Getting financing to buy foreclosure for residence.

[Ryan Reeves]

I’m a total newbie here but this seems like a good place to learn and ask some questions. Here’s what I’m wondering about. 

I’m relocating to the North East of the San Francisco Bay Area for work. I’m in a great spot financially with my current home and I’d really like to leverage it to get into an even better financial situation with my next home. When my current home sells I should have between $160-185k on hand to buy my next home. I am wondering how difficult it might be to find the type of loan that would allow me to purchase a foreclosure at auction for cash. Ideally I’d love to purchase something that I can do some cosmetic work to and end up +100k in new equity. I’ve been watching some of the auction properties and I think I can get something that would work well for my family for between $350-400k. So with say $160k on hand how feasible is it to find a loan for an additional $190k which I can use for the purchase and then refinance the property into a traditional mortgage? It would be a rather fast turn around from loan origination to payoff probably less than 6 months.

Is this doable? 

[Casey Maib]

Hey Ryan,

I am by no means one of the experienced pros here on this site. But here's what I (think I)do know.

What you would be looking at is either a private or hard money loan. You will need to have the proof of funds to buy at auction. These will likely come at a high interest rate and have a couple points up front. I would recommend 12-18 month term. Remodels have a tendency to go over schedule and over budget. Also you will need time to process a refi out of that loan.

Make sure you have a competent reliable and available general contractor before you get the house. This is easier said than done.

Make sure you are very familiar with Fairfield, there are plenty of areas there I doubt you would want your family to live. With prices in this area where they are I wouldn't rely on appreciation to carry you out of a hole. Though with demand for housing like it is it's hard to see any major fall either.

That said good luck and have fun!

Casey Maib

[Casey Maib]

Hey Ryan,

I am by no means one of the experienced pros here on this site. But here's what I (think I)do know.

What you would be looking at is either a private or hard money loan. You will need to have the proof of funds to buy at auction. These will likely come at a high interest rate and have a couple points up front. I would recommend 12-18 month term. Remodels have a tendency to go over schedule and over budget. Also you will need time to process a refi out of that loan.

Make sure you have a competent reliable and available general contractor before you get the house. This is easier said than done.

Make sure you are very familiar with Fairfield, there are plenty of areas there I doubt you would want your family to live. With prices in this area where they are I wouldn't rely on appreciation to carry you out of a hole. Though with demand for housing like it is it's hard to see any major fall either.

That said good luck and have fun!

Casey Maib

[Wayne Brooks]

Not going to happen for a “cash on the barrelhead” auction. No time to do title work, appraisal, etc

[Jonathan Pflueger]

@Casey Maib has some great advice, especially the parts about finding a good contractor and familiarizing yourself with Fairfield before you make any decisions. 

See what you can work up in the private sector. A private money loan is a good way to go and would give you a greater degree of flexibility. Family members, friends, other RE investors are all great options for this and you might be surprised who is willing to fund you. If you do go the private money route and it turns out to be with family make sure to have a lawyer draw up a legal contract to protect both you and your family members.

Best of luck. 

[Ryan Reeves]

Thanks for the input guys. I’m definitely not going to rush into anything. This is really just a hypothetical question at this point and based on your responses it sounds like it might be doable if I found the right investor/lender.

One follow up question.

Would this be considered a risky proposition for an investor?

I’ve got good credit, a great job, cash on hand and low debt. It’s not like I’m trying to flip something that I can’t hold the mortgage on. I’m just trying to get into a $450-500k house for less money.