Covid-19 has ambushed economies all over the world, with leaders and businesses desperately trying to find a healthy balance between protecting people and protecting the economy. So many industries have been left in an unpredictable state, including the real estate market. Let’s have a look at 3 important things you should know before taking the leap and investing in real estate.

1. Compared To Other Industries, Real Estate Is a Relatively Safe Investment
Historically, real estate has been a reliable investment. Whilst the pandemic has created a sense of instability, residential real estate continues to function in a relatively normal manner. In the worst case scenario that the value of the property you invest in depreciates, you still have a physical asset to your name. If you’re looking to get into commercial property, that’s a whole other story. The market has been shaken dramatically with people working from home and e-commerce developing exponentially, leaving many commercial real estate owners in a difficult position. Of course there are exceptions, for example companies who have benefitted from the pandemic as they were hit with a huge demand for their products. Many of these companies are now looking for industrial space to stabilise their supply chain. This would be an option for investment and you can get great value for money through commercial property auctions, yet overall, it seems residential real estate is the safest investment in the industry.

2. Select The Best Possible Location
When investing in a property, whether that be to renovate and sell or to rent out, choosing a location with sustainable demand is essential in order to make a reasonable return on your investment. With the financial uncertainty that comes with a pandemic of this scale, people are looking for the best possible value for money and they want to be sure that if they are taking a substantial financial risk, it will fulfil all of their needs. If you’re looking at investing in a flat, the younger generation are looking for amenities when they are renting, so there are a few things you should look out for. Local bars and restaurants, gyms and proximity to public transport, to name a few. If you’re looking for a suburban property with the hopes of targeting a family, aim for areas close to large parks, countryside public footpaths, good schools and supermarkets. Consider who you are wanting to target and what they will be looking for before making the important decision of where to invest.

3. Prepare For Substantial Upfront Costs
For the first time in a long time, many mortgage lenders are demanding 15-20% deposits as a result of Covid-19. If you are a cash buyer, this won’t be a concern, but if you are relying on taking out a mortgage for your investment, then this could be important. The economic fallout that has loomed as a result of the pandemic led low-deposit mortgage deals to crumble, leaving people who had saved a 10% deposit extremely disgruntled. The current financial uncertainty in the UK also led lenders to be even more selective on who they offer mortgages to. If you are in a position to offer a high deposit straight away, then you will be in a strong position. These substantial upfront costs could be a deal breaker for some investors, so this is something to consider before starting the process, and definitely something to research in depth.

Summary
To summarise, residential real estate seems to be the safest investment at the minute. With the financial difficulties facing many potential buyers and renters, make sure you select a property in a great location that people can’t refuse. Finally, if you’re relying on a mortgage for your investment, consider the substantial upfront costs involved.

Position Realty
Office: 480-213-5251

Should I use cash or credit? ARM loan or fixed rate? Ten percent down or twenty percent? Should I pay down debt or keep a cash reserve? These are all good questions, and here’s some of the answers.

Cash vs. Credit: The Concept of Leverage

In order to understand real estate financing, it is important that you understand the time value of money. Because of inflation, a dollar today is generally worth less in the future. Thus, while real estate values may increase, an all-cash purchase may not be economically feasible, since the investor’s cash may be utilized in more effective ways. Leverage is the concept of using borrowed money to make a return on an investment. Let’s say you bought a house using all of your cash for $100,000. If the property were to increase in value 10% over 12 months, it would now be worth $110,000. Your return on investment would 10% annually (of course, you would actually net less, since you would incur costs in selling the property).

If you purchased a property using $10,000 of your own cash and $90,000 in borrowed money, a 10% increase in value would still result in $10,000 of increased equity, but your return on cash is 100% ($10,000 investment yielding $20,000 in equity). Of course, the borrowed money isn’t free; you would have to incur loan costs and interest payments in borrowing money. However, you could also rent the property in the meantime, which would offset the interest expense of the loan.

Taking leverage a step further, you could purchase ten properties with 10% down and 90% financing. If you could rent these properties for breakeven cash flow, you would have a very large nest egg in 20 years when the properties are paid off. Balance that with what you could make by investing the cash flow on one free and clear property for 20 years. And, of course, look at the potential risk of negative cash flow from repairs and vacancies on ten properties. Finally, consider the tax implications – if you have cash flow, you have taxable income; if you have increase in equity, there’s no tax until you sell.

Cash Flow vs. Cash Reserve

On a similar note, the size of your down payment will affect your cash flow on rental properties. Let’s consider two examples.

Example 1: $100,000 property with $20,000 down. $80,000 loan @ 6% interest, including taxes and insurance is about $600/month. Assuming you could rent the property for $800/month, you have $200/month cash flow or $2,400/year. Not bad.

Example 2: $100,000 with no money down. $100,000 loan @ 8% (higher rate is generally common for zero-down loans) would make your payments closer to $900/month. With zero down, you have $100/month negative cash flow.

Which is better? Well, it depends on what your goals are and what the rest of your financial picture looks like. Let’s say your goal was to hold the property for 10 years. In the first example, you have $200/month cash flow, but no cash reserve. In the second example, you would have $100/month negative cash flow, but you have $20,000 in reserve. The knee-jerk reaction of some people is that example #1 is safer. But is it really?

Think about it… in the first example, if your property becomes vacant for one month, you’d be out of pocket $600. It would take three months to make that up. In the second example, you have $20,000 in cash cushion to make up the deficit. With $20,000 in the bank, you could handle $1200/year negative cash flow for 16 years. If the property were in an appreciating market, you’d come out fine, even with negative cash flow. Another factor is the choice of loan. You could buy a property with nothing down and an interest-only loan fixed at 5% for three years. If your exit strategy is a lease/option that should cash you out within 36 months, why do a fixed-rate loan?

The point here is that you should not automatically go with a fixed-rate loan. Nor should you seek positive cash flow as the only goal. Likewise, you should not buy properties with nothing down and negative cash flow and assume that short-term market appreciation will be the only source of your profit.

Paying Down Debt

For years, our parent’s generation discouraged debt as a “bad” thing. For some investors, the goal is to own properties “free and clear,” that is, with no mortgage debt. While this is a worthy goal, it does not always make financial sense. If you have free and clear properties, you will make certain amount of cash flow and pay a certain amount of income tax. If you need more cash, you are forced to sell the asset, creating a taxable gain.

If you refinance a property, there’s no taxable event. And, since mortgage interest is a deductible expense, the investor does better tax wise by saving his cash. Think about it… the higher the monthly mortgage payment, the less cash flow, the less taxable income each year. While positive cash flow is desirable, it does not necessarily mean that a property is more profitable because it has more cash flow. More equity will obviously increase monthly cash flow, but it is not always the best use of your money. On the other hand, paying down debt may make sense if you can’t get a higher return elsewhere in the market. Also, if paying down debt can have other rewards, such as bringing a loan below 80% LTV, you may be able to cancel private mortgage insurance and save additional money.

By a virtual show of hands, how many of you are hunting and searching for your for investing deal this weekend? For those of you that raised your virtual hand as a “yes” to deal-hunting, do you feel anxiety about buying an investment property? Do you feel like you might not be able to keep up the payments, or afford the rehab necessary to get the property ready for resale, or afraid of any problems that might come up with inspection?

“Most people only buy a couple homes in their lifetime. This lack of experience leads many investor buyers to feel woefully unprepared. You’re not getting married. You don’t have to make a lifelong commitment to a property, and that you can always sell later. If you fall out of love with your long term investment, as long as you buy right.

There are a set of rules that to rely upon when buying an investment property, and that these same rules can be used by anyone buying a house. Here are some great tips:

Tip #1. Get the Facts:

The number one rule is “do not overpay for a property”, and says that he never buys on future value (and refers to that as an illusion that got many of us in trouble). Being realistic if estimating the cost of repairs the property will need. Conversely, we cautions you not to let a home inspection “scare you away from a good deal”, and here’s an example of someone who had the opportunity to purchase a $650,000 home at a short sale for just $520,000, but walked away after the inspector “found a laundry list of items that needed repairs”. Albeit a “scary” looking list, as he called it, it was about $20,000 of work, leaving the remainder as over $100,000 in equity. Remember: “Get the Facts!”

Tip #2. Don’t Fall Completely in Love:

“When remodeling a home for a resale flip and being faced with a decision to either improve the home’s insulation or make the home more beautiful, I’m almost always forced to beautify.” People who lack experience will rely on their emotions. Real Estate agents are well aware of this, and this is why they try to “decorate and stage a home so that people fall in love and forget the facts”. If you fall prey to your emotions, you can get into “bidding wars and overlook discrepancies that need more attention”. The final point to be made on this tip is that “It’s much easier to replace kitchen cabinets some time down the road than it is to reinsulate a home. But people aren’t concerned or willing to pay for what’s behind the walls. They should be.

Tip #3. Get Professional Help

Real Estate Agents, Home Inspectors, Appraisers, Lawyers, Surveyors and Contractors are all valuable resources but they’re no good if you disregard their advice., and the key here is “to trust but verify. In terms of a Real Estate Agent, speak with many different agents and ask for references, until you find one that you are comfortable with. Once you are working with an agent, ask your agent to go over comparable sales with you, and “not just spit out a value”, since this will “help you feel confident about your offer and reduce the risk of complications from a low appraisal.”

Tip #4. Don’t Be Afraid to Pull the Trigger or Walk Away:

OK, so you have all of the facts about an investing deal or property that you are incredibly fond of, and if the price is fair and affordable then don’t be afraid to seal the deal. On the flip side, if the price is above the market value or the price does not take into account the amount of work it needs, you remind yourself that there are plenty of other houses to choose from.

Certainly some great tips here, but sometimes, when in the heat of battle and bidding for a home; it’s easy to lose perspective. What your mindset should be during the process; Remember a house is just sticks and stones and there are plenty of them out there.

Position Realty
Office: 480-213-5251

How To Flip homes For Profit

• Shoot for 70 percent of the after-repair value (ARV) minus cost of repairs.
• Look for homes with good bones (i.e., a solid structure)
• Choose newer homes for faster, less thorough flips
• Get all proper permits for repairs or additions
• When starting out, get a mentor to teach you the ropes

If you’re looking to invest in real estate, one way is with a rehab project, also known as a fix and flip. The process entails buying a fixer-upper, remodeling and/or renovating it and then selling it at a profit. With home prices rising across the country, however, flipping homes can be tricky. It’s important to know what you’re doing when taking on a fix-and-flip project. If you make a mistake, your profitable investment could turn into a costly money pit.

How do you separate the winning properties from the losers? Fix-and-flip investors look at a number of factors to help determine whether a property is a good investment.

After-repair value
One of the most important things that investors searching for properties to flip must consider is the property’s after-repair value, or ARV, according to Nancy Wallace-Laabs, of KBN Homes, LLC.

“Typically, if you’re investing, you want to buy a house that’s 70 percent of the ARV minus the cost of the repairs,” she said.

For example, if you determine a house’s value after you make repairs will be $200,000, and you estimate the repair costs to be $20,000, you shouldn’t pay more than 70 percent of $180,000 (the ARV minus cost of repairs), or $126,000 for the property.

Wallace-Laabs said she evaluates each property she comes across and asks herself whether it’s better suited as a rehab project or a buy-and-hold (that is, a rental property). “On flipping, you really need to analyze and know your formula to know how much money are you going to make on that property?” she said.

Lucas Machado, president of house-flipping company House Heroes LLC in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, near Miami, agrees that the flipping game is all about the numbers.

“What do you think the thing is going to be worth once you’re done fixing it up?” he asked. “What are you paying for it right now? What are you paying to buy it, and how much is it going to cost to get it to being worth that? It’s really about nailing those numbers.”

It’s important to analyze comparable sales in the area to get a good idea how much the property could sell for, he said. You need to make sure you’re comparing “apples to apples,” he added: If a property in the area sold for $300,000, but it had a pool and your property doesn’t, for example, the two properties aren’t comparable and you can’t expect to sell yours for that much money.

“Good bones”

Doug DeShields, president of the National Real Estate Investors Association, and an active rehabber himself, said he typically looks for homes that were built between 1950 and 1975.

“They have good bones, good structure,” he said. “They’re typically brick and we can tend to do well in those houses.”

Part of knowing whether a house has “good bones” or not is having some familiarity with what it takes to make necessary repairs, according to DeShields.

“You do not have to be the world’s best carpenter,” he said. “You don’t have to swing the hammer one time. But what you need to do is have a good feel for the various aspects. You need to know a little bit about construction, whether you can physically do it or not. You need to know what makes a good property.”

Thorough inspections
On the other hand, if you’re looking to do a less extensive flip, you should look beyond a property’s “good bones,” according to Travis Moore, owner of Fargo Home Solutions.

Moore said he sometimes prefers less extensive flips — the carpet-and-paint-fix-ups, as he called them — that require less expensive remodeling. According to Moore, for that style of flip, the age of the house can make a huge difference.

“If I’m doing a project like that, I really like to stick to homes that are built in 2000 and after, because you’re not going to find as many surprises,” he said. “When you get into older homes, you may think it looks OK — it’s got good bones, it’s got good structure — so this is probably a good candidate for just kind of cleaning it up. (But) on older homes, expect to have a few surprises.”

To get it right on older homes, according to Moore, it’s important to do a thorough inspection.

“Before you purchase it, really do a deep dive inspection on it … really beyond just looking at what’s visible,” he said. “Any home that old that I’m considering a lighter renovation, I really dig deep into its condition for everything, (such as) plumbing and electrical.”

Proper permits
When you buy a property, know that not every addition or feature may be permitted — and if that’s the case, it could cost you. Flippers should be cognizant of the permitting requirements for their specific location, according to Wallace-Laabs.

“If you end up doing work on a property and then (are) trying to sell it on the retail market … you have to provide proof that you pulled permits on that work,” she said.

This is not a requirement that investors should try to skirt, because it could end up costing a lot of money, she said. Wallace-Laabs mentioned that she knows an investor who bought a house and didn’t do proper due diligence before finalizing the purchase. It turned out that a previous addition to the property had never been properly permitted.

“So now my investor friends have to tear out all the sheetrock so the city can inspect the plumbing, behind the walls, the electrical, and even (check) that they put in the right size of window to call it a bedroom,” she said. “So instead of them thinking it was going to cost them $30,000 to fix this house, now it’s going to cost them $60,000.”

Get a mentor
Then, there are the big things you should look for when evaluating a fix-and-flip property — avoid foundation issues or termites for example, but there’s only so much a newbie can know. That’s why every fix-and-flip expert we spoke to recommended turning to an experienced mentor for help.

The investment advisers at Position Realty can help you with finding the perfect investment property (we have a list of wholesale properties), help you analysis the property to make sure it’s a profitable investment and help you inspect the property for issue you may over look. Give us a call today!

Position Realty
Office: 480-213-5251