Tag Archive for: real estate investing

Investor Mortgage Report 6.2.2020

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Conventional mortgage rates are showing signs of improving.

Thankfully, it’s looking like another great week for standard conventional mortgage rates.

So far this week, all evidence is pointing towards increasing stability and improvements on the conventional mortgage front.

  • Depending on whether you pay your mortgage person points or you have them wrapped into your loan, rates fluctuate between low 3’s and low 4’s.
  • We’re seeing great rates on the conforming side.
  • Every week, the non-traditional loans are reappearing with increased frequency.  
  • Some lenders have decreased credit score requirements to 680.
  • Rates are still on average above 7%, but signs are showing that they will drop soon.
  • LTVs are inching higher, but not to the degree we have seen them in the past.

In short: conventional mortgage interest rates are really good. But what does that mean for you?

How do you know when it’s smart to refinance your rental (or any) property?

 

Let’s face it: as rates drop, the question of whether or not to refinance runs through all our minds.

Would you like to find out (without the sales pitch from your mortgage person?)

Anyone can crunch the numbers in just a few minutes with just a few items.

Yes. It involves math. But we swear it’s EASY. 

For now, all you need is a piece a paper, a pen, a calculator, and your mortgage information. (You can pull this info directly from your mortgage company’s website). Then, follow these three steps:

Step 1: Locate the amount you pay monthly for principal and interest. (Ignore everything but your principal and interest (i.e. taxes and insurance).

Step 2: Locate the number of months remaining on your loan. 

Step 3: Multiply your monthly payment by the number of months you have left on your loan. 

That’s it! 

 

Let’s look at an example:

A: Your monthly principal and interest payment is $1,200. 

B: You have 288 payments left on your loan.  

C: $1,200.00 X 288 = $345,600 

(Scary sometimes to see how much you really owe, isn’t it? Don’t panic.)

Now, let’s say that you have an opportunity to refinance and lower your interest rate with a new payment of $1,100. Should you do it?

 

Let’s take a look:

On your new loan, you’d pay $1,100.00 for 30 years (or 360 months). That’s $1,100.00 x 360 = $396,000.00

If you refinance, you’d increase your monthly cash flow $100.00. However, as a result, you’d pay an extra $50,400.00 over the life of your loan! 

So, is the extra $100/month worth an extra 72 months (6 years) of mortgage payments? Does refinancing make sense for you financially? Well, that’s up to you.

Perhaps cash flow is more important at this time in your business life and paying the extra years is ok with you. That’s a decision only you can make. At least when you know all the numbers, you can make your call an educated one.

 

Try it on all your loans and find out what makes sense for you!

 

Your payments __________________ Months remaining _______________

Total remaining to be paid ___________________

 

Okay, we’re sure a few questions are swimming around in your head, so we’ll see if we can answer some of the most common ones upfront:

Q: “What if I’m not going to keep the property for 24 or 30 years? At what point does it make sense to refinance?” 

A: That’s coming up in the next article.

 

Q: “What if I want to use those savings and pay down my mortgage?” 

A: We’ll be addressing that in a future article as well.

 

Q: “What is my breakeven interest rate?”

A: There are so many paths you can go down and we’ll cover as many as we can. We’ll also provide a tool for you to run all these scenarios.

 

Today, it’s all about knowing your raw numbers.

Want an investor tool that can run these numbers (plus your breakeven rate and many more) in seconds? We have one in the works. Just get on our contact list, and we’ll let you know when it’s ready!

By knowing these numbers, you can save tens of thousands on each refinance.

 

Don’t feel like doing this or worry the math might overwhelm you? No worries! Shoot us an email with your current statement and we can run them for you.

*All non-commercial and construction loans offered by TNS Loans NMLS #1719349

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Investor Inspo: Dallas Fix-and-Flip

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Dallas Fix-and-flip exterior

Nobody does fix-and-flip curb appeal like these Dallas clients.

Check out these amazing Before-and-After photos of this Dallas Fix-and-Flip!

 

Dallas fix-and-flip living room

These clients did an amazing job transforming this living room into a much more liveable space.

Dallas fix-and-flip bedroom

From dark and cave-like, to light and inviting, this bedroom looks pretty dreamy to us!

Dallas fix-and-flip kitchen

From cluttered to cool, this kitchen got a pretty serious glow-up.

Dallas fix-and-flip bathroom

Not even the bathroom escaped noticed in this impeccable flip!

We’re still in awe of this amazing fix-and-flip investment deal from our Dallas area clients. A little imagination and some investment capital can go a long way towards transforming a haggard house into an updated future home!

We never tire of watching our clients change the face of their neighborhoods in a positive way. This property is a shining example of what the real estate investing community is all about: improving a neighborhood and enjoying a profitable rehab!

Looking for a hard money loan to fund your own flip? Look no further.

How do you take the guesswork out of getting your deals funded for rehab projects like this one? Simple: By partnering with Hard Money Mike.

Hard Money Mike is a lender based in Colorado. We offer a large pool of lenders so we can be sure to find the right fit for your project. We regularly lend money for all types of commercial-based properties. So whether your project is a fix-and-flip, land, whole-tailing, or a builder bridge loan, we have you covered.

If this flip has you feeling inspired, we want to know about it! Contact Mike Bonn at 303-539-3000 or email Mike@HardMoneyMike.com to start exploring your lending options!

Want even more awe-inspiring investor inspo? Check out what some of our other clients have been up to…

*All non-commercial and construction loans offered by TNS Loans NMLS #1719349

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Investor Mortgage Report 5.26.20

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Mortgage industry is showing signs of recovery.

The Mortgage Market is Showing Signs of Being on the Mend.

What We Know:

The mortgage market is finally showing signs that it is starting to recover and heal. As states begin to lift travel and business closure restrictions and reopen for commerce, lenders appear to be relaxing some of their restrictions in-kind.  Last week, we welcomed back a few lenders offering loans outside the standard conventional box.

This week, we see even more positive progress, such as lenders expanding the LTVs up to 70% on their investor cash flow loans (based on credit score and lease.)

We are noticing the lending requirements are a little more restrictive than before Covid-19, but at least additional options are making a comeback. Hopefully, this upward trend will continue over the following weeks.

What You Can Expect:

A return to business-as-usual won’t happen overnight, of course. The lower credit scores and higher LTVs will more than likely take some additional time to return to their pre-COVID closure state. Lenders will want more data on the unemployment and rental payment front before expanding.

Real estate investors may have to be more patient for normalcy to return to their lending markets.

Rates in the standard-conforming market are coming down.  For investors, 30-year rates are in the mid 3’s for purchases and no cash-out refinances.  Cash-out refinances are still a big challenge for investors, and will more than likely continue to be so for the next few months.

Expect to find the expanded requirements (up to 6 months reserves for each property) to be in place with underwriters through the end of the year.

*All non-commercial and construction loans offered by TNS Loans NMLS #1719349

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Investment Property Inspo: First-Time Flip!

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Check out this first-time investment property flip from our newbie mother/daughter client team:

Investment Property Exterior

This newbie team jumped all in and tackled this investment property flip in Colorado Springs, Colorado with the help of a general contractor. In less than 6 short months, this mother and daughter duo added some much-needed updates and some serious curb appeal and are already under contract to sell and take their profits and move on to the next deal! Pretty impressive for a first-time flip!

Investment Property bathroom

Bathroom before-and-after

Investment Property kitchen

From cluttered kitchen to bright-and-shiny function!

Investment Property Bedroom

Bedroom before-and-after

The best part of this deal? This was an investment property in their own neighborhood!

 

A fix-and-flip deal doesn’t have to be made across town: Look for deals in your own backyard (or, you know, down the street.) These clients not only fixed up a home to turn a profit for themselves, but they helped update their neighborhood at the same time. Making money while increasing the value of you AND your neighbors’ homes? That’s what we call a #HouseFlipping win, and ultimately, it’s really the thing a good fix-and-flip deal is made of.

 

We could all probably learn something valuable from this team about making smart choices about the locations of our investment properties.

 

It’s easy to sit back and draw inspiration from the successes of others, but if you happen to be on the hunt for hard money funds to jump into your own first-time flip, we can help! Contact us today to see if we can help you realize your investment property dreams!

 

Rental Property Loans>>>

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Investor Inspo – 2931 Pheasant

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Some serious added curb appeal was only the beginning for this Colorado flip.

Better than As-Seen-on-TV

How’s this for a Fixer Upper? Come with us as we explore some impressive investor before-and-afters from right here in Colorado!
This impressive flipper was able to transform this dated, worn-out property in less than two months! From dump to gem, and from purchase to under contract in less than two months!

We know which kitchen we’d rather be cooking quarantine meals in…

Yes, even in this crazy COVID-lockdown world, homes are getting updated and sold in record time. Rates are extremely low, and smart investors who have figured out how to work around the banks are taking advantage.

New and improved backyard oasis.

From scary and dark, to light, bright and inviting entryway.

From dark and dank to spa-level luxury in the bathroom.

Love how the flippers are making neighborhoods better one house at a time.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates, and we’ll keep you posted once the property closes and our client takes his profits and moves on to the next deal!
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Investor Mortgage Report 5.5.2020

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Refinancing may have just become more expensive for both rate and lower LTVs.

 

Wow, what is this? The powers that be are still messing with our beautiful lending world. It’s not a shock that government officials seem more focused on getting votes at the cost of property owners and mortgage companies, encouraging tenants not to pay rents and not lending a hand with evictions.

 

What We Know:

Mortgage rates are so low right now (in the mid 2’s for owner-occupied, and low 3’s for investors) that still-employed buyers should be running out and buying homes left and right.  After all, the number one reason buyers purchase is that they can fit the payment into their monthly budget. We should be seeing mortgage companies throwing money out to everyone. We should see buyers buying and investors refinancing (increasing that cashflow without adding more properties.)

 

 

So why isn’t that happening?

 

In short- our government is hard at work wreaking havoc in the lending markets, making it harder for all of us to get a loan, especially refinances.

 

Sure, it sounds good in theory: Allow anyone who wants to defer a payment or 4 during an economic crisis to do so, without proving any reason based on financial hardship.

 

How does this impact us all?  Glad you asked.

 

If a lender helps someone out and refinances them and they decided to go directly into forbearance, (yes, people WERE doing cash-out refinances with the plan of deferring payments to take advantage of the government’s kindness,) that lender cannot sell or move that loan off of their books to those that service FHA, VA, Conventional loans, etc, unless they want to take pay a huge fee. So, they decide to hold the loans, thus filling up their lending bucket.

 

So what happens next?  The lenders don’t want to take a chance that a percentage of people are going to take advantage of this opportunity, so they raise the cost of refinancing for everyone.  On top of that, they will start lowering the LTVs (loan-to-value ratios,) making the box for traditional financing harder for all.

 

Yes, obviously those that need mortgage forbearance should be able to use it, but it’s the ones who are not in financial need that are making these numbers grow, creating more costly financing for us all.

 

Let’s look at the numbers from an article from MBA.com from the end of April:

 

Key findings of MBA’s Forbearance and Call Volume Survey – April 13-19, 2020

  • Total loans in forbearance grew relative to the previous week (from 5.95% to 6.99%.) In comparison, only 0.25% of all loans were in forbearance for the week of March 2.
    • By investor type, Ginnie Mae loans grew the most relative to the prior week: from 8.26% to 9.73%.
    • The share of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans in forbearance increased relative to the prior week: from 4.64% to 5.46%.
    • The share of other loans (e.g. private-label securities and portfolio loans) in forbearance increased relative to the prior week: from 6.43% to 7.52%.
  • Forbearance requests as a percent of servicing portfolio volume (#) dropped relative to the prior week: from 1.79% to 1.14%.

What You Can Do:

Keep up with your payments if you’re able. The more of us that are paying on time and in full, the quicker the lenders will start to relax and start loaning again. Everyone wins.

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New Build Construction is Slowing Down. Here’s Why That’s Not Necessarily A Bad Thing.

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New-home construction sees its largest monthly decline since March 1984, as COVID closures take a toll.

 

According to March’s economic report by MarketWatch, new-build housing starts and permits have fallen to their slowest pace since last July.

Builders started construction on new homes in the U.S. at a pace of 1.22 million in March, representing a 22% decrease from a revised 1.56 million in February. However, even with this decrease, the figures were still 1.4% higher than a year ago.

It’s the largest decline we’ve seen since March 1984.

Permitting activity, however, had a little less dramatic of a slowdown. Privately-owned housing unit permits were authorized at a seasonally-adjusted rate of 1.35 million. That was 6.8% below the revised pace of 1.45 million set in February, but still 5% above last year’s rate.

This news isn’t all doom and gloom, however.
Yes, housing starts are down and inventory is very low, but these conditions create some interesting market conditions.  With the lockdown and the rise in unemployment, one would start to think we may have a housing crash on our hands (and it’s still possible if closures and stay-at-home orders continue much longer.)
For now, with mortgage rates so low (buyers still mainly purchase on payments they can afford) and inventory shrinking, it is keeping home prices high. There’s not enough inventory to meet buyer demand, and therefore, prices remain stable.
What this means for the future will all come down to how long our economy is closed.
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Investor Mortgage Report 4.28.2020

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States are slowly opening back up into an uncharted post-COVID19 closure world, but how does this affect the lending markets?

 

Some states have started to allow the gradual re-opening of businesses as stay-at-home orders begin to relax around the country.  What effect will this have on mortgages, rates, and availability of lending to investors?

 

What We Know:

Here’s what we think is reasonable to expect as we return to our new version of “normal”:

 

As businesses start opening up, there will be an influx of people employed and able to make their rent and mortgage payments.

 

The majority of the traditional lenders left investors out to dry over concerns of rents being paid. Government officials haven’t helped the matter with proposals to postpone or forego rent payments.  If tenant rents are not paid, how will investors react? Will they still be able to make their payments?  Will it affect those with larger portfolios to a greater degree than those with smaller ones?

 

These serious (and unanswered) questions are the main reason we have little to no funding options at the moment.

 

The only way we put these concerns to rest is by people going back to work (if they’re able.)  Feeling out the new “normal” flow of payments will help bring certainty to the lenders so that they can decide whether to open lending back up (at a limited pace and with tighter guidelines,) or keep it as-is (little to no options.)

 

The fate of the traditional lending world will hinge on payments: Those made by renters as they return to the workforce, and subsequently, those made by their landlords.

 

What You Can Do:

Be optimistic for more certainty over the coming weeks. As individual states’ economies reopen, let’s remain hopeful that jobs are still there, people want to go back to work, and that they are able to keep up with their payments.

Lastly, also let’s encourage government officials to stop putting out the idea that renters can “forgo” their rents.  This helps no one currently holding a mortgage (unless you want votes.)

 

Want to stay in the loop with the latest assessments of the lending climate, and ideas on how to keep your real estate investments funded in these trying times?

Sign up for our weekly industry newsletter and upcoming OPM webinar series here >>>

 

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Introducing Your New Partner: Money

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If you’ve been watching the mortgage industry reports over the past few weeks, it shouldn’t come as a shock to you that the banks are quickly closing their doors to investors. In fact, if you run an investment property business and have relied solely on traditional funding, it’s practically impossible to find money to close your deals the old-fashioned way. 

 

But don’t give up hope just yet. We’d like the chance to introduce you to your new funding partner: Cash money.

If you need funds to close your deals, the quickest way to secure it in these unprecedented times to STOP relying on banks and traditional financing options. Believe it or not, there are tons of other sources of investment capital out there, and they just so happen to already be in your phone’s contact list.

 

When it comes time to fund your next deal, instead of turning to the bank and patiently waiting to be shot down, why not place a call to a potentially willing partner instead? Whether it be a grandparent, a fellow real estate investor, your golfing buddy, or your next-door neighbor, chances are you already know someone who might be looking to make their savings balance work a little harder for them (and therefore, you!)

Asking acquaintances or friends for funds can be a tricky subject, but with the right approach, it’s perfectly possible to do so while keeping it legal, safe, and honest – not to mention PROFITABLE – for all parties involved.

Don’t be beholden to banks. Money is king, so take back control of your financial future and put yourself where the money is.

We can help you start the conversation with our Guide to OPM Funding Webinar series! Get more info and signed up here >>>>

 

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Investor Mortgage Report 4.21.2020

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Investor mortgage report

The going is still tough out there for real estate investors looking for traditional financing.

 

 

What We Know:

This week doesn’t bring much (if any) relief to the mortgage markets.  The Feds have slowed down buying mortgage back securities and closings are still tough.

 

We are seeing the majority of our payoffs being delayed 2-3 weeks as mortgage companies push loans through these uncertain times.

 

Unfortunately, this means–once again–the real estate investor doesn’t rank high on their list of loans to close (or close fast).

 

The good news? There are still lending options for Real Estate Investors.  You just need to know where to find them.

 

Even though most traditional lending options are currently off the table, there is still one source that is interested in lending to real estate investors (at least in some markets):

Credit unions.

 

 

According to our market research, there are still a couple of credit unions maintaining business as usual. Better yet, they are still lending with good terms on rental properties.

 

Why do they seem less impacted than the rest of the lending world?  The answer is heavily based on their loan mix. Unlike banks, credit unions do not have a heavy investment in all these small businesses that have closed down. (Remember, the closure of small businesses impacts banks via deposits and bad loans. Bad loans create a need for banks to slow down on all lending.) Secondly, a good deal of their mortgages are kept inside the credit union, and don’t rely on secondary markets to keep lending.

 

So, if they can make a good loan on a piece of real estate, they will.

 

What You Can Do:

Of course, not every credit union lends on rental properties. You will need to call around in your market to find out which ones offer this service.  

 

 

Also consider that the ones who are doing these loans will be BUSY, and you’ll need to be patient.  It took us 2 days just to get a call-back…that is just reality in the strange times we’re living in.

 

Want to stay on top of what’s happening in the market, as well as what you can do to help your investor business thrive in a post-pandemic lending world? Get signed up for our weekly webinar series and join our mailing list for info, insights, and action items geared toward helping you take the guesswork out of your funding.

 

Sign up here >>>>

 

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