Seller finance deal advice

Seller finance deal advice

Rental Property Investor · Member since 2019 · 25 posts · 21 votes

Hey guys, I have come a across a seller finance deal here in central CT, I am trying to make it work. The initial numbers aren't great but I'm trying to see how much I can work with the seller on this.

Backstory: seller and his wife moved out to CT for a job, which is now ending, and he is looking to sell his house here and move back to CA where he owns another residence. He is considering seller finance because he would like to give his wife some residual income.

-Specs:

3 bed, 1bath in Bristol CT

1,095 sq ft

It has another lot attached to it, I believe behind the property, I'm going to see it this Saturday

-Taxes:

~2500/yr (this doesn't include the other lot, I need to ask what he pays for them both)

-Initial home offer:

150,000 (defenitely could talk him down)

Needs a 15k down payment (nothing lower)

-Estimated rent:

1200 if rented as one unit I'm considering piecing out the rooms, might be able to get 14-1500 that way

As it stands at that price and a normal 30 yr fixed rate at 4% and money set aside for capex, maintenance etc, the deal is losing about 50 bucks a month, however this is a seller finance and a lot of numbers can be worked on.

I'm thinking of offering 125,000 (before 15k down) with a a 40 yr fixed rate at, maybe at a little under 4%, these numbers look better, leaves a little over 150 dollars in my pocket and a little over 10% Cash on cash return.

Do you think this is a reasonable offer to make in such a situation? I'm not sure how old the couple is, (haven't met yet) but 40 years is certainly a long time to hold a mortgage, and I'm not sure how great the terms will be for them he mentioned he's looking for around a 4-5% api

Any thoughts on the deal? Any experience you've had with long term seller finance deals? Or seller finance in general? Are there a lot of hoops to jump through in a seller finance deal like this? Do we still need an agent to help us close the deal?

I know this is a lot of information to sparse but any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

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  • William CollinsPro Member
    Investor · Rocky Hill, CT · Member since 2013 · 373 posts · 299 votes
    6y

    @Jesse Stahl you never know what you can get if you don't ask, but I have a couple points. Seller financing is usually on much shorter notes with a balloon first off. Bristol is a market where location matters, so where is the house... What are the comps within 1 block of this house.

    Also the bigger question is would you buy this is there were no seller financing. If your answer is no, walk away. If yes, then go in @Brandon Turner style with three offers. One for a conventional note from a lender with a low ball price, one with your longer term note owner financed at asking with asked cash, or third with a middle price on a shorter note with more preferred terms. Financing is a Swiss army knife with so many tools to use.

  • Rental Property Investor · Member since 2019 · 25 posts · 21 votes
    6y

    @William Collins

    Hey thanks for giving your input. I cannot get traditional funding due to short credit history and short employment history. This deal is sparking my attention mostly for that, but the offer of a relatively cheap 15k down payment sounds good too. I think at the right price I would take this deal with traditional funding, but maybe not with 20% down.

    Comps are kind of weird in the immediate area , 2 houses right next door sold within 6 months, one at 146/sqft the other at 50/sqft, they both weren't rehabbed recently, but albeit, the latter defenitely needed more work. I think it's not unreasonable to put this house in the middle of the two, but these are not exactly ARV #'s. I don't think it's unreasonable to price the property around 110,00 as is.

    I am making a set of offers as I type this! Great thinking!!!!!!

  • Columbus, OH · Member since 2018 · 24 posts · 6 votes
    6y

    @William Collins this is great insight. I was also recently approached about a potential opportunity for seller financing, but did not move forward with the deal. Typically speaking, how short are notes in seller financing? Between 1 -5 years? How uncommon is it to have little or no money for a down payment? 

  • William CollinsPro Member
    Investor · Rocky Hill, CT · Member since 2013 · 373 posts · 299 votes
    6y

    @Sebastian Scott I have find 1 to 10 years. Long enough so you can renovate the property.

  • Rental Property Investor · Member since 2019 · 25 posts · 21 votes
    6y

    So I met with the owner today,

    He is SPECIFICALLY looking for a long-term loan, he wants to give his (much younger) wife a steady source of income after he is gone. He mentioned a 30 yr loan, but I could see him taking a 40 yr loan. He needs to move to back to Cali soon, as his mother-in-law owns a house back there, and they want to take residence in it, over selling it. We didn't do any formal negotiations, just talked about our situations, and what we both needed, and what we could do for eachother. 

    He seems like a very down-to-earth guy, he used to own rental properties himself. He said he started in his early twenties, and did quite well, at once had 8 buildings, when the recession hit, in 2011 he lost all but 2. Interesting guy, we had a good, long chat.

    I ran some comps last night, ARV is some where around 130k, I made-up and gave him a small packet of the comps so that he could see what I was looking at. I didn't get a first-hand look on the inside of the property this time, however he showed me some pictures and it looks very well maintained and renovated. He's been working on it inside-out since he moved in. The outside has definitely seen better days, Wood sidings need at least a new coat of paint, perhaps need to be replaced completely, but it can wait some years. The roof looks alright, but will need repair in 5-10 years.

    I think 110-115k is a reasonable valuation of the property as is. I'm not too great at rehab numbers and where that should leave the rest of the property's valuation.

    I'm pretty sure the numbers work on a 110k (-15k DP) @4% for 35 year mortgage, I think this sort of offer is reasonable for both of us.

    We will meet in the future to hammer out the details, but he seems very adamant about doing this deal with me and making it work for both of us. I believe, on first impression, he will agree to the terms or similar above.

  • Columbus, OH · Member since 2018 · 24 posts · 6 votes
    6y

    @Jesse Stahl great job on finding this deal and finding someone who is willing to take on a 30 yr note. If any opportunity such as yours presents itself to me, I will also make sure to find a way to make it work and make it a win-win for both sides. Let me know how it turns out and best of luck! 

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