Rent To Own Homes Explained

If you desire to own your own home but are unable to secure conventional financing today, leasing a home with an option to buy may be your best option. A lease purchase can make your rent money work for you instead of making your landlord rich. Typically rent to own homes offer rent credits that reduce the final purchase price! 

Here's how it works: 

A home is made available via a standard lease with one important addition. Included is an option to purchase that home at a specified price over a specified time period (usually one or two years). In order to acquire that option, the renter/buyer must pay a one time, NON REFUNDABLE, fee called the option consideration. The exact amount is negotiable, but it is usually ranges from 2.5 to 7% of the purchase price. A fair contract will credit the buyer 100% of that option consideration upon closing of the sale. Furthermore a negotiated percentage of all rent payments should be applied toward the purchase price of the home. Some typical terms and conditions one might expect to find in a contract follows: 

·         In order to receive a rent credit of 50%, time is of the essence. You MUST pay your rent on or BEFORE the due date of your lease (typically the 1st of the month). This means it must be received by the lessor (landlord) on or before the due date. Any payment received after the due date will result in a 0% rent credit for that month, a late fee may apply and you will not be building any equity. 

·         Maintenance is the responsibility of the Tenant Buyer. You are now renting to own and homeownership requires maintenance. This includes things like broken windows from stones or baseballs, clogged drains, peeling paint, broken appliances, burnt out bulbs, lawn work/snow removal, etc. If any major repairs are required to ensure habitability, the owner remains responsible. 

·         You need to have Option Consideration. Option Consideration is typically 2.5% to 7% of the purchase price of the home. It is a non-refundable payment, of which 100% is credited toward the purchase price, which binds the lease purchase contract. 

Here's an example transaction: 

We have a nice 3 bedroom, 1 bath single family home located in a near west suburb of Chicago in a great neighborhood with good schools and a strong community. It has been freshly painted, cleaned, and is ready to move in. The purchase price will be $215,000. Monthly rent payments will be $1,500 and you will receive a 50% rent credit ($750 per month). You need between 2.5% and 7% in up front Option Consideration. Let's say your budget allows for $6,000 for Option Consideration. This equates to approximately 2.8% ($6,000/215,000). You will also need $1,500 for the first months rent for a total initial payment of $7,500.

Gordon Pate is a 5^th generation resident of Bryan-College Station, his extensive knowledge of the area and its culture helps you get acquainted with Bryan-College Station Real Estate. He offers various homes for sale college station properties that satisfy what you need and what you want.

Real Estate Lesson Learned: Is Big Better?

Copyright 2006 National Real Estate Network LLC
At one time in my life I was buying 7-8 Houses a month, fixing them up and then reselling them. Then I got the bright Idea that if I can buy and sell 7-8 a month, I can buy and sell 80. This was a choice that eventually led me to bankruptcy. This has not been that long ago. Twice in my life I have made a lot of money and then took on a large growth spurt and got a large learning experience in business failure. The last one resulted in bankruptcy.
It is hard when things are going well to not be seduced by more is better. When you have something working for you, it is easy to become overconfident and start to think of multiplying it. As with most things in life, you want to be sure when you take on something, that you complete it. Pumping up the volume puts you at risk of not having the structures and being set up to deliver on what you are committed to. You naturally encounter problems that were not present on a smaller scale. It is hard when things are going well to not be seduced by more is better. I had to learn personally that pride Goethe before the fall. The bottom line is that there are always good deals in Real Estate! I say measure your success one house at a time. Buy investor property, fix it up, resell it, rent, do a lease-option, but do it one house at a time.
Multiple Purchases?
One of the most common mistakes I see in business is where investors come into the business and think they need to do multiple houses at a time. Try this on: Try doubling the cost you think it will take to fix the property, doubling the time you think it will take to rehab the property and figure your holding costs doubled (insurance, mortgage payments, taxes, lights, gas, rehab cost).
Great deals in Real Estate don’t come in houses fixed and ready to sell. The great buys come from houses that need work. If you are just getting started, stick to cosmetic rehabs (paint and carpet), Don’t take on major rehabs. It will take time to develop rehab crew. The most successful people I see in Real Estate do one house at a time. Failures are great; if you look at them and ask what action was missing that would have made a difference?
Hard moneylenders?
One pitfall is using very expensive money. For years I ran a business financed on money from Real Estate Investors who are called hard moneylenders. They look at collateral and loan money based on receiving interest can be 18% or higher when you figure in the closing costs. When you get multiple properties in this condition, you will have interest payments that are going to be double and triple what conventional financing is in Real Estate.
Now combine this with the common lie we tell ourselves that we can repair the house and put it back on the market for sale or rent in a short time. Your overhead will rise because you will need a staff to manage and rehab everything. Can you see this is a recipe for disaster for everyone? Now if you are doing one house at a time, your overhead will probably stay very low, with very little staff. Therefore you have limited your expenditure of time, money and aggravation.
At one time, my overhead was in excess of $50,000.00 per month. I had to depend on other people to do everything, including checking the work. A hundred percent of the monies I was making went paying down my debts and I kept telling myself I would turn it around tomorrow. I found myself with houses that were not finished and houses being lost in foreclosure and for taxes. That left me a very motivated seller and bankruptcy was looming large. With my overhead still there, I attempted to wholesale deals. I decided I would no longer find, repair and resell homes. Instead I would find great buys and sell them to other investors.
Basically, I started my business over. It takes a great amount of time to cultivate a list of investors interested in buying deals. This business is built on the concept you can borrow you way out of debt, but it just does not work. You have family, friends, and business associates that may get hurt or destroyed. I’m not saying this to tell you a sad story, but rather in the hopes that by sharing it, someone else can avoid the pain of my mistakes. Take from this what you can learn for yourself. I am 53 years old and starting over. I now have the knowledge to build a business with the proper foundation. I teach Real Estate Investing class now that look for pitfalls and what is needed to do a successful deal one at a time.
My advice to you on handling real estate transactions is: Use Title Companies What can happen to you when you fail to get title insurance? We had a participant in one of our seminars, who purchased a house to fix it up. He invested over $40,000 into the home in both repairs and purchase price. When he went to refinance, he found out the person he purchased the house from was not in the chain of title. In other words, he did not have a clear title. Whenever you purchase a home, always close through a title company with title insurance on the property. Title insurance is protection that insures the borrower or lender that they get the property with marketable title. They will only insure the property for the purchase price or for the amount of the mortgage.
Use a reputable lender
Interview lenders. Go to Real Estate Investor Clubs to find out from other investors which companies are doing the best job. Are you at risk when you use a lender that wants to cross collateralize loans or wants personal guarantees? One lender I know will get one-two year mortgages and demand a right to lien all the properties you own to procure the loan you are getting. Just beware, if you are buying the property to fix up and resell, there are things that you don’t always plan on like: twice as much rehab cost as you planned for, longer marketing time than you initially thought, resulting in added holding costs, or maybe the market moves the wrong direction and you can’t sell the property, so you rent it. Now one of your other properties or even your personal residence needs to be refinanced. You now have a lien showing against the property. Now what do you do? Think before you jump. If you have purchased the property right, you should be able to borrow money based on the equity of that property - not you’re home and other properties.
This same lender will ask for a personal guarantee signed by you, your wife and your partner. This personal guarantee allows his mortgage company to lien anything the partner and wife own. Not only that, but this particular lender demands that you use a Title Company he owns. Now when you want to sell another one of your houses and this same cross collateral loan will show up on any property you are selling. Now you are faced with using his title company or he won’t release his loan. Beware of putting yourself in a situation where you are using a person who controls the lending, title work, the appraiser and the Real Estate Company.
Do you think, if you had your title work placed with a company the Lender had ownership in, you might run into a problem getting the documents released or have a clean closing at the same title company? Why risk letting human emotions drives a stake into your deals? Keep an arms length distance within your dealings. If you are selling homes or wholesaling property, let the buyer find his own lender and make sure you get an independent title company. Make sure there is not a conflict of interest in the Title Company, Mortgage Company, and real estate company. Keep the integrity in the deal. I am sure there are title companies, real estate companies, and mortgage companies, where there is common ownership that run very good businesses and can separate the conflicts of interests and profit centers. However, to protect yourself, make sure you receive proper disclosure of common ownership. You can always look at the volume of business they are doing in each business and check with the state Licensing Dept. for any complaints against the firm.

Gordon Pate is a 5^th generation resident of Bryan-College Station, his extensive knowledge of the area and its culture helps you get acquainted with Bryan-College Station Real Estate. He offers various homes for sale college station properties that satisfy what you need and what you want.

Real Estate Investor Question: Rehab and Sell, or Rehab and Keep?

Here's another awesome question I received from my discussion board.  The question; Why bother keeping property after it's rehabbed?  Why not sell it after the rehab and GET PAID!
Of course, the first questions that you must answer is how emergent is your need for quick cash?  You can likely generate the most SHORT TERM cash by selling a freshly rehabbed house.  But, you will give much of it away in taxes come next April.
If you keep it, you stand to make more!  You will also enjoy some great benefits while you own it such as cash flow, a tax break, and MORE cash with the future appreciation.  You can still pull some nice cash a few months after buying it when you refinance (post rehab) the property from your hard money (at 70% loan to value) to long term financing (at 85% or 90% loan to value).
The short answer is an investor is going to make considerably more money by hanging onto a property after it's rehabbed.  There is a downside to it.  You have to be a landlord, and you have to decide if you want to do that.  I don't think it's too bad as long the landlording is done correctly.
Let me illustrate the difference in overall money between rehab and sell, and rehab and rent investing with this example;
Let's say appreciation rates are 5% in your town and the average price of a freshly rehabbed property in the neighborhoods investors buy in is $100,000. Let's also say there is Bill and Fred.
Bill sells his properties after rehabbing and makes $15-18,000 per house. Good boy Bill!
Fred keeps his rehab projects and cash-out refinances, pulling out around $10,000 per house within 3-6 months of ownership.  (Fred trades his 70% loan-to-value (LTV) ratio hard money for long term, 30-year mortgages at a lower interest rate with an 85-90% loan to value ratio.  He pockets the difference between what it costs to pay off the hard money and the new mortgage less closing costs.  This works out to about $10,000 per property.)
Bill (rehab and sell) makes a great living. Ten houses per year is $150,000-$180,000 per year...nice jingle! The downside is that Bill has to keep rehabbing to keep making that living year-after-year and pays taxes on all that money as regular income (ouch!).  So his $150,000 per year is in reality somewhat less.
Fred (the rehabber) also makes a great living. Ten houses per year makes him $100,000 or so in tax free, spendable cash. But, Fred controls a million dollars in real estate and it's going up in value year after year.  Also, Fred pays no taxes on that money he gets from the cash-out refinances.  It's part of a mortgage, so must be paid back, therefore is not income!  I love that part!
Let's look at what Fred's doing more closely.
Let's say Fred bought 10 houses valued at $100,000 each, owes $90,000 on each one (after the 90% cash out refinance), so he controls $1,000,000 in property. If he keeps them 5 years (assuming a low appreciation rate...which is pretty conservative):
Purchase year - 10 houses x $100,000 = $1,000,000
Year 1 - Same 10 houses X $105,000 = $1,050,000
Year 2 - Same 10 houses X $110,250 = $1,102,500
Year 3 - Same 10 houses X $115,762 = $1,157,620
Year 4 - Same 10 houses X $121,550 = $1,215,500
Year 5 - Same 10 houses X $127,627 = $1,276,270
Essentially, Fred makes an extra $50,000 per year for keeping 10 properties. After owning them 5 years, if he sells, he puts $276,000 in his pocket.
Remember
- Some parts of the country will appreciate much faster than 5%.  Heck some places properties will double in value in 5 years.
- No tax benefits of keeping the property is included here. That equates to thousands of dollars in real income.
- This is ONE ten-house year. Let's say you want to "top out" at owning 30 houses. Well, in just a couple of years your buying will slow down to a trickle and you'll start selling and cashing out of properties. I mean, how many ten-house years to you need to string together before you are set for life?
- What if you hold these houses 10 years?  The numbers get pretty exciting.
If you're like me and you don't want to do this for too many years, then holding properties for a few years makes a lot of sense, especially if you don't have much personal money invested in them.
So what of poor old Bill?  Chances are, Bill will satisfy his need for short term cash, then start holding property.  What do you think?
Contact or visit Gordon Pate for more details.

Real Estate Investments’ Guideline

Investing in real estate can be profitable if you know the correct ways to do business in this field. As real estate investment experts say there are several keys to making significant profits in real estate investment deals. And when the deals are profitable, you will certainly be well on your way to success.
For real estate investment neophytes, don’t be afraid of the challenges and pitfalls you may encounter along the way. There is definitely a lot to learn, but in the long run after you have gained some experience, you’ll hopefully become a master at closing profitable real estate deals.
There are 5 core skills that are necessary for building a real estate investment business. These will be the key factors in creating a profitable real estate investment portfolio. These are the 5 core skills of real estate investment:
1) You should totally understand the meaning and concept of investing in real estate, including all of the financial risks and benefits.
2) You must learn when and where to find the right kind of sellers.
3) You must become an expert in all areas of real estate investment and understand such terms as lease options, cash sales, wrap mortgages, short sales and other terminology common in the real estate investment trade.
4) You must be able to quickly and accurately analyze each real estate investment deal so you’ll know exactly when to proceed and when to pull the plug.
5) You must learn the art of being a master negotiator when it comes to closing your real estate investment deals.
After considering these five skills, it is time to consider investing in real estate. There are great potential rewards and the effort you put forth can yield enormous monetary returns on your investment. Your confidence level will grow when you’ve gained some experience and closed on your first few real estate deals. But, don't stop there... You should continue to learn about real estate investing and to develop your investment skills. In a short time you may find yourself managing a profitable and growing portfolio of investment properties.
Moreover, you should also continue to follow your real estate investment "game plan" and always keep an eye out for the hidden investment opportunities. The opportunities are definitely out there and with a little knowledge and desire can be yours for the taking. So, why not get started in what might be a new and exciting (and profitable) career today?
Contact or visit Gordon Pate for more details.

Four Mistakes Home Buyers Make

Buying a home is part of the American dream - and for millions of Americans, that dream becomes a reality every year.  Unfortunately, for every dream that comes true there are those that silently fade out.  Home buyers, especially those buying their first house, can make a lot of mistakes in the process if they aren't careful or don't have a good resource (such as a knowledgeable friend) to go to for advice.
We all would like to think the realtor is going to steer us straight, or that our mortgage company would warn us if something doesn't seems right - but he fact of the matter is they are both there to make money off you and so they usually don't have a vested interest in steering you clear of anything.  With that said, let's take a look at four of the most common mistakes home buyers make.

First, they buy a home they simply cannot afford or do not need.  Have you heard the term McMansions being used?  It refers to all the huge houses that seem to pop up everywhere nowadays.  Just how many square feet does a family need?  All too often new homeowners, and even seasoned veterans, can fall into the trap of buying way more house than they will ever need.  Most real estate agents want to push the most expensive property they can on you because, guess what, they earn a commission based on how much you spend!  Our advice?  Go home shopping with some of the smartest people out there - your parents!  They have been through this before and can be a great source of information that is coming from a (hopefully) unbiased source.
Second, home buyers fail to lock in their interest rates when buying homes for sale college station tx.  Interest rates change on an almost daily basis it seems.  Some home buyers like to "test the waters" and see how long they can go before locking in a rate - it works sometimes, but it can bite you if the interest rates suddenly jump.  Shop around for the best deal on a mortgage, and when you find one you want ask them to pre-lock the interest rate in.  They can usually do this for a period of 7-14 days - which doesn't give you much time, but hopefully you will already know which house you want to pursue and can start the paperwork soon afterwards.
Third, a lot of new home buyers don't understand the complicated mortgage process and all the terms and rules of the loan.  You are getting ready to sign off on one the biggest purchases you will probably ever make - do you realize what you are signing?  Have an attorney, or family friend who is into real estate, go over the mortgage paperwork with you.  Ask lots of questions of your mortgage lender about the loan.  Don't be afraid to shop around and check different lenders out to see who can give you the best deal.
Most importantly, realize that you are signing a long-term commitment with serious financial complications if you don't hold up your end of the bargain!
Finally, many homeowners both old and new don't truly understand all the insurance options available to them.
How many of you reading this believe that your house is covered if a torrential rainfall hits and you get flooded?  Unless you've purchases Federal flood insurance then you are out of luck - our homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods!  You shopped around for a mortgage, but did you shop around for homeowners insurance?
Do you understand your policy limits and deductible?  Are you covered for a place to stay if a fire strikes your house?  All these questions should be asked of your insurance agent before you buy a house.  Make sure that you are covered for the unknown before you set foot in your new house.
Buying a new home can be a fun, exhilarating process.  Nothing in the world can quite beat the feeling of owning your own home.  Take a few minutes to understand the responsibilities of owning a home and you will be better prepared to have your own piece of the American dream.

This site offer valuable information on how to get the best value for your hard earned money.