Now What is HUD Up To?

Received by email today concerning a HUD owned home we have an accepted bid on;

PEMCO has reviewed your contract for the above referenced property and has approved it for signature; however, HUD has issued a stop work order in the State of Missouri.  This stop work order only impacts new contracts being assigned to the current HUD Closing Agent.  Once HUD has advised PEMCO to proceed with new assignments to the Closing Agent, we will execute your contract and email it out immediately. 

Please note the time allotted for closing does not start until PEMCO has executed your sales contract.  At this time, we are unsure of when the stop work order will be released.  We will continue to notify you as information becomes available.

So what does this mean, exactly?  No time frame what-so-ever?  You just get to keep the $1,000 EMD until you decide differently?   Hell of a way to run a business.    Oh, I forgot.  Government doesn’t know how to run a business yet constantly offers advice on how we should.

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Filed under Real Estate Investing

Fannie Mae is Run by Idiots

Okay.  So now Fannie Mae has decided that they won’t take the contracts I’ve submitted because my buyer signed them with DocuSign.  Never mind that the US Government, who subsidizes Fannie and Freddie to the tune of billions and billions of our damn money, says that electronic signatures are legal.

Who runs that place and what kind of idiots are they?

And while I’m ranting, why did HUD decide to cut commissions on real estate agents?   Were we making too much money selling crap-hole houses at discounted prices where we have to FedEx everything  at $35 a pop because they too, a branch of the US Gov, won’t take electronic signatures?

Trump would have made lousy President.  No doubt.  But maybe he would have fired all these people!

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Filed under Legal Issues

Buying Foreclosure Real Estate

Buying foreclosure real estate can be a real hassle.  Just viewing the properties can be dirty and a health risk and getting the right combo codes to the key boxes is sometimes comical.  Then there are the offers.  Some require supplemental bank documents before they’ll look at your offer and others won’t.

I sell about 30-40 foreclosure properties each and every year to clients looking to make money investing in real estate here in Kansas City.  Money is there to be made.  No doubt about it.  But make no mistake, there are tons of papers to sign and the bank addendums are only written to the favor of the seller.  If you don’t like it, tough.  You can walk away.  You can bitch and moan.  But there is not much else you can do…besides sign and close.

Right now, to make money in real estate investing in Kansas City you have to have two minds simultaneously.

  1. You must buy rental property that will rent, stay rented and provide healthy cash flow.
  2. You must buy property with “havestable equity.”

Cash Flow
Do you believe you can be “all in” on rental property that rents for about twice your investment?  (So to speak.)  I mean you can buy a house for $25,000 and then invest another $15,000 in repairs/updates and then rent for somewhere between $795 and $850.  And yes, vacancies are at or below 6%.

True enough these aren’t “A” neighborhoods, or even “B.”   But they are safe neighborhoods.

These homes are challenging and competitive to find.  But they exist.

All day long I can find you single family homes that you can be “all in” for about $60,000 – $65,000 and rents would still be about $795 to $850.

Harvestable Equity
My term.  Don’t google it.   🙂

Basically what I’m saying here is that your “all in” price is somewhere 15% or more south of the ARV.  In other words, you have value sitting there waiting to be harvested when you sell the house when the market improves.  Is that a year from now?  Two?  Ten?  I don’t know either.  But the harvestable equity I speak of is based on today’s comps.  I’ll show them to you when we are negotiating and you make your own judgements.

I Charge Extra
So there are no surprises you need to understand I have commission surcharges.  Every once in a while someone moans and groans that I add on a fee of $375.00 for each closing to whatever commission I earn.  Really?  I’m using my years of expertise to identify properties that will make you ~$300/mo cash flow and ~$25,000 to $50,000 in extra equity and you want to argue with me for making money?

It’s the only way I can make a decent living with houses that are selling for less than $90,000.   Just so we know, that’s the fee if we work together.

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Filed under HUD homes, Investment Property

FHA 203(k) Loans – Perfect for Rehab

I went to Tom Brassfield’s workshop on FHA 203(k) loans last evening over in Overland Park.  I’ve done a couple of FHA 203(k) rehab loans with Tom.   I love the program for people looking for a primary home that want to buy a house under market, fix it up the way they like it and move in with “minable” equity to be had.  In other words, you get paid handsomely for taking on the project.

Tom is a loan officer with Simmons First National Bank in Overland Park, KS.  A few bullet points for 203(k) loan rules from his seminar last evening;

  • KC max loan amount is $271,050.  (Means purchase price and rehab cost is about $281,000 if putting 3.5% down.)
  • Only 3.5% down payment that may be a gift.
  • $5,000 min. rehab cost.
  • No cash reserves required.
  • Primary residence only.
  • Contractor required.

If you would like to know more about this loan program that I whole-heartedly endorse feel free to call me at 913.568.1579 or call Tom at 913.709.9779.  We’re glad to help.

 

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Filed under Financing Options

Still More Properties Than Available Money, But…

I am still finding more properties than the money able to buy them.  Seems you either need to have cash to purchase a Kansas City investment property or you need to have a full colonoscopy.   The rules for lending on an investment property are getting marginally more reasonable.  But still so many silly, reactionary rules that make no sense.

For instance, I had an underwriter tell me it’s Freddie/Fannie policy that if we are getting the rent deposits and pro-rated rents transferred on a HUD-1 Settlement Statement then we need full documentation and trace back to the original taking of the application or it’s considered a seller contribution.  What?

The only way to assure that the Buyer receives from the Seller the transfer of rent deposits and/pro-rated rents is to do it on the Settlement Statement.  But no, we’re told by the very same people (underwriters and Fannie/Freddie) to handle this transaction out of closing that prohibit financial transactions outside of closing!!!!!?????!!!!!!

Seriously, what is to stop the Seller from saying, just after closing, “That’s it.”  After all, he’s now complied with his obligations of the sale and is no longer bound to transfer those dollars.  Fannie/Freddie….you are making a huge mistake here.  But then again, you should be used to hearing that by now.

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Filed under Real Estate Investing

Things are Hopping

No pun intended with it getting close to Easter and all…

Sorry I’ve been lax in posting.  Between sales and family and spring break and what not I’ve been very busy.  But I’m working on a post.

Stay tuned…

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Filed under Uncategorized

High Maintenance or Low? Decide Carefully

I went out with some experienced Kansas City real estate investors today.  And it’s always an eye-opening experience when I do.  First, I learn from my clients as much as they learn from me.  Second, sometimes I’m shocked at what people are thinking.

For instance, we saw 5 houses today.  Four of the houses for sale were all pretty similar and would make great rental property.  They were all ranches (three had basements) and were all fairly simple to maintain.  The 5th house was by far the cutest.  It had that Grandma’s house feel to it.  Easy resell, which is certainly worth quite a bit.

But the roof had at least 3 layers.   The outside was stucco.  And the walls were plaster.  And the basement was rock.

No biggie.  There are lots of houses like that in the Kansas City area, and probably your area, too.  But the plaster walls and rock basement and many layers of roof mean a lot of maintenance issues as the years will roll by.

When you are looking at buying investment real estate do you keep maintenance in mind?

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Filed under Kansas City Real Estate, Real Estate Investing