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Why Should You Do an Airbnb Investment?

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Do you think of an Airbnb as a good investment? You should.

Maybe when you think of an Airbnb your mind still goes to the classic model: a family with a guest house rents out to tourists for a little extra cash.

But short-term rental sites have evolved past that. Airbnb and VRBO properties can look a lot of ways, serve a lot of purposes, and generate a lot of income.

Airbnb Purposes

Airbnbs aren’t only for vacation rentals. The reasons people use short-term rentals are as diverse as the renters themselves.

Sometimes Airbnbs are used as an alternative to hotels for traveling professionals. Or insurance companies will use VRBOs as temporary housing for people displaced by a house fire. Or companies will host remote workers for onsite projects in an Airbnb.

Some renters will stay for one night, some for three months. Some come to experience the location, some to have a personal retreat, and some because they’re preferred to hotels for longer-term stays.

There’s a wide variety of ways and reasons to invest in an Airbnb, VRBO, or other short-term rental. They’re a worthwhile investment – as long as you know the best ways to finance them.

Airbnb Investment Income

Short-term rentals are also a great investment from a cash flow perspective.

Something like an Airbnb can quadruple (or more) the income you would make from a traditional monthly rental agreement.

If a traditional renter generates $2000 per month, short-term rates could make up to $4000 to $6000 per month on the same exact property.

So… How do you get the money to start?

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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Loans for Real Estate Investing (And How Inflation Changes Them)

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Lenders to have on your team, loans to get for real estate investing, and what inflation has to do with it.

Who are the lenders for real estate investing? Here are the basics of each lender and how rising inflation and interest rates will affect your relationship with them as you invest.

In real estate investing, there are three key lenders.

1) Banks and Credit Unions for Real Estate Investing

National banks don’t usually have many options for real estate investors. But local banks and credit unions love real estate investors.

Even so, banks are the most conservative lenders. They’ll be especially tight with their money until they figure out the new normal with updated federal interest rates.

As a real estate investor, bank loans will be increasingly difficult to get. It’ll be more common for banks to lend 60-70% of the LTV with high credit score requirements.

In the last few months, we’ve been receiving four times as many calls as usual from investors who typically go through banks for all their money. Already, investors are getting turned away by banks.

2) Hard Money Lenders

There are two types of hard money lenders: national and local. Each type of lender will approach the change in the economy in a different way.

Much like banks, national hard money lenders will tighten up on their requirements and options. National lenders were known for offering up to 90-100% LTV. Now, they’ll only lend 80% and their credit score range requirements have gone up. The higher your credit score, the higher your leverage with national hard money lenders.

Local lenders won’t change nearly as much based on the economy. Smaller lenders make their income by loaning money, so they’ll never tighten too much. Local hard money lenders don’t typically have any credit score requirements.

Get to know the hard money lenders in your area. They’re a valuable asset to have in your portfolio of lenders, especially now, and especially if your credit score is outside of the range of traditional lenders.

3) Real OPM Loans for Real Estate

OPM is Other People’s Money – from family, friends, neighbors, or other people in a position to lend. You might think that normal people wouldn’t want to loan you their money at a time like this. But you would be wrong.

People with money in the bank are making around a 1% return. So getting a 5%, secured return from you is way more appealing. OPM lenders won’t care about credit – as long as you secure their money and ensure them a return.

All three of these lending sources will be important. You’ll need a mix of all of them. Putting them together in the right way will accelerate your real estate career.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

Text: "Now Is the Time to Invest in Real Estate"

Now is the Best Time to Invest in Real Estate

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Don’t let a declining market get you down. Now is the best time for real estate investing!

Money is tightening. Inflation is up. Houses are staying on the market longer. So, why is this still the best time to invest in real estate?

This declining market will be one of the greatest opportunities to create generational wealth… as long as you’re ready for it.

Even as a beginner real estate investor, now is a great time to get prepared to make your first real estate investments.

Here’s where you can start.

Real Estate Investing In a Declining Market

You keep hearing that the fed is raising rates, inflation is hitting, and money is tightening. But what does this really mean for real estate investors?

Availability In a Declining Market

As inflation goes up, there’s less money for everyone. Including real estate investors.

This might feel like whiplash from the last ten years. Until recently, there was plenty of money for everyone in the real estate world. Rates were lower, loan-to-values on loans were higher, and money flowed fairly freely.

But now funds are tightening up. This will mean two main things for investors:

  1. Lenders will require more money down
  2. They will have higher credit score range expectations for borrowers.

Now is the perfect time to prioritize your credit score. Improving your credit score by thirty percent will put you in a fantastic position moving into this next market.

Purchase Opportunities in a Declining Market

Rates are going up, money’s tightening… but inventory is growing. Soon, the cost of homes will drop. 

You want to buy right at that moment, as money is shifting down but properties are shifting up. Sooner or later, the market will shift back. 

When money gets easy again and prices go up, you increase your cash flow and net worth because you bought in the declining market.

Inflationary times are not a negative for investors. As long as you’re prepared, now is the best time to invest in real estate. If you can get money, you’ll be one of the few people out there looking for deals. Five to ten years from now, you’ll be reaping the benefits in big ways.

Loans for Real Estate Investing with Tightening Money Policy

Tightening money policy is what we call it when central banks raise the federal funds rate.

When this occurs, what’s happening to the money? And what loans can you still get for real estate investing with tightening money policy?

Changes to Expect for Loans with Tightening Money Policy

If the pool of investors and borrowers for banks is a box, then tightening policy shrinks that box. Not as many people can get in. Lenders are more particular about who they’ll lend to and how much they’ll give.

There are a few main ways this will impact loans for real estate investing.

Credit Score & LTV

The two biggest changes are that lenders will offer a lower loan-to-value and require a higher credit score.

LTVs have lowered from 80% down to 75% on average. For example, let’s say you found a BRRRR property for $100,000. In the recent past, you could get an $80,000 loan fairly easily. Now, you’re more likely to get only $75,000.

At the same time, credit score requirements are going up. Many lenders are increasing their accepted credit score range by 20 to 40 points. If a 700 score could get you a good loan last year, you might need 720 or 740 for that same loan today.

What does this mean for you? With tightening money policy, here’s what you need to be prepared:

  • Higher down payments
  • A better credit score
  • Lower debt to income ratio
  • If possible, more investment experience.

Real Estate Investment Loans Moving Forward

In the short term, as LTVs go down, you’ll need to put more money into deals. As rates get higher, cash flow goes down.

But in the long term, buying now with housing prices low means higher profit once prices rise again.

Investors who can qualify for real estate loans now will have a huge advantage when the market shifts again.

Talk to other investors. Find out which lenders are still active in your area. Though banks have less money to go around, investors who can get themselves in a good position with credit, income, or a funding partner will be able to take advantage of the market.

Remember: now is the best time to create generational wealth through real estate investing.

How To Get a Loan For Real Estate Investing in 2022

You’ll want to take advantage of this best time to invest in real estate. But with money tightening in the second half of 2022, how do you get a loan for real estate investing?

Where’d the Money Go?

Over the past several years, a lot of money was flooding the market from hedge funds. Now, a third of those hedge funds have backed off. Banks interest rates are being tightened by the fed to have more reserves. Hedge funds and banks want to figure out where the market is going before putting more funds back in.

So, who is still lending during this time? Some banks, especially investor-friendly local banks, will still have some loans available. Other options, like private money also have more restrictions than usual but can still be a good option during this time.

New Real Estate Investing Lender Relationships in 2022

Things are changing in the real estate investing world. As an investor, you need to be more proactive. 

It was easy before – lenders would market to you to get their loans. But over the last few months, rates are skyrocketing, LTVs are plummeting, down payments have increased from 0-10% to 15-20%… and loans are fewer and further between.

It’s as if investors have had control over lenders – able to tell them what they want to do and when they need the money. Not so much now. Lenders have less money to put out, so they need to be pickier. For success, make yourself an investor they pick.

The Best Time to Build Your Team of Real Estate Investment Lenders

The best way to get a loan for real estate investing in 2022 is to build up an array of lending options. Spend time creating a larger pool of available funds. Now (before fund availability totally plummets) is the best time to create partnerships and positive relationships with the real estate lenders in your area.

Our prediction is by the first quarter of 2023, the really good deals will start to become available. Get prepared now with good relationships with small banks, local private money lenders, and OPM lenders.

Real Estate Investing Tips in This Market

Although this is the best time to invest in real estate, the typical investment strategies – fix-and-flips and BRRRR rentals – might be harder than usual in the upcoming market.

Our real estate investing tips for this market are to look into subject tos and owner carries.

Investing Tip: Subject Tos

Subject tos are coming back into fashion for real estate investors.

Some people recently got fix-and-flips, expecting prices to stay up and buyers to keep bidding. But soon, this easy market will come to an end, and sellers will have a harder time getting houses sold. Owners in this situation may be open to setting up a subject to.

A subject to is when you take over someone’s mortgage on a property. The owner can’t make payments, they can’t sell with a dropped market, and they don’t want to go into foreclosure. So you can take over the property and the mortgage – without the loan going into your name.

So instead of struggling to get a loan in this market, you can pay the loan that’s already on the property. You get better rates, and you can get a property with little to no money down.

Investing Tip: Owner Carries

Owner carries are a bit less common than subject tos because an owner carry requires no existing mortgage on the house.

In an owner carry, the seller needs to own the property free and clear (the most common example is when a home is willed after a family member dies). 

A client we worked with had a seller in this position. The seller was going to put the money from the sale in a bank account to gain interest on it. The buyer requested an owner carry instead, where she essentially made mortgage payments to the seller. 

The seller got a 5-6% return instead of the 1-2% they’d have gotten at the bank. And the buyer got the house without the struggle and high rates taking out a bank mortgage.

Now is the best time to invest in subject tos and owner carries. Everyone is looking for a better rate, and some people will be needing an exit strategy with their properties in this upcoming down market.

Invest in Real Estate with No Money Down in 2022

In the down market from twelve years ago, we helped several families buy ten properties at great values with no money down. Now, one of those people owns eight of those properties free and clear. Both the values and the cash flow on those properties have quadrupled. 

2022 will be another chance to swipe up some properties at a lower cost for zero down, if done right.

Set Up Money to Buy – Cash, HELOC, or OPM

When property values go down, interest rates go up. When it flips back, property values will go up, interest rates will come down, and you can refinance. 

Refinancing when the market picks back up increases your cash flow. It also increases the value of your asset and will enable you to take out more money later.

But before this market dip, you have to be prepared.

Put aside any cash you have. Get a HELOC now, if you have an existing mortgage. Set up partnerships with people you know who have money. 

People near retirement are hit with inflation just as much as you. They’ll get a higher return by lending securely to you. Having the power of other people’s money will give you the freedom to purchase properties during this time of opportunity.

Now is the best time to prep to invest in real estate… before property values go down.

Now Is the Best Time To Invest in Real Estate

This down market will likely be around for a couple years. It can be the best time for real estate investing – even for beginners. 

Start your prep now, keep an eye out for active lenders, and be ready when the market brings great opportunities.

If you can adapt with the markets and adapt to the new flow of money during these tight times, you’ll be able to have a successful, wealth-generating real estate investment career.

If you’re just starting out, or if the money side of investing is not your thing, let us help you!

Reach out at HardMoneyMike.com.

Happy Investing.

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Gap Funding for Real Estate Investors

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So, bridge loans are different from hard money loans. But where does gap funding fit into the mix for real estate investors?

Gap Funding vs Bridge Loans

Typically, true “bridge” loans are used for three specific situations in real estate investing:

  1. When you’re buying a new property and already have one listed for sale
  2. When you need to cover down payment on a new property
  3. When you find a great deal but your bank’s financing won’t be ready in time.

Bridge loans are about getting you from one property to another. Gap funding is more about filling in the gaps within a single project.

What is Gap Funding in Real Estate?

Bridge loans do bridge “gaps” in your investments. But “gap funding” is something different.

Gap funding is the small amounts that investors need throughout the course of a project in addition to the bigger loan. Examples of common gap funding situations are:

  • Down payments
  • Contractors and other fix-up costs
  • Carry costs before renting or selling
  • Interest, insurance, and other payments not included in the original cost of the property.

A bank or hard money lender will be funding the majority of your project. And when you don’t have other properties, you can use a lien (like you would for a bridge loan). But without another property, you need gap funding to cover the little costs that slip through the cracks of your primary financing.

Gap funding for real estate investors can be a loan that’s anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000. Whatever costs your primary loan and your own cash won’t cover will need to be filled by a gap lender.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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Subject To Real Estate Investing for Beginners: Opportunities for 2022!

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What are the opportunities available to you with subject to real estate investing as a beginner?

A “subject to” is when you buy someone’s property subject to them leaving the mortgage on the property. You become the owner, you receive the deed or title, and you take over the loan.

It’s still the same loan, in the original owner’s name. You’re not assuming, or refinancing. They keep the loan on the property, and you just make the payments.

Should You Do Subject To Investing?

How is a subject to beneficial for you? The property’s existing mortgage will likely have rates close to 2.5-3% – rather than the 6% rate you’d get on a new loan. Also, in a subject to, you assume no additional debt.

Most subject tos are made for rentals, lease options, or contractor deeds. A subject to property is not a great place to flip. When people are willing to do a subject to, the reason they’re not selling the property is they can’t get the price that they want at the speed they want. So they have to get rid of the property this way to avoid wrecking their credit for future loans.

The Money Side of Subject Tos

We’ve seen clients with 50 – 200 subject to properties. Subject to real estate investing is a great way to build a portfolio without using your credit, and without maxing out your loan opportunities with lenders.

Sometimes with subject tos, you’ll have to give the owner of the mortgage some money to give over the property. There are also occasional fix-up costs, depending on the condition of the property.

Why some people don’t want to jump into a subject to is because they don’t have the $5,000 – $15,000 start-up costs to get into it. We recommend looking into OPM as a way to cover these costs and take advantage of subject tos.

You’re getting the cheapest possible financing on a property, so it doesn’t matter much if the loan is still at 100%. Making monthly payments continually brings the loan down. And you’re free from many other financing and closing costs.

If you get a long-term renter, or someone who wants to do a lease option and put some money down, subject tos can become a great source of cash flow.

Subject tos are going to be hot as foreclosures pick up, selling times slow, and people can’t afford to fix up their properties. They are one of the best ways to take advantage of a down market and build a large real estate portfolio.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

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How to Invest in Airbnb and Other Short-Term Rentals: The Money Side

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Here’s your funding guide to invest in Airbnb, VRBO, or other short-term rentals.

You’ll find plenty of guides online about how to find good Airbnb locations or how to manage VRBO properties. 

Our expertise is in financing those short-term rentals. 

How can you find the easiest, fastest, cheapest funding for short-term rental properties? Let’s look at how to invest in Airbnb and get the money side right.

Why Do Airbnb Investments?

Maybe when you think of an Airbnb your mind still goes to the classic model: a family with a guest house rents out to tourists for a little extra money.

But short-term rental sites have evolved past that. Airbnb and VRBO properties can look a lot of ways, serve a lot of purposes, and generate a lot of income.

Airbnb Purposes

Airbnbs aren’t always for vacation rentals. The reasons people use short-term rentals are as diverse as the people themselves. 

Sometimes Airbnbs are used as an alternative to hotels for traveling professionals. Or insurance companies will use VRBOs as temporary housing for people displaced by a house fire. Or companies will host remote workers for onsite projects in an Airbnb.

Some renters will stay for one night, some for three months. Some come to experience the location, some to have a personal retreat, and some because they’re preferred to hotels for longer-term stays.

There’s a wide variety of ways and reasons to invest in an Airbnb, VRBO, or other short-term rental. They’re a worthwhile investment – as long as you know the best ways to finance them.

Airbnb Investment Income

Short-term rentals are a great investment from a cash flow perspective.

If you invest in something like an Airbnb, it can quadruple (or more) the income you would make from a traditional monthly rental agreement.

If a traditional renter generates $2000 per month, short-term rates could make up to $4000 to $6000 per month on the same exact property.

So… How do you get the money to start?

How to Buy Your First Airbnb with No Money Down

If an investor decides to use short-term rentals as an income stream, ideally, they wouldn’t want to pay a bunch of money up front for the property.

Is it possible to buy your first Airbnb with no money down? What steps does it take to get 100% financing on a property to convert into an Airbnb?

Using the BRRRR Strategy to Invest in an Airbnb with No Money Down

A possible way to get a short-term rental with zero money down is to use the BRRRR strategy. 

If you can buy a property undermarket, fix it up within budget, and refinance, you can set up an Airbnb for no money down. 

We’ve helped a lot of people use the BRRRR strategy to get into an Airbnb. They keep the purchase and rehab costs at 75% or below the ARV, then get into a long-term conventional loan or DSCR loan.

The process is mostly the same as for a traditional BRRRR rental property, with a few slightly different requirements.

Long-term Loan Requirements to Invest in Airbnb

You’ll find conventional lenders that will lend for an Airbnb. But they may require that you have:

  • Two years of experience with Airbnbs
  • Other real estate investment history
  • The income for the loan (from a W2 job or your own business) without any income from the property.

If you’d need a loan with fewer requirements for your first Airbnb, a DSCR loan may be right for you. A DSCR loan’s only major requirement is that the income from rent covers the expenses of the property.

What If You Can’t Get an Airbnb for Zero Down?

If you land a good BRRRR opportunity – find a property you can buy and fix up for under 75% of the ARV – you can get it with zero down. 

Otherwise, you’ll be asked to put 20-30% down, depending on:

  • Your credit
  • Your income
  • The income potential of the property

Later in this article, we’ll explore options for covering these down payments and other costs a loan won’t cover.

How to Invest an Airbnb Loan Without W2 Income

Many of these loans have income requirements. So what happens if you don’t have W2 income on your first Airbnb loan transaction?

If you need to get an Airbnb loan without W2 income, you can use a DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio) loan.

Using a DSCR Loan to Invest in Airbnb

Maybe you started a business less than 2 years ago and you don’t yet have tax returns that qualify you for most loans. Or you just lost or left a job. Or maybe you recently moved.

In any of these circumstances, you probably won’t have the W2 income that qualifies you for most loans.

But DSCR loans will work for you because they only look at the potential or current rent for the property. Many, but not all, DSCR lenders will do Airbnb, VRBO, and other short-term rental loans. 

DSCR Airbnb Loan Requirements

With a DSCR loan for a short-term rental, however, you don’t use the actual income amount you receive from Airbnb or VRBO. Instead, you’ll use the average rent in the neighborhood to qualify for your loan.

This means you can get a DSCR loan if the standard, monthly rent in the neighborhood would cover the property’s costs. So, that average rent amount must be greater than or equal to the property’s:

  • Mortgage
  • Taxes
  • Insurance
  • HOA fees

If the property meets those requirements, you can get an Airbnb loan without all the W2 income documentation required by typical loans.

Find the Right DSCR Loan for You

With DSCR loans, it’s very important to shop around. Every DSCR lender will offer a slightly different type of loan, with slightly different requirements.

There is a loan that is perfect for your credit, your plan, and your property. You just have to find it.

What Are the Best Loans to Invest in Airbnb?

Which loans and terms are best to invest in Airbnb? What should you look for?

Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer. Your loan options for short-term rental investments will come down to your credit, your income, and your experience. 

Airbnb loans come in all shapes and sizes – 30-year fixed mortgages, adjustables, non-QM loans, interest-only, and more.

You’ll have to talk to lenders to see what’s out there. Here are a few things to keep in mind while you’re shopping around.

Down Payments

Every loan comes with different down payment requirements. These requirements are based on your situation, credit, income, location, size of property, and more.

Some Airbnb loans will only require 20% down, some up to 30%. If you’re not using BRRRR, you have to expect to put this extra money into the property.

Is that something you can afford? Will you be able to find alternative ways to fund that extra 20-30%?

Pre-pay Penalties

Most non-traditional loans and DSCR loans will come with pre-pay penalties.

You’ll agree to keep the loan on the property for, say, five years. So, if something comes up after two years and you sell, you’ll have to pay the lender an up to 5% penalty.

Getting a loan with a pre-pay can get you a better rate. But it becomes an expensive detail if you end up selling early.

Do you know how long you’ll keep the house? Is the rate on the loan with the pre-pay penalty worth it?

How to Get the Best Terms for Airbnb Loans

People get excited to invest in Airbnbs, but they fail to get sorted on the money side. You’ll have to search for the best terms. 

The easiest way to improve your terms is to have the income, and, more importantly, the credit score that lenders are looking for.

Good terms on your loans lower your cost of funds and increase your leverage. It leaves more money in your pocket and less to the bank. Good terms are vital if you want to expand your Airbnb and other investments into a business.

Grow Your Airbnb Faster with OPM

You can get short-term rental loans from banks and hard money lenders. But one of the best strategies for funding Airbnbs is to borrow money from real people.

Using OPM Loans to Invest in Airbnb

Other People’s Money comes from family, friends, or anyone else with money they’d like a better return on.

Maybe they’re only getting a 1% rate in their bank account and want more from a real estate investor. Maybe they’re nearing retirement and want to start getting their money out of the stock market. Whatever a person’s situation, there’s a lot of money out there looking for better returns. 

You can buy a VRBO with someone else’s money, then pay them back with interest at 5-6%. It’s cheaper for you, and double or triple what your lender would make keeping their money in a bank. Win-win.

OPM requires no credit or income qualifications, and it gives you a faster, more convenient money source to grow your Airbnb.

Setting Up an Airbnb Partnership with OPM

Instead of using OPM as a loan, there’s a way to structure it as a partnership. 

In this case, you have no debt requirements. You can return their money with a rate of 5%, but if there’s a bad income month, you’re not obligated to pay.

As far as cash flow, you can’t beat an OPM partnership or loan. It can help you invest in Airbnbs with no money out of pocket, no qualifications, and potentially no debt.

If you need help setting up the OPM process, we’ve done thousands of OPM transactions and can answer any questions you have.

Where To Go From Here

There are a lot of loan options to kickstart your Airbnb investment career. The less money you have to put into the property, the better off you’ll be.

There’s money in the money – for all investments, including short-term rentals. Getting the money right makes everything smoother and your profits bigger.

Contact us at HardMoneyMike.com with any questions about your Airbnb investment journey.

Happy Investing.

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What is a DSCR Loan?

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“The Easy Loan” – What is a DSCR loan all about?

DSCR stands for Debt Service Coverage Ratio, which is a term used in the mortgage industry.

In the real estate industry, a DSCR loan is more commonly known as an “easy loan.”

What is it that makes a DSCR loan so “easy”?

DSCR Loans’ Easy Reputation

DSCR loans are easy because they cut out 50 to 60% of the paperwork required for a typical loan of its kind. If you’ve ever done a loan for a rental property, you know the paperwork seems endless.

All a DSCR loan looks at is whether your property’s rent covers your monthly expenses. At the very least, your rent (income) needs to be higher than your expenses – payments, taxes, insurance, HOA, etc.

The only other consistent criteria for getting a DSCR loan is your credit score. But if you have a good to great credit score and a cash-flowing property, you can get one of these easy DSCR loans.

What Is Special About a DSCR Loan?

Every DSCR loan will be slightly different. You can find a DSCR loan in any shape or size.

Each lender puts their own nuance in their DSCR loans. There’s no national standard for underwriting for these loans. There are thousands of institutions offering these loans, so there are thousands of different versions of them.

For your investments, you can find DSCR 30-year loans, 3 to 7-year adjustables, interest-only loans, and more. DSCRs are useful for their range of options.

But you do have to shop around for each of your DSCR loans. Each lender will have different criteria, and your different rental properties will each meet a different set of criteria.

Take your time finding DSCR loans, and take advantage of their wide variety.

Other Common Requirements for DSCR Loans

As mentioned, DSCR loans can vary widely from lender to lender. But there are a few more common requirements for DSCR loans to keep in mind.

First, DSCR loans typically require 20% down for a purchase. Their refinance max is usually 75%. There are unique lenders out there that will offer more, but a lower down payment will be offset by higher interest rates.

Second, interest rates for DSCR loans are typically around 1.25 to 1.5% higher than other traditional conforming conventional loans.

Third – and this is an important one – DSCR loans almost always come with pre-pay penalties.

You have to keep the loan for a set amount of time, usually 3-5 years. Or else you have to pay the lender a penalty for paying it off early. That means if you sell or refinance, they’ll charge you a penalty.

Lenders will want these loans to stay on the property for a longer amount of time. So they penalize you for ending the loan before their minimum timeframe. Watch for these penalties, and be sure they fit into your guidelines for a project.

Read the full article here.

Watch the full video here:

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How to Create Wealth with Subject To Real Estate Investing

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Setting up a subject to deal right opens the gate to more money in your real estate investment career. Now, here’s how to take it from a system that generates cash flow to a way to create generational wealth in real estate investing.

To Make Money, Go Big

Volume is how to truly create wealth in real estate investing. Subject tos can be easy and relatively passive, so it’s possible to stretch yourself from five to ten properties to 50 to 100.

But to go for volume, you’ll have to be less picky with the amount of money you put in a deal.

You might have to bring in some money to help the seller move. You may have to fix up a few things in the property. Or you could need to carry the payments for a few months while you find a good renter.

Using OPM to Create Wealth in Real Estate Investing

The number one investment strategy we recommend here is to bring in an OPM partner. This will be a person who’s willing to put in $10,000 to $50,000 in exchange for a portion of rent.

This partnership will allow you to expand quickly. Your partner gets a 5-6% return on their money, there’s still no money down for you, and you get the speed and flexibility that cash gives a subject to.

We have a history of helping people with this part of the process. You can get the start-up cash that will allow your to create wealth by investing in real estate. Reach out at HardMoneyMike.com.

Read the full article here.

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Hard Money Loans – Know the Basics

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As a beginner investor, you need to know the basics about hard money loans.

The two most basic hard money answers you need are:

  1. What’s the difference between loan-to-value and ARV?
  2. How do you calculate them?

Know the Basics: Loan-to-Value

Firstly, what’s Loan-to-Value? Loan-to-value, or LTV, involves the:

  • appraised value of a property
  • as it sits right now
  • with nothing changed about it.

As a real estate investor, if a property costs $100,000 as it sits, you know you’re going to put work into it and make it worth more. But that as-is value, the $100,000, is what lenders base their loan amount on.

Know the Basics: After Repair Value

Secondly is After Repair Value. After repair value (ARV) is used more by hard money lenders and the real estate investment world. Banks and traditional lenders more often use LTV.

Because in real estate investing, we’re basing our numbers on what you can do to the property. What can the value be once you fix it up? That’s the number that determines profit, so that number is more important for hard money lenders.

ARV is the target value of what the house will be worth after all your renovations. This ARV should always be higher than the current price of the house when you buy it.

Calculating ARV and LTV for Hard Money Loans

Let’s say you found an undermarket property that’s selling for $100,000. If a lender says, “We’ll loan you 75%,” that could mean two things, and you’ll want to know the difference.

First, if they’re a bank, they’re likely talking about 75% of the value. In this example, that would be:

$100,000  ×  75%  =  $75,000 loan

Hard money lenders will care more about the value of the home after repairs, so they go off ARV. If they loan you 75%, that would be:

$150,000  ×  75%  =  $112,500 loan

If a loan is based on ARV, lenders might want to know – what are you doing to the property? Different renovations will affect the value of the property in different ways. What you will do and the quality of your work will affect the ARV.

When you know the basics about LTV and ARV, your hard money loans will be much smoother.

Read the full article here.

Watch the video here:

Text: "How to Invest When Inflation Hits"

How to Invest in Real Estate During Inflation: Your Credit Score Matters

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Let’s unpack what it means to invest in real estate during inflation.

Inflation is rising. Interest rates are rising. Lenders are looking at risk and reward, and they’re becoming much less lenient than they’ve been in the recent past. 

Think of this time like 2010: investors who aren’t ready will have a hard time continuing their business. Investors who are ready can jump in and take advantage of chances to build generational wealth. 

What will be the key to preparedness for this downturn in the market? Credit scores.

Let’s look at lender credit score requirements, lending options, and how to invest in real estate during inflation.

What Is the Credit Score Range?

Credit scores range from the 400s to the 800s. Lenders, though, look for 620 to 800 credit scores. 

Credit Score Ranges and LTV Expectations

In recent times, 640 used to be an average minimum score for lenders. But in the last several months, that’s risen to an average of 680.

Lenders are prioritizing quality over quantity in who they lend to, dropping off 15-20% of available borrowers.

In addition to changing credit score requirements, many lenders are also changing how much they’ll lend. 

We know some lenders who have raised their requirements from 640 to 680, and they’ll only loan out 65% LTV. To get 80% LTV, they used to require 690-700; now, that credit score range is 720-740.

How Interest Rates Impact Lender Credit Score Ranges

With rising interest rates, it will be harder to get cash flow on properties. If your rate goes from 3% to 6%, that’s doubled the amount of interest you pay every month.

Lenders will be concerned with cash flow. They want to make sure they lend to solid people who have a good history of making their payments.

As rates and inflation go up, you need to be prepared to take advantage of what will happen in the market as you invest in real estate. 

You’ll need to know what credit score range lenders are looking for, and you’ll need to know your score.

How Do I Check My Credit Score?

A good credit score is necessary for successful real estate investing. So it’s important to answer the basic question: How do I check my credit score?

Does Checking My Credit Affect My Score?

How can you check your credit without it impacting your score? If your credit is checked in the wrong way, it can impact you by 3-5 points. Not a big deal, right?

But if your lender requires a 680 credit score, and you go down to a 679… you just got squeezed out of the loan.

There are two kinds of credit checks: hard inquiries and soft inquiries. A hard inquiry will knock your score down temporarily. Luckily, most methods of checking your credit online are soft inquiries and shouldn’t impact your score.

Where Can I Check My Score?

You can start somewhere like CreditKarma.com and sign up for a free account. Even though it’s not FICO-score-driven, it can give you an idea of where you’re at. It’s a good way to check your credit score without affecting your credit.

You can also visit AnnualCreditReport.com for a yearly free copy of your credit report. Also, some banks and credit card companies will offer a free credit checking service with your account.

Use these free, online checks that don’t bother your credit to keep a pulse on your score. Check these three months before you need a loan. That gives you time to take (or avoid) certain actions to raise or maintain your score for when you apply for the loan.

Know Your Score to Get Ahead

We’ve been spoiled in the last decade with low rates, easy money, and wide options. That’s all slowly coming to an end. Lenders will be pickier, with higher rates and fewer options. 

But that means there will be fewer investors out there buying, so the opportunities are even better for you. As long as you’re credit-ready.

Loans for Real Estate Investing Amidst Inflation

Who are the lenders for real estate investing? Here are the basics of each lender and how rising inflation and interest rates will affect your relationship with them as you invest.

In real estate investing, there are three key lenders.

1) Banks and Credit Unions

National banks don’t usually have many options for real estate investors. But local banks and credit unions love real estate investors.

Even so, banks are the most conservative lenders. They’ll be especially tight with their money until they figure out the new normal with updated federal interest rates. 

As a real estate investor, bank loans will be increasingly difficult to get. It’ll be more common for banks to lend 60-70% of the LTV with high credit score requirements. 

In the last few months, we’ve been receiving four times as many calls as usual from investors who typically go through banks for all their money. Already, investors are getting turned away by banks.

2) Hard Money Lenders

There are two types of hard money lenders: national and local. Each type of lender will approach the change in the economy in a different way.

Much like banks, national hard money lenders will tighten up on their requirements and options. National lenders were known for offering up to 90-100% LTV. Now, they’ll only lend 80% and their credit score range requirements have gone up. The higher your credit score, the higher your leverage with national hard money lenders.

Local lenders won’t change nearly as much based on the economy. Smaller lenders make their income by loaning money, so they’ll never tighten too much. Local hard money lenders don’t typically have any credit score requirements. 

Get to know the hard money lenders in your area. They’re a valuable asset to have in your portfolio of lenders, especially now, and especially if your credit score is outside of the range of traditional lenders.

3) Real OPM

OPM is Other People’s Money – from family, friends, neighbors, or other people in a position to lend. You might think that normal people wouldn’t want to loan you their money at a time like this. But you would be wrong. 

People with money in the bank are making around a 1% return. So getting a 5%, secured return from you is way more appealing. OPM lenders won’t care about credit – as long as you secure their money and ensure them a return. 

All three of these lending sources will be important. You’ll need a mix of all of them. Putting them together in the right way will accelerate your real estate career.

Credit Score Requirements for Fix-and-Flip Loans

During inflation, how does your credit score impact the flow of money to invest in fix-and-flip real estate?

We monitor a few national wholesale companies that have raised credit score requirements 40 points and dropped their LTVs by 10%. And it will only get tighter.

These lenders will charge higher rates too. One of these companies used to have 7% interest rates. Now, they’ve already risen to over 10%.

What does this mean for you?

You’ll need to raise your credit score to have a chance at these loans. And between lower LTVs and higher interest rates, you’ll have to expect to put more money down.

Use these tricks to raise your score while applying for new loans.

BRRRR Loans and Credit Score Requirements

During inflation and rate-rising, cash flow can take a huge hit. This means you’ll need to be much more careful with BRRRR loans.

BRRRR’s Two-loan Strategy with Rising Requirements

We’ve mentioned how traditional bank loans are changing. But even DSCR loans – loans based on rental income from property – are raising rates up to 9% and requiring credit score minimums.

You’ll have to be much more intentional with your BRRRR loans.

In BRRRR, there’s two loans, and you’ll need good credit scores for both. The first is a hard money loan (where national lenders require higher scores). The second is long-term, either a traditional bank loan or a DSCR (which are all raising requirements).

Upcoming price drops and foreclosures will be perfect opportunities for BRRRR properties. Investors who can get approved for financing will be the first to take advantage of these opportunities.

Fewer investors will be able to keep their business going. You need to know your credit score so don’t lose out on funding!

Be Credit-Ready

Your credit score is an important part of your business. You’ll need to be better at credit than ever before in your real estate career.

You can take advantage of this dip! Be credit-ready to invest in real estate during inflation.

Download our credit score checklist here.

Watch our videos on credit preparedness here.

Happy Investing.