’s all based on the income and expenses of the property.
  • There are no business or experience requirements. Bank or conventional loans require a business to exist for 2 years or more before they’ll lend to you.
  • They don’t need to see your portfolio. For other loans, lenders may ask to see what other properties you’ve flipped or rented. DSCR loans only care about the rental property at hand.

DSCR loans come in all shapes and sizes (3-year, 5-year, 30-year, 40-year), with a broad variety of details depending on lenders.

What Is the “DSCR” Part?

A debt service coverage ratio loan focuses on the debt ratio of the property. Does the rent pay for the expenses?

  • Rent – The monthly income a property receives from tenants, based on comps.
  • Expenses – Despite all the expenses of a property, a DSCR loan only takes into account the mortgage payment, interest, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees.

One way to think of this ratio is: do you at least break even on this property?

To calculate a DSCR loan: Does Rent ÷ Income equal 1?

If yes, then you exactly break even. If it’s more than 1, then you have cash flow (and getting a DSCR loan will be even easier). But if this number is less than 1, the property costs more than it makes, and you’ll need a special kind of DSCR loan, likely with worse terms.

Benefits of a DSCR Loan

Let’s go over all the positives of a DSCR loan:

  • No income requirements for you – just the property.
  • It doesn’t matter how old your business is.
  • You can write everything off on your tax returns.
  • Lenders don’t consider your other properties in the underwriting.
  • You can buy in an LLC or company name.
  • They have interest-only DSCR options.
  • There is a variety of term lengths – from 3-year adjustable to 40-year fixed.
  • They can be used for short-term rentals, like Airbnb or VRBO.
  • A DSCR loan is a perfect long-term refinance loan for a flip project. It works great with BRRRR.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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Why You’ll Love Using a HELOC for Real Estate Investing

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3 ways to use a HELOC for real estate investing & an example of how it could play out for you.

A HELOC is like a large credit card attached to a house. You can re-use and pay off these funds over and over.

Let’s go over a few details you should know about how to use a HELOC for real estate investing – plus what a 100% HELOC-funded investment might look like.

3 Ways to Use a HELOC for Real Estate Investing

There are 3 main ways investors use HELOCs to fund their real estate deals:

Funding Any Deal You Want

If you have enough equity in your house, you could make a down payment, fund the rehab, or purchase the whole property with 100% HELOC financing.

We had a recent client find a great real estate deal in Oklahoma, where property and fix-up, all in, was $49,000. With a HELOC, that becomes an easy transaction to fund by yourself. You can skip all the trouble of going to a lender.

HELOC financing is especially useful for auction properties – you can get your funding within a day, pay for the property (or at least the down payment) all yourself, and stop missing great deals that cross your path.

Gap Funding with a HELOC for Real Estate Investing

Another major use for a HELOC is gap funding. Gap funding supplies money for all the smaller things a primary loan or mortgage won’t cover.

You could take money from this line of credit, and use HELOC financing for:

  • Down payment
  • Repairs and rehab
  • Earnest money, if a buyer needs funds to hold a property for you 
  • Reserves, if your primary lender requires you to have a certain dollar amount on-hand for emergencies
  • Carry costs, to make loan, insurance, and other payments during the rehab

Using HELOC is the cheapest way you could fund these gaps in your loan.

Put More Down on a Property

So the third way that people use HELOCs is to put more down on a property to get better loan terms and rates.

If the bank requires another 10% more than what you have, then you can take money out of the HELOC to use. This could mean the difference between getting back financing instead of hard money or private lending.

Even if the bank doesn’t require the extra 10%, the more you can put down upfront, the more you save overall in better rates and terms.

Even if your HELOC isn’t big enough to fund an entire project, it can help you save money in smaller ways like this.

Example of How You Could Use a HELOC for Real Estate Investing

Let’s say you have a HELOC of $100,000. How can you use that in a real estate deal for 100% HELOC financing?

1. Earnest Money

You find a property you want to put under contract, so you need $2,000 for earnest money.

Instead of going to a lender or putting up your own cash, you go to your bank, have them cut you either a cashier’s check or a check on your account, put it with the title, and now you have earnest money on your account. 

You now have $98,000 available in your HELOC. You’re only paying interest on $2,000.

2. Down Payment & Closing Costs

Next, you need to put in a down payment and closing costs of $10,000 total. You call your bank and have them wire it to the title company from your HELOC.

You now have $88,000 still available, and you’re paying interest on $12k.

3. Rehab & Extra Costs

Now you’re doing your projects. You need to make repairs, pay the mortgage or hard money loan, and cover taxes.

You could put a bunch of money from your HELOC in your checking account up-front, draw from it monthly, or ask your bank about a debit card. All the expenses could go on this card – you just have to keep good accounting.

Let’s say you’ve spent $30,000 total on mortgage payments, paying contractors, and other costs. This means you took $42,000 total out of your HELOC.

Note: You’re not paying interest on the full $100k limit of your HELOC. You only pay interest on the amount you’ve taken out – in this case, the $42k.

4. Paying It Off

Lastly, you sell the property or refinance it as a BRRRR. You take these funds and put it back on your line of credit.

Now, you have $100,000 again to use on your next project.

If you want help figuring out which HELOC is best for you, download this free, quick HELOC questionnaire.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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