Short term rental creative finance

Short term rental creative finance

Investor · United States · Member since 2020 · 202 posts · 284 votes

Hey BP - apologies in advance for the naive question here: how do I know how much is too much to offer for a creative finance deal on an STR in a vacation only market?

Seems like the beauty of creative structures like Subto/ Seller Finance/ hybrids is that you can pay more for a property and still get a better yield if the seller will agree to your terms (usually a low DP)... but offering more than market obviously increases risk if you are forced to exit. In a typical metro market, I've heard many say "buy an STR that still cashflows as a LTR so you have a backup plan" ... but in many vacation-only markets (think Smokies, Destin, etc.) no property will cashflow as a LTR anyway. So ... how do I know how much is too much to offer in these markets? Is it simply a matter of calculating the DSCR of the property and ensuring it meets some reasonable threshold? Is there a specific cap rate you target? Or will you simply not offer an amount above what recent comps indicate is fair? Would love to hear your thoughts

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  • Real Estate Agent · Tampa, FL · Member since 2018 · 464 posts · 452 votes
    4y
    Quote from @Sean Bramble:

    Hey BP - apologies in advance for the naive question here: how do I know how much is too much to offer for a creative finance deal on an STR in a vacation only market?

    Seems like the beauty of creative structures like Subto/ Seller Finance/ hybrids is that you can pay more for a property and still get a better yield if the seller will agree to your terms (usually a low DP)... but offering more than market obviously increases risk if you are forced to exit. In a typical metro market, I've heard many say "buy an STR that still cashflows as a LTR so you have a backup plan" ... but in many vacation-only markets (think Smokies, Destin, etc.) no property will cashflow as a LTR anyway. So ... how do I know how much is too much to offer in these markets? Is it simply a matter of calculating the DSCR of the property and ensuring it meets some reasonable threshold? Is there a specific cap rate you target? Or will you simply not offer an amount above what recent comps indicate is fair? Would love to hear your thoughts


     Sean - The magic of creative financing is that it's totally up to you! As you alluded, you can most definitely create extremely favorable terms for you or you could screw yourself, lol. 

    As an investor and agent in the Destin and Tampa markets, I've completed plenty of partnership acquisitions in the STR space and creative financing for some of my mobile home and RV parks that I've purchased. Really, it comes down to understanding the goals of the seller and if you can achieve favorable results while appeasing the seller's requirements. For example when I bought one of my RV parks for $2M, the seller just wanted to make $10K/mo. We were able to determine a financing solution (i.e. interest rate, down payment, amortization, etc.) that we were all very happy within that $10k/month constraint.

    STRs are no different when structuring creative financing.  If your goal is to maximize leverage and put very little money down but the seller wants a massive down payment, it's unlikely that the deal will land.  BUT you won't know until you try! 

    Sure, you could base your decision on DSCR, Cap Rates, etc -- Ultimately, it comes down to balancing the seller's goals with your own. Some investors primary concern is cash flow, others are CoC ROI, others are forced appreciation, others are min down payment, others care more about maximizing tax benefits, etc etc.

    I hope those thoughts help a bit?! I wish you the best of luck!

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