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3 ways to stay positive in the midst of a storm

Key Takeaways

  • Listening to positive and inspiring people keeps your spirits up in rough times.
  • Staying positive can lead to new business opportunities.
  • Stay away from negative real estate investors especially online forums.

This article now appears in Inman Select.

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Maintaining a positive attitude in San Antonio investment properties has been key to my long-term success since 2001. My mentors taught me that staying relentlessly positive in my investing would propel me through rough waters.

And have I ever been through some rough Class-4 rapids in my day.

But let’s back up for a second. Before the real estate crash of 2008, I focused largely on $1 million homes in San Antonio, Texas, which I rehabbed and resold for a 30 percent profit. Those were the days — rehab a house in four months and sell it for a $325,000 profit.
Learn from tough times

Then one morning in 2008, I called my local bank to borrow an additional $250,000 for two rehabs. The voice on the other end of the phone said, sorry — we aren’t loaning money on under market value San Antonio investment properties anymore.

What? And that was when it all started to fall apart. It was nearly impossible to borrow money, though I owned 100 houses free and clear and had an eight-year success record.

But I had a bigger problem. I was stuck with $1 million worth of under market value houses that I couldn’t sell. No one could qualify for mortgages, and the market crash had dropped their value to under $800,000.

I had many sleepless nights. Despair crept up on me as my bank account shrank.
Focus on positive speakers

Even though I was losing money left and right at this time, I still managed to keep a positive, can-do attitude with my out of state investment properties.

That’s easy to say, but how did I do it? I listened every day to positive speeches and sermons from famous speakers and pastors.

Being a Christian, I listened every day to Joel Osteen; I found his uplifting sermons about prosperity in all aspects of life to be a huge lift for me.

Also, I listened daily to the leader of Christian Business Leaders International, Bob Harrison, who is also known as the No. 1 increase authority in America.

Harrison has been through trying financial times as well. But his optimism has carried him through, and he is now one of the leading business speakers in the world.
Lead with optimism and find new opportunities

Maintaining an optimistic outlook didn’t just get me through the market crash. It also opened new horizons for me in real estate investing.

I discovered something shocking: the expensive $1-million houses are the riskiest investments. When the market dips, the demand for those homes plummets, as do the prices.

On the other hand, my little, bitty $50,000 three-bedroom, one-bathroom out of state investment property sells just the same no matter what’s happening in the market.

The demand was always there for these small under-market-value houses, and each one made — and continues to make — me $600 to $800 per month on owner financing.

So, the crash and staying positive throughout it led me to an amazing new business opportunity — buying and selling distressed homes and owner-financing them. Even better, the crash allowed me to snatch up 100 of these houses for about $20,000 each, and they now sell for $50,000 each or more.
The crash and staying positive throughout it led me to an amazing new business opportunity.
3 tips for staying positive

It’s vital to maintain a positive, can-do spirit in your real estate investing, no matter what. This is what makes you stick to it when other investors give up. Here’s my advice:

1. When things are bad, listen to uplifting and motivational speakers

Find positive business mentors online that can inspire you and keep you motivated. Zig Ziglar is another great one.

2. Remove yourself from negative environments, especially online forums

I love the Internet, but there is a lot of negativity on some real estate investing websites. Many people just want to moan about how bad things are — it makes them feel better.

I don’t have even one second of time for this kind of talk. Associate with positive, can-do real estate investors only. And by the way, I made plenty of money in real estate without a website or ever being online at all.

3. Shadow a successful, positive mentor

Whatever city you are in, you can locate a good real estate mentor to inspire you. Why would he or she talk to you? Because you have something to offer.

Offer to help them with hanging signs, making calls or doing office work in exchange for learning from them. I met most of my mentors at real estate meetings in San Antonio, and their positive attitude rubbed off on me.

Maintaining an optimistic outlook in down times led me to even better real estate success in under market value  properties, so always keep your chin up.

 

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Turn 3 Properties Into 6 or More in 5 Years With Your IRA

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I am a strong believer of investing in under market value real estate property with all cash and owner financing them. When you buy distressed properties with all cash and finance them to qualified buyers, there is one overwhelming advantage with these below market value investments:

  • You have no mortgage on your property investment, so if the property is ever vacant for any reason, you do not have overwhelming financial pressure bearing on you. Over leveraged real estate investors were a major factor in the real estate meltdown five years ago.

Of course, on the other side of the ledger, you cannot purchase as many distressed sale properties as you could if you leveraged your capital and use 20% down conventional financing. This is always a valid concern for people with limited capital to invest in the best San Antonio investment property.

Still I would like to illustrate how the smart and patient investor can take three fixer upper homes and turn it into 6 and possibly more in 5 years, assuming you have no additional cash to invest after the initial investments. The illustration below assumes you owner finance the houses, so you do not have any maintenance costs. This is our tried and true positive cash flow model!

That $275,000 in Your IRA

I run across many aspiring investors that have savings and IRA assets of $275,000 or so. In current market conditions in San Antonio TX, that $275,000 can fund approximately three solid distressed sale properties in cash. Let’s illustrate with three houses we have right now:

  • Property 1 – 262 Bogle St., 78207: $50,000 + $30,000 rehab = $84,500 investment + $2500 closing costs, $2000 commissions = $89,000 total investment.

Total Owner Finance Cash Flow Per Year: $8940 ($745 per month after tax/ins.)

  • Property 2 – 109 Llano, 78223: $29,900 + $40,000 rehab = $69,900 investment + $2100 closing costs, $2000 commissions = $74,000 total investment.

Total Owner Finance Cash Flow Per Year: $9,000 ($750 per month after tax/ins.)

  • Property 3 – 1027 Sams Dr., 78221: $59,900 + $40,000 rehab = $109,000 investment + $3000 closing costs, $3000 commissions = $115,000 total investment.

Total Owner Finance Cash Flow Per Year: $12,000 ($1095 per month after tax/ins.)

Total Income from 3 Properties Per Year: $29,940

The next step would be to bank that positive cash flow from your three properties for up to five years. At the five year mark, you will have approximately $149,700 in your tax deferred IRA.

At this point, how many property investments you can buy depends upon the state of the San Antonio real estate market. Right now, the prices are higher because unemployment is lower, and more rehab is necessary to sell the houses. However, there is a high probability that in the next five years, there will be a substantial downturn in real estate prices.

In the last crash from 2008-11, the price of my distressed houses dropped from $50,000 median to $30,000 median. I was able to purchase many more homes during the downturn.

If the prices go down to approximately $35,000 per property plus $10,000 in rehab (possible in a slower economy given people simply want any house to live in), you could buy at least 3 more houses, and possibly 4. With three more houses, you would have approximately $45,000 in total cash flow from your grand total of six houses!

If the prices stay the same five years from now (which in my 15 year experience is very unlikely), you could purchase at worst two more properties, with a total cash flow from your five properties of $40,000 or so.

In either case, that cash can be banked in your IRA to buy more of the best San Antonio investment property whenever market conditions warrant buying more.

I am waiting until the next downturn to take my banked cash flow from my current portfolio to buy at least another 20 houses. You can and should do the same thing!

 

 

 

 

 

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Why You Should Ignore Popular Advice About Real Estate Investing

This article now appears on Inman News.

  Key Takeaways

  • Ignore what your eyes tell you about property’s appearance: study the numbers, cost of repairs and the area.
  • Pay 20 percent to 30 percent under market value or move on to another deal.
  • Buying in poorer areas means less competition for the deal, and it could make you 12 percent ROI or better.

There are so many myths out there about purchasing distressed properties in what people often call “problem” neighborhoods. Raise your hand if you ever heard this before: “Don’t ever buy a real estate investment in a bad neighborhood.”

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I hear it all the time. It’s baloney. Many of the best San Antonio investment properties are in so-so areaa.

If you just trust your eyes and only buy in nice areas, your chances for making money are slim. For instance, a major real estate investing company is a perfectly good organization that focuses on selling rental properties and related training.

In a recent blog, however, the company said this: “The whole idea of buying property for investment is to buy in hot or an up-and-coming neighborhood. Don’t waste your time or money investing in a property located in a poor or declining area.”

It is correct in the sense that you should definitely buy in an up-and-coming neighborhood. I do that all the time when I buy under-market value houses in San Antonio.

I study the market and find the neighborhood near a hot area that I think is going to get hot next, and I snatch up $40,000 houses for cash before they go up to $80,000. I make 10 percent to 15 percent a year on most of these best San Antonio investment properties.

However, the rest of the quote is questionable: “The whole idea of buying property for investment is to buy in hot or an up-and-coming neighborhood.” If this means paying anywhere near market value, I don’t agree at all. That’s how investors end up making zero cash flow.

I will buy a 20 percent to 30 percent under-market-value house in a hot, affordable neighborhood (under $80,000 wholesale is my strategy). That makes a lot of sense. That type of deal will produce excellent, positive cash flow if you don’t over rehab.

For example, a California investor bought this three-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom house in a rising area north of downtown San Antonio:

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The investor bought it from me for $62,000 — approximately 30 percent under market value — and did $10,000 in repairs. He resold it with seller financing with $5,000 down, $89,900 price, $937 per month property, taxes and insurance (PITI). That’s 12 percent ROI.

This company might consider this a poor neighborhood, but my investor doesn’t have to repair the house, and he makes 12 percent on his money. What a great out of state real estate investment.

“Don’t waste your time or money investing in a property located in a poor or declining area.” I don’t buy in declining areas, but what defines a poor area?

Does that include households that make $2,500 or $3,000 per month? That’s 90 percent of the owner-finance buyers that helped me to financially retire before I was 30 on distressed sales.

The majority of the neighborhoods that I invest in are considered poor areas, but they are on the way up, as the city is pouring revitalization dollars into parks, green space, walking paths and more.

For instance, this three-bedroom, one-bathroom home west of downtown is in a so-so area:

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Sure, it’s not pretty, but smart investors ignore what their eyes tell them and study the numbers, the nature of the repairs and the area. The repairs on this house to resell it were minor, and the nearby area has seen millions and millions of dollars in new construction and city funding.

The investor purchased it from me for $29,900 — about 30 percent under market value. After $7,000 for paint inside and out, foundation repair and clean up, it sold with seller financing for $5,000 down, $55,000, $550 per month PITI. That’s 11 percent ROI.

And this is in an area that most investors would consider poor. It is, however, on the way up.

Of course, you cannot simply go into any poor area and start buying cheap, distressed sales with positive cash flow. That’s also a path to ruin. But if you only purchase investment properties in nicer areas, you will be fighting a lot of investors for any of the few deals that generate cash flow. That drives prices up to market value and beyond, and you can kiss your profits good bye.

Invest in distressed, fixer upper homes or under market-value properties for true positive cash flow, but be certain to:

  • Carefully study the market to learn which area is near a hot area and will likely go up in value in the next year.
  • Get the property for at least 20 percent under market value to leave room for a profit of at least 25 percent on a flip and 10 percent ROI on a buy-and-hold.
  • Buy out of state investment properties in areas that are less expensive, especially in B and C neighborhoods.
  • Owner finance the property to a qualified buyer — save yourself thousands in rehab costs. Do enough to sell the house and leave the rest to the new owner.

If you invest carefully in properties in poor or bad areas, you will end up with cash flow that all the poser investors simply dream of.

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Why I Love Down Real Estate Markets!

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I have invested in all kinds of real estate investment properties in Texas for 15 years. That means I have seen many ups and downs in the local and national real estate market.

It’s true that in the last real estate crash, I did lose some money. In fact I was sweating quite a bit in 2010! Still, I came out of the crash owning more than 100 MORE houses than I did before the crash! It turns out that the real estate crash was a blessing for me.

Here are three ways that I was able to get through the last downturn in terrific shape in my real estate investments, especially distressed sales.

#1 I Got The Heck Out of Expensive, Higher End Houses

The biggest problem I had in the latest downturn was that I had far too much money invested in expensive houses from $500,000 to $1 million in San Antonio TX. When the market was rolling in 2004 to 2006, buying these houses was great. I bought a house for $500,000, put $200,000 in and resold it for $1 million. I was making fantastic money, but the bubble was about to burst.

One day in 2007, I called the bank and they would no longer loan money to investors. My heart sank. That’s when I knew a down turn was coming. And it sure did.

I ended up getting stuck with several $1million houses that I could not sell for what I paid for them. I ended up losing several hundred thousand dollars.

That got me down, but it was a blessing: I learned to not invest in such high end real estate. While it can be good when times are good, those houses are the first to get hit in a downturn.

I learned to invest in real estate that ALWAYS in demand no matter what’s going on in the economy.

#2 I Started Investing Only in Under Market Value Affordable Homes

If you read this site at all, you know what I do: I invest in under market value real estate in San Antonio and distressed sales, which I then owner finance at 10% interest. This real estate product is always in demand in my affordable neighborhoods. I know that no matter how bad the economy gets, I can always sell these houses and make money.

The best part about distressed property sales: The demand for them increases in a downturn! People lose their jobs and houses, so need a small house, and I provide it.

As a matter of fact, I love real estate downturns. I actually make more money. In the last crash, I snatched up 100 more houses at $25,000 each. Now they are worth $50,000 or more.

I love real estate crashes.

#3 I Buy in Cash And Don’t Sell

As a distressed property expert,  I buy most of my houses in cash and for cash flow. So in a crash, the last thing I do is sell a house for a loss. I simply let the house produce cash flow. If I have to foreclose because someone loses a job, then I resell it for $5000 down again.

People tend to lose their shirts in crashes because they buy more expensive properties and are depending upon appreciation to make money. I never do that. I simply buy my little under market distressed houses or distressed sales for cash flow.

Always remember: The key to my success in real estate investing is I can make money in any market.

 

 

 

 

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How I Increase My Profits with Limited Rehabs

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With the real estate market heating up in San Antonio, lots of new real estate investors are jumping into the game. It always happens when the market gets hotter.

However, many of those new investors will fail. It always happens in every ‘up’ market. I make positive cash flow in every market.

One of the biggest reasons that investors crash in real estate investing in distressed properties or under market value properties is they simply spend to much on rehab. I never spend too much on these fixer upper homes or distressed property sales.

Many real estate investors do not understand the neighborhood in which they invest. They assume that a 3/1 in 78210 is going to be largely the same as a house in 78207, as far as fixing it goes. This is completely wrong.

A home in 78210 on the north side of downtown San Antonio, TX is a hotter area with an average income of 2013 reported at $26,522. Meanwhile, in 78207, the average income  is $20,100.

This makes a major difference in terms of how I rehab the house. For a 78210 house, which is currently in higher demand due to its proximity to downtown, I will often opt for a fancier finish to include:

  • Granite counters
  • Premium light fixtures
  • Tile flooring
  • Nice front door

The rehab on a house in 78210 might be around $15,000. We did a deal in 78210 that was $62,000 cash, and rehabbed for $10,000. It included new flooring, nice paint in and out, and refinishing the floor.

On the other hand, we did a rehab in 78207 last year with a lower income, and spent much less: about $5000. We just painted the floor, painted in and out, fixed the foundation and got rid of trash at this fixer upper home.

That’s all that a buyer in that area would expect – just the basics. To spend all of that money on fancier finishes in that neighborhood would be overkill.

Let’s do the math. The investor in 78207 paid $29,900 and did $5000 in rehab. It makes the investor $450 per month in cash flow.

The distressed sale property in 78210 cost the investor $62,000 and makes the investor $750 per month. The rehab here was $10,000.

On 78207, the house makes a return of 15% or so. But if we put another $5000 in for too much rehab, the return would drop to about 13%.

I save my investors thousands of dollars and increase returns by 2-3% on each deal by knowing when to call it quits on rehab.

Of course, this all sounds simple on paper, but figuring out how much to spend on rehab of a Texas investment property – just enough to sell it quickly – takes a great deal of practice over years of investing.

If you are starting in real estate yourself or do not know well the neighborhood where you invest, make sure you are relying on a solid agent or investor there. He or she should be able to tell you how much rehab to do on your distressed investment property.

So many real estate investing careers are wrecked by careless attention to rehab costs. Please don’t let it happen to you.

 

 

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The Crash and How I Stayed Positive in Real Estate Investing

‘If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.’ – Frances H. Burnett, The Secret Garden

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It is incredibly important to always stay positive in your real estate investing business. Early on in my career, I learned maintaining an optimistic attitude in my under market value real estate investing would carry me through the tough times.

And have I had some tough times! But let me back up:

Before the crash, my real estate investing in distressed San Antonio properties boomed. I also bought $1 million houses, rehabbed them and resold them. These were the boom years – I could resell those big mansions for a $300,000 profit! Life was great.

The Crash

And then one day in 2007, I called the local bank to borrow more money. They said:  ‘Oh, we aren’t loaning money to investors anymore.’

Whoa. And that was when things started to crumble. I couldn’t borrow money from banks, even though I owned more than 100 properties with an excellent record of success.

Worse, I couldn’t sell my $1 million mansions anymore for what I paid for them. And of course, fewer banks were doing mortgages, people lost their jobs and couldn’t qualify….that end of my business was a bit of a mess.

God and Increase

However, I managed to stay positive throughout it all. In my personal case, I focused on God and people who deliver Godly, positive sermons and speeches. Some of the positive people I listened to online included (and still do include) Joel Osteen. I find that his positive and optimistic sermons about increase and prosperity (in all things, not just money) to be tremendously uplifting.

I also listened every day to Bob Harrison, who is known as America’s #1 Increase Authority, and is the founder of Christian Business Leaders International. His lectures and seminars are incredibly rewarding.

Those two mentors most of all got me through the crash.

Optimism Leads to New Opportunity

Maintaining a positive outlook through the downturn opened me to new opportunities in real estate investing. I realized that ironically, it’s the higher end, $500k+ homes that are the riskier investments! Meanwhile, my little $40,000 2 BR 1 bath houses still bought and sold like normal! In the middle the crash! And that was when I fully focused on distressed, under market value real estate investing.

My logic was, people will always need a house to live in, even in bad times. So the demand for affordable homes ($25k-75k depending on the market condition) will always be there. I was able to buy up distressed homes in the crash for as little as $20,000!

I bought 200 of them and most I still hold today, each producing monthly cash flow with owner financing.

3 Tips

Now, I always advise new and experienced investors to maintain a positive attitude at all costs. It is what will make you stick with investing and be successful when others quit. Here is what I recommend to you:

  1. Listen every day to positive and motivational people during your work. Personally, I listen to Christian leaders such as Harrison and Osteen, but that is what works for me. You may be different. Find positive mentors online that you can listen to and inspire you. Listening to them is what got me into the best part of my real estate career – owner financed real estate in under market value houses. You cannot go wrong in distressed sales with positive cash flow.
  2. Stay away from all negativity, especially online. The Internet is wonderful, but it can be a cesspool of negativity! The problem is that people feel anonymous and uninhibited online, and will say terrible things. This is true in real estate forums. I’ve had people tell me all sorts of nonsense about owner finance, that it is dishonest, illegal, predatory….it’s a waste of my time. I get away from them immediately. If you spend too much time among real estate investors online, the pessimism of a few can really get you down. Get completely away from that! I made nearly all of my money in real estate investing without a website and without ever going online. It’s not necessary to participate in real estate online forums to succeed in fixer upper homes for positive cash flow.
  3. Find a positive and successful real estate mentor! Whatever city you live in, you can find a mentor to talk to that can inspire and motivate you. Why would he talk to you? Well, what can you offer him? Offer to help him out for free in any way he needs so that you can learn from him. You want to find a really successful, long term, ethical investor, ideally a person in business 10 years. You’ll  have to go to real estate meetings for a few months to figure out who is who in your city. I did exactly this when I first got started and got connected in San Antonio with very successful investors who still inspire me to excellence today.
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Why I Don’t Fear ‘Foundation Problem’ Houses

Takeaways:
• Pier and beam ‘foundation problems’ often are minor repairs.
• Most investors run from ‘foundation problems.’ I run to them.
• A wholesale construction crew can fix most for $3000-$5000.

This article now appears on Inman News.

Nothing scares most home owners and real estate investors more than a house with a ‘foundation problem.’ That’s understandable; a serious foundation problem can ruin a house – and your investment – if it is not repaired in time. Foundation issues are particularly common in older distressed properties, including the ones I buy in San Antonio, Texas.

However, I learned years ago to not fear houses with foundation problems in my area. I won’t tell you to never worry about foundation problems in your potential investment properties, of course. Still, you should not automatically nix a real estate deal because of a reported ‘foundation problem.’ They can be some of the best investment opportunities around!

Lessons my mentor taught me

I have had the good fortune to have several highly successful real estate investing mentors over the years. When I first started in 2001, I too was afraid of purchasing anything with any kind of foundation issue. The problem was, I was buying distressed properties under market value in south Texas. Try to find a distressed old house with a pristine foundation! They are rare, and the competition to buy them soon drives the price over market value. Finding houses was tough!

One of my Atlanta real estate mentors taught me that simply the term ‘foundation problem’ instantly sends 3/4 of potential investors running for cover. Reduced competition for a deal means you can save thousands, some of which you can spend on foundation repairs.
So when I inspect an under market value investment property in San Antonio, I not only don’t worry about a foundation issue: I actively seek them out! Here are the main reasons why:

#1 Uneven floors are normal in old houses

My owner finance end buyers are used to living in houses with non-perfect foundations, so a sloping floor isn’t usually a deal breaker.
However, investors notice the uneven floors in a house right away, and usually assume the worst. My experience with distressed houses in my market is that almost all of them – built from 1910-1960 – have uneven floors on a pier and beam foundation. This can be for several reasons, such as rotting floor joists, ground settling, or simply poor construction.

When I conduct the house inspection, I do my best to get under the house and see how serious the problems look. For most of these investment properties, it’s simply a matter of replacing a few floor joists and leveling the foundation.

It is rare that I have a pier and beam foundation that needs more than $5000 in repair. Usually it’s less than $3000. I just make sure to negotiate the sale price with that in mind. Often, I can get the house at a discount because most other investors ran for the hills.

#2 A wholesale construction company saves thousands

If you have a typical foundation company fix your foundation issue, the bill will always be much higher. To survive in distressed house investing, you have to find less expensive ways to fix foundations. I run a small, full time construction company. My team can fix a foundation problem in most cases for a very reasonable price, and this includes all permits and required engineering reports.
Typical investors pay retail prices for their foundation work, which makes it very difficult to turn a profit.

Bad Foundation House That Turned a Profit

I have bought and sold several hundred houses with foundation issues in the last 15 years. This one was a typical example:

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It is located three miles west of downtown San Antonio in zip code 78207 with a pier and beam foundation. When I bought it for $25,000, the left part of the house was sitting on the ground, especially the left front corner. That’s probably why it had sat on the market for 5 months. I bought it, and my crew repaired the foundation by inserting new floor joists. Cost: $3,000.

I then sold this under market value property to another investor for a $5000 profit. She did $5000 more in repairs and clean up:

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The repaired house was sold with owner financing: $5000 down, $550 per month, for $49,900 (fair market value). I earned a commission on that transaction of $1500. On a ‘foundation problem’ house that no one wanted, I made $6500.

In my experience, an investment property with a ‘foundation problem’ is actually a ‘foundation opportunity.’ 🙂

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The 2 Worst Things That Happened to Me As a Landlord

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Many real estate investors automatically assume that when they buy real estate property, that they need to be a landlord. Why this is, I am not completely sure. I do know that in my previous investing, I too made this faulty assumption. That mistake led me to real estate investing that went from a dream to a nightmare in short order.

Back in Virginia, I was a landlord of two investment properties and an apartment building with 15 apartments. When the economy was ok, the income was ok and we even made some money. However, we were in lower end units, and as soon as the market really went south in 2007 and 2008, we soon ran into problems. I could no longer find good renters, and could no longer afford to make repairs.

I ended up getting renters in these buildings that I did not really want to take. It was essential to keep the mortgages paid and everything running without my eating away my savings. At this sad point in my time as a landlord, I deal with some of the worst things that have ever happened to me in business. And here they are:

#1 – I Took On Criminals As Property Managers

Desperate times, desperate measures. I had lost my quality property manager for the low end apartment building, and the building was an hour from where I lived. An onsite manager was essential. So, I brought in a couple who I ‘thought’ were good people and could properly manage the building.

All was well for the first month. Then I began to get the rent money delivery later and later each week. And then one week, I didn’t hear from them for several days and they would not answer their phone. It turned out that they had been ARRESTED at a DUI checkpoint and were in jail, with my rent money.

As it turns out, they both had a criminal record and were drug addicts. When they got stopped at the checkpoint, they both ran for the bushes! So they were arrested.
I got a call from a tenant and he told me the property managers hadn’t been around in days. Eventually I did recover the rent money from the jail. Needless to say, I had to find another property manager, and the building never generated positive cash flow again.

Now I only buy houses like these, and let the occupant maintain them.

#2 – My First Property Manager Took Off and Left Me, Too!

The reason #1 happened was that my first live-in property manager also didn’t work out. He kept the property mostly full, but as time went on, the rent money also got later and later, and there was some missing every few weeks. I am pretty sure he was ‘borrowing’ some of the rent money which somehow never seemed to find its way back in my pocket!

In this case, this property manager eventually simply bugged out. He took off and left the place, and left me in a rather desperate situation, which led to the above disaster I already mentioned.

Actually, you could say there was a THIRD worst thing that happened to me as a landlord. I allowed myself to get into the above situations at all.

The lessons I learned from these debacles was, at the time, to NEVER buy real estate again. That was foolish. What I SHOULD have learned was not to buy that type of real estate again and to allow myself into a situation where I was desperate and forced by default to rely on unreliable people for my living.

Later, when I moved to Texas, I learned another lesson: Stop being a landlord for crying out loud with mortgages! Buy cheap houses for cash and seller finance those things! Leave the maintenance to the occupant of the home.

Today, I earn $700 per month on each owner financed house and I never have to fix a thing. Or rely on a questionable property manager!

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Landlording Stinks. Here’s Why.

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Are you considering the purchase of rental property and becoming a landlord? Don’t. Landlording stinks. I mean it. It stinks. Landlording is stressful, time consuming, and in many cases, a financial drain. I know of what I speak.

In my first (disastrous) foray into real estate investing, I purchased a 15 unit commercial property and two single family homes. The mortgage on each was $1200, $1250, and $2720, respectively.

With a strong economy, money flowed into my bank account. Life was grand. Here was me:

However, once the market took a dive in 2008, I soon found myself with several disastrous problems:

1. My renters stopped paying rent.

2. Repairs costs piled up.

3. Those mortgages were due and I didn’t have the rent money to cover it.

4. My savings started covering my rental mortgages.

It was at about this point I started to look more like this:

After three years of agony, stress and losing $50,000+, I finally sold off the properties at a loss and mercifully was able to move on with life. A lot poorer of bank account, but richer in experience in what NOT to do in real estate. The biggest thing I would not do is to ever be a landlord again.

Below are some of the dangers of landlording that tripped me up. Also, if you ARE a landlord, it’s not all lost. I offer some tips for current landlords who want to improve their financial, and mental, state:

1. Renter Damages: I had renters who clogged my toilets with sanitary napkins, which also clogged the septic tank lines. $500 for the plumber each time.

Tip for Landlords – Find a good property manager that you can trust that keeps a close eye on your asset and renters. Or, be very handy with repairs so you can handle them yourself. That’s a BIG money saver. If you can’t or don’t like to fix plumbing, roof and electrical problems, you are behind the 8 ball at the start, as I was.

If you can’t afford a good PM or are not near your property, you probably want to stop being a landlord ASAP because trouble is coming your way. There are less stressful and more profitable ways to make money in real estate.

This house below is one I bought two years ago. It was an old rental. Surprised?

My first Texas property – it was an old rental. Scroll down to see how it looks now.

2. Constant Repairs: Related to the above point. My life as a landlord was to play a monthly lottery of Will I Make Money This Month? Between broken water heaters, leaking roofs, electrical problems and clogged toilets, a month in the black was rare.

Tip for Landlords – Keep your property in good repair to avoid expensive headaches! Also, rent to the best tenants you possibly can, as they will care for your house better. Stay away from low end rental properties; between late rent, evictions and constant repairs, it will drain you financially and emotionally. Buy higher end properties that attract better clientele. Yes, it’s harder to make profits on high end homes, but there are fewer problems. Put down bigger down payments so your return is higher.

Or ideally, get the heck out of being a landlord and consider other ways to make money in real estate.

3. Rehab costs. I spent thousands of dollars on rehabbing houses that just got run down by the renter. Rehabbing houses is stressful and expensive. I didn’t get into real estate investing to be stressed out. Being a Cleveland Browns fan is enough stress for me.

Tip for Landlords – The best situation is to be a contractor yourself and able to handle your own rehab. Also, contract with an expert real estate agent/investor who can find you below market value properties in decent condition. There are scads of bankrupt former landlords who grossly overpaid contractors on rehab jobs. Don’t be one of them. Oh, and don’t over rehab your property – another classic landlord mistake. Your expert agent/investor should know how much to rehab any property you buy.

Bonus Tip for Landlords – Buy your properties in cash! I know that can be hard, but the benefit is never stressing about a mortgage payment.

Bonus Tip II for Landlords – If you have a mortgage on your property, does it fit the 1% rule? That is, does the monthly rent equal 1% of your TOTAL purchase price (including closing costs and rehab/repairs)? If not, you could be headed for big trouble. The 1% rule is a general guideline that many rental investors follow. Some rental investors opt for 2% in lower priced, riskier neighborhoods.

I know many a landlord who is happy with their $200 a month in cash flow. If that’s me, I’d be very worried. When the good times run out, you’re losing money.

Landlording CAN be profitable, but as my tips above indicate, there are a lot of variables that can turn a profit into a loss – fast. That’s why I think landlording stinks, and there are much better ways to earn money – as in 10-15% annually without maintenance costs.

I discuss one of those no-stress options in this Linkedin Pulse post.

Note – Here’s how that house above looks now. The occupant rehabbed it, not me. I’m not a landlord :).

 

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3 Lessons Learned on Owner Financing $50k ‘Junk’ Houses

View this article on Linkedin.

We’re in the affordable home market in San Antonio TX, and it used to be quite easy to resell distressed homes with owner financing with little to no repairs, such as my first one here:

I bought that one for $51,000 (about 30% under FMV) and resold it with seller financing for $79,000, IIRC, 9% int., 5k down. No repairs were done by me on this one.

(Dodd Frank rules followed, FMV charged to owner finance buyer, value based upon sold comps in the neighborhood).

Our old model was – buy a distressed house in certain areas, no repairs, resell it with seller financing, 10-15% ROI typically for investor. That’s how it used to be.

These days, things have changed. Another property was purchased for $49,500, also 30% under FMV, below:

This one was a 3/1, 1 car garage, built in the late 50s. It was nicer than the house above. We put it on the market to sell with seller financing:

  • $5000 down
  • $895 per month PI/TI
  • 30 year amortization
  • 10% interest
  • No prepayment penalty
  • No balloon
  • Final price: $89,900 (FMV)

We probably had 100 people look at it over 3-4 months. No one wanted it. This was a new experience for us. What the heck was going on?

It turned out that a few miles away, there was a new luxury apartment complex with units for about $800-1200 per month that were really nice. Our theory was that people were getting pickier as the economy gets better and are opting for better housing.

So, we altered our model a bit.

We did a partial rehab on this house – AC, paint in and out, kitchen and bath rehabbed with new flooring, tile and countertops, light fixtures and outlets. Total rehab was $11,000.

Then we put it back on the market.

It sold with seller financing with the above terms in less than 60 days. Even with rehab, the investor clears 13% ROI with no further repairs or maint.

Lessons learned:

  • Markets change – people get fussier as they have more money and better jobs
  • Have the investor do a $5-10k light rehab that ensures the roof and foundation are ok, plumbing works, basic electrical works and paint touch up. This will get the house sold much faster.
  • Keep a close eye on revitalization going on near your house – you may have to upgrade to keep up with the competition

Eventually, the market in San Antonio will go down, and we expect that we will be able to resell houses without repairs again. For now, however, we do light rehabs and our investors still make 10-12% ROI. Not bad when you are doing no maintenance on the property :).