How to carefully vet a house flipping partnership

How to carefully vet a house flipping partnership

Member since 2018 · 13 posts · 2 votes

Hello Fellow Investors!

I have an opportunity to invest in a house flipping opportunity in Southern California with a partner that has 5 years of flipping experience. The deal has a 10-12% projected ROI and is expected to be completed in 3 months.

This is my first foray into flipping so I would really appreciate if you can educate me on the type of questions and documentation (if any) I should be asking for to mitigate my risk.

Thanks all for your time & guidance.

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Developer · Charlottesville, VA · Member since 2018 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:

Hello Fellow Investors!

I have an opportunity to invest in a house flipping opportunity in Southern California with a partner that has 5 years of flipping experience. The deal has a 10-12% projected ROI and is expected to be completed in 3 months.

This is my first foray into flipping so I would really appreciate if you can educate me on the type of questions and documentation (if any) I should be asking for to mitigate my risk.

Thanks all for your time & guidance.

In addition to the comments you have already received the biggest question is how is your money going to be secured? If you are passively investing you should take a note and deed of trust Guaranteed by the flipper and also require proper insurance as well. This will protect your investment and insure you get aid first no matter what happens. Makesure to take all of these suggestions and have your attorney draft all of the documents and security instruments.

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  • Will FraserPro Member
    Real Estate Broker · Salt Lake City & Oklahoma City · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    Hi @Account Closed!  This is an exciting opportunity!  I think the quality of the partnership will be clear with quality questions.  The biggest things I'd be curious about are:

    1. What happens if the project is not completed on time?
    2. What happens if the project is not completed at all? 
    3. What happens if the project goes over-budget?
    4. What happens if the flipper dies? 
    5. What happens if you die?
    6. When do you earn?
    7. What are the expectations on you during the process?
    8. What risks does the flipper see for themself and for you in the next 3-6 months?
    9. What happens if all of those things happen?

    This is tedious and unnecessary to know of most "potential partners" that people talk about, but if you are consider putting money in a deal and it is an attractive opportunity, asking the right questions now can, at the very least, help set your expectations well.

  • Member since 2018 · 13 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    @Will Fraser Thank you!! These questions are great and it’s clear that clarifying expectations from the start is key. 

  • Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2020 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y

    @Account Closed, everything Will posed is great info. I will say that this is likely a 2-way courtship.  So there is a balance between doing your own due diligence and coming across as someone that could be hard to work with.

    That being said, in the early phases, I would ask mostly about their track record, deals that have gone sideways or lost money, and general expectations. I would also ask why they need to bring a partner in on this deal

    • How many flips have you done?
    • What is your average/high/low ROI?
    • What has the scale of work been on others versus this one?
    • How many partners have you brought in on other deals?
    • What makes for a good partner in your eyes?
    • Do you use your own team or sub-everything out?
    • What is your ARV on this deal and what comps are you using to arrive at that?
    • How is the deal being financed?

    Once you vet the flipper, Will's questions are good things to think about when drafting a partnership agreement.  The more if's/and's/but's you can cover, the better things will generally go, especially when the project goes over budget and timeline.

    The first part is the dating phase. You want to know more about each other, but you don't hammer out the details of a prenup on your first date or 2.

  • Member since 2018 · 13 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    @Evan Polaski haha! Great answer. I loved the dating similes and the questions you pose help to add more context. Thank you! 

  • Developer · Charlottesville, VA · Member since 2018 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Account Closed:

    Hello Fellow Investors!

    I have an opportunity to invest in a house flipping opportunity in Southern California with a partner that has 5 years of flipping experience. The deal has a 10-12% projected ROI and is expected to be completed in 3 months.

    This is my first foray into flipping so I would really appreciate if you can educate me on the type of questions and documentation (if any) I should be asking for to mitigate my risk.

    Thanks all for your time & guidance.

    In addition to the comments you have already received the biggest question is how is your money going to be secured? If you are passively investing you should take a note and deed of trust Guaranteed by the flipper and also require proper insurance as well. This will protect your investment and insure you get aid first no matter what happens. Makesure to take all of these suggestions and have your attorney draft all of the documents and security instruments.

  • Investor · New York City, NY · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 269 votes
    6y

    @Claudia Stewart

    Typically we seek to have a a target ROI% higher then that. Assuming you also will be splitting that with your JV partner.

    Best of luck in all your endeavors.

  • Member since 2018 · 13 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    @Evan Polaski, @Greg Dickerson, @Anthony Dadlani, @Will Fraser Thank you very much for your advice and for taking the time to contribute to this thread. Your input was instrumental in moving forward with a flipping partnership with more confidence. This is my real estate investment and I'm really excited to see how it unfolds. Once the project is complete, I'll let you guys know how it went. Stay safe & healthy!

  • Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2020 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y

    @Account Closed: always here to help.  Best of luck on the venture.  I look forward to hearing how everything unfolds.

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