Houston Investment Property Guide

Return on investment (ROI) is a term you hear frequently, usually in relation to business and finance. The goal is to maximize return on the money you invest. Return on investment is a popular metric because it is versatile and simple to use. If an investment does not have a positive ROI or if there are alternative investment opportunities with a higher ROI, the investment should not be undertaken. Return on investment is used in our situation to describe the monetary gain made by investing in some type of Houston investment property. There are a variety of properties that can be used to gain a reasonable return on investment.

Return on investment isn’t necessarily the same as profit. ROI deals with the money you invest in the property and the return you realize on that money based on the net profit coming from the rent.

Real estate investing is a serious endeavor. In a market climate that favors buyers, it’s tempting to jump in the wagon of real estate investors and join in the hunt for the best property. Potential investors must realize that the search will probably be long and hard to acquire the property most suited to their investment needs. To generate positive ROI, numerous offers will be made to sellers with most being objected, but the goal is to buy the Houston investment property at a wholesale price, not asking.

When a slump in property markets occurs, it is quite possible to get properties that are very reasonably priced. But it does take some skills and knowledge to find the best of these from the perspective list to achieve ROI maximization.

When looking at investing in property, it is always better to have an accountant, a legal practitioner and a financial planner at hand. This is because dealing in property could entail tax as well as legal implications. When looking to buy property, it always make sense to quote a lower price than what they expect to pay, as conversely, sellers try to bid more than what they hope to get.

Calculating ROI is quite simple. If you have invested $100 on a deal and want to get 15% ROI, it means that you would be pleased to get at least $115 by the next year. Property investment means commitment of large amount of funds and finances, which also implies that you should be clear not only about the broad contours of the deals but also the specifics in terms of the smallest and most minute aspects.

If you want to calculate the payback period of the deal, you will have to look at the costs which when divided by the monthly benefits which returns the payback period. ROI calculation also means that you take into account the ROI percentage, payback period and the cost benefit ratio.

When people make capital gains on property, they would need to pay tax on it. This tax is a function of how long you hold the Houston investment property. If the investment is held for more than a year, the applicable tax bracket is 15%, but if you hold it for less than 1 year, the capital gains tax rate is at the same rate as the tax bracket that you are in, for instance 35%. When you look at a property investment deal, also look at the recovery period, which a lot of people forget.

In these days and times, there are many instances of people taking loans to buy property and being unable to pay back the mortgage. This is where the lenders are left with properties that they have to re-possess from the defaulting buyers and then sell it through a loss mitigation department. These repossessed properties are known as REO properties and cannot be auctioned openly on account of which these are sold at rates much lower than market rates. Given the vast selection and choice available, investors can have a gala time looking at acquiring such Houston investment property.

While REO properties could be rather cheap, they are not for everyone as they are not sold in the open market through auctions. By definition, REO properties lack equity and also come with some built-in risks especially when one is buying a Houston investment property in ‘as-is’ condition. Most lenders who are stuck with re-possessed property would be interested in getting rid of the property as soon as possible in order to recover part of the costs that remains sunk in the property. Similarly, lenders are not interested in paying management costs which means that they are willing to sell the properties at prices that are way below market rates.

REO properties could be foreclosed, but the key issue here is that they cannot be auctioned. These also lack essential disclosure purposes and liability releases as they were taken from the buyer to the bank. The only reason the lender does not have any liability on these properties is because they do not have a hold on the buyer which not only compels them to list it with local real estate agents but also sell it off at lower prices, given the fact that holding properties for long periods of time is quite counterproductive and costly too.

Holding an REO property is of no use and is a drain as its upkeep is the responsibility of the lender. One also has to look at the rehab costs in getting the house into a functioning, rentable condition, which is why people should take advantage of special software programs to print inspection forms and see as to how much it would cost. Holding REO property costs money for every day it remains vacant.

Lenders that have an REO property would like to sell it off as soon as they can. It is true that they would not like to hold on to it for long which is why they enlist the services of local estate agents to sell it off. They are also quite willing to hammer out some structured deals for those buyers who want to buy such properties in bulk.

Buying an REO property is not a walk in the park as a cheap Houston investment property could very well attract a lot of competition and interest from other investors. There will be quite a few bids and one could also have participation of institutional investors. REO is better than auctions per se, because of the fact that in auctions you have to pay up front in cash and do not get the chance to inspect the property before buying it. In some cases, people can take up loans under the rural housing plan towards these types of properties. In auctions, however, you will be able to ensure that you do not have to deal with the lender, but buy the property directly.

Owner financing can either be for the full purchase price or it might just be for a percentage of the purchase price. When sellers do owner financing, they usually require a mortgage on the property. Owner financing is also a way for a seller to get a premium price for the property, often times one that would be unlikely that the investment property would appraise for. Ask yourself why would a seller carry a mortgage? Sometimes they are left with little choice, and it’s either sell quickly using owner financing, or leave the Houston investment property on the market and chance a decline property value.

Owner financing can also be an option for more than just traditional homes. Property owners can potentially carry the note for commercial property, land, and most other types of real estate. Owner financing is not very common among homeowners and it is usually employed by investors buying investment property to rent out or flip. If a property is in a bad condition or the owner has a vacant home sitting on the market for a significant period of time, then he or she may consider owner financing. Owner financing or seller financing (also called “rent to own”) is a process by which the seller offers to hold the note for you. No banks or credit are needed for this type of Houston investment property purchasing.

Owner financing allows you to set the terms, including interest rate and payment terms for your Houston investment property purchase. You are helping the seller while generating steady cash flow; owner financing is creative deal structuring that is a win/win for all parties involved. Owner financing happens when the owner or seller of the property is the one financing the buyer so in this case the owner acts as the bank. The buyer in turn can pay the needed amount monthly or whatever may be the agreement instead of going to the bank for financing. Owner financing can be considered with large or small down payments, it all depends on the term of the contract.

Owner financing is common in a buyer’s market for Houston investment property. In order to protect his or her own interests, the seller may require a higher down payment than a mortgage lender would, but usually at lower interest rates than available from traditional lenders. In most cases, owner financing comes from the entrepreneur’s savings.

Interest rates on Houston investment property are variable, based upon the Prime rate, with spreads set by financial institutions. Typical spreads are 1.50% to 2.50% over prime, with lower rates to investors with stronger historic debt service coverage. Interest rates of these institutions vary. For getting lower rate, some research work becomes inevitable. Owner financing eliminates this research, as most sellers will agree to a percentage point or more below prime, with a few cases setting up zero interest financing.

Offering a prospective home buyer seller financing is a great way to sell a home. You typically get top dollar and sell the home much faster. Offering terms generates a lot more buyers looking at Houston investment property, and can sometimes make the difference of being the first to sell a property in particular neighborhoods.