Get Paid to Buy a House? (Must be a veteran)

[Jeremy Bourgeois]

Just throwing this out there for the world. I bought my primary residence last year, and actually got paid $7,000 at closing for a new construction house! You can do it too! Here's the catch: you have to be a veteran and you have to have your real estate license. That alone probably eliminates most people. BUT, if you are there, or even if you are a veteran and on the fence about getting your license but looking to buy your primary home, you can finesse your way into getting paid at closing! VA loan= 0% + buyers agent compensation.

Incredible right? Dave Ramsey would not be a fan of this, as he also would not be a fan of putting 0% down on a house, but if you don't mind leverage, this is a great strategy. Personally, I'd prefer to use that money payment on a fix and flip, or for marketing expenses to find that next deal.

So here's what my wife and I did. We bought a new construction detached townhome (think of a townhome with common areas but without adjoining walls). We bought in a developing area with a lot of new construction and commercial construction to ensure maximized appreciation, both in rent and in home value. If we were to think short term, we'd probably say that this is a bad investment. If we were to move out tomorrow and rent this sucker out, we'd be losing $500/month (yikes). But as the property value appreciates, so will rent. Did you know that not so long ago, a house in this area would rent for $1,000, but now rents for $2,000+?

We have already seen our property go up enough in value to completely offset our payments in just 6 months. And we got PAID at closing! Real estate is awesome, and this is just one of many tactics to get into it.