Does the 70% rule in buy apply to more expensive properties?

Does the 70% rule in buy apply to more expensive properties?

Investor · Pleasant Hill, CA · Member since 2017 · 37 posts · 5 votes
The BP folks are saying 70% for a deal after repairs, but at the higher end, does this math still hold? Knocking off such a large amount of cash seems almost unrealistic, but I believe the guidance comes from the fact then when the rehab is done, you can Refi and leave the 25% equity in the home and move on to the next property. Without the 20-30% deal, you'll need to leave some of your cash there to avoid PMI, is this right? I recently lost a great deal because I think my numbers were off due to this... The math I did was FMV -30% -Est rehab costs. This resulted in a $420k -$126k -$60k = $234k. I didn't get the house... looking back, I think I should have just set a target discounted of say $50k, minus rehab costs. My offer could have then been around $310k and I might have got the deal. Less margin for error though on my first rehab, and I'm a bit worried about a correction, so was baking in a little extra margin (hopeful but alas). Thoughts?
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  • Rental Property Investor · Allentown PA, United States · Member since 2016 · 567 posts · 442 votes
    9y
    I think that yes, with more expensive properties you don't need a full 30% but personally I wouldn't go less than 25%. Factoring in closing costs and the fact that you could still be easily 5% or more off on a rehab estimate, I think you still want the flexibility to pull cash out and refi at 80% LTV worst comes to worse even on a potential flip. Now if you're in a hot market and have experience flipping and am super confident in numbers and ability to sell quickly, if 15% buffer is still 150k then who am I to say don't take a projected 6 figure profit. All in all it depends your experience and what works for you but in the deal you mentioned, I personally don't think 50k buffer is enough to warrant getting yourself into that deal and compromising your criteria that much.
  • Realtor · San Rafael · Member since 2015 · 21 posts · 2 votes
    9y
    Hi Jared In the Bay Area the rules are different. Although all around the country margins of fix and flip are getting tighter. A house for 400k is not high end in this area Was it a flip in the Bay Area? If you'll send me the specific deal you've lost I'll be happy to take a closer look at it and see what went wrong. My husband and I have been analyzing a lot of fix and flip deals in the past 1.5 and looked at a lot of properties and own a few.
  • Russell BrazilBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes
    9y

    The 70% rule is to just be able to quickly ballpark if the property works. You should always do the math fully to see if the property makes sense.  Most of the rehabs in my market have a $30k profit for properties with ARVs in the 300s, and $50k for properties in the $400-$800k range, and about $70k for $800k plus properties.  If someone is trying to use a formula, they probably wouldnt be able to buy a single flip in my market, and then likely complain that everyone else is overpaying, while everyone else is making money.

  • Investor · Pleasant Hill, CA · Member since 2017 · 37 posts · 5 votes
    9y
    That's what I'm thinking to. The deal I was talking about was in Tahoe. When I said high end, I didn't mean quality of home I meant relatively higher price than many investors are seem to be seeking traditionally for big and hold (<$150k). Next time I think I'll pick a number for profit and target that, with some margin for error or rehab (+25%)
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