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User Stats

8
Posts
0
Votes
Chris Knapp
  • Investor
  • Park Rapids, MN
0
Votes |
8
Posts

Little pink houses of MN

Chris Knapp
  • Investor
  • Park Rapids, MN
Posted
Has anybody from Minnesota ever heard of a company called "little pink houses of Minneapolis? I'm selling a house in Maple Grove through a realtor, and the listing is expiring soon. This company contacted me about selling it "creatively" with roughly 6-12 month sale time, with their buyers. It seems strange to me. My town house is currently on the market for $382,500 and rents for $2200/month. If anybody has experiences with them, can you let me know how it went.

User Stats

25
Posts
10
Votes
Grigoriy Gorshteyn
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Minneapolis, MN
10
Votes |
25
Posts
Grigoriy Gorshteyn
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Minneapolis, MN
Replied

I haven't heard of them! I will look into that company. Let me know if I could be of assistance!

User Stats

40
Posts
30
Votes
Eric Beise
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Minneapolis, MN
30
Votes |
40
Posts
Eric Beise
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Minneapolis, MN
Replied

From my research they are a lease to own company, so my understanding is they are going to find someone to lease out the property with the intent on buying it, therefore their buyer will start as a renter. A few questions I would ask are:

1. Who is holding the deed? As in, are you selling to the company or are they facilitating your purchase to the renter/buyer?

2. When exactly do you get the proceeds of the sale?

3. Is it going to be more or less than market value + holding costs?

4. What requirements are they expecting from you and how can you terminate the contract? Is there a cost associated with that?

That should give you a nice start for questions to ask, if you haven't already. 

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User Stats

184
Posts
122
Votes
Dan Vleck
  • Deerwood, MN
122
Votes |
184
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Dan Vleck
  • Deerwood, MN
Replied

Sounds fishy.

User Stats

1,800
Posts
1,389
Votes
John Woodrich
Pro Member
  • Flipper/Rehabber
  • Minneapolis, MN
1,389
Votes |
1,800
Posts
John Woodrich
Pro Member
  • Flipper/Rehabber
  • Minneapolis, MN
Replied

Wouldn't be surprised if they dragged you along and you were in the same position next year. 

If you have your property listed on the MLS and you are coming up against the expiration date that is a good indication that your property is probably priced too high. There is still a lot of demand in the market.

If I am looking at the correct house online it is a 2br and 4 bath....  The Zillow estimate is $271,344.  Zillow is accurate in some areas and less in others but Maple Grove is a pretty active market.  The house looks nice but I would say you are overpriced, you are listed at the top of the townhome market in that area.

Also if I am looking at the right house it seems as if you could easily add another bedroom in the lower level in the square area next to the bathroom.  The cost wouldn't be that much and you would catch more buyers who may be looking for at lease a 3BR house.  If you add another on the loft side you would have a 4BR/4BA which is more desirable for more buyers.  I can't give absolute advice as I don't know the entire floor plan.

Good luck.

User Stats

5
Posts
0
Votes
David Stanford
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Northfield, MN
0
Votes |
5
Posts
David Stanford
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Northfield, MN
Replied

Hi, I can answer your questions, Chris. My wife and I are the Minneapolis affiliate of Little Pink Houses of America, based down in Jacksonville, FL. I've been a long time reader of BP forum and listener to the podcast. In fact, it was through a real estate investing podcast that I first heard about Scott Ulmer and Little Pink Houses of America and was the first step in a long process to becoming an affiliate.

We market real estate to a different pool of buyer's then you would for a traditional sale. We are looking for buyers that can afford to purchase a property and are a short period away from getting a mortgage. We help them with the process of getting mortgage qualified while they live in the house and make lease payments. Our program requires a sizable and non-refundable downpayment so that the buyer is committed to the house and the purchase. It's a great way to sell because we are often times getting full price offers and lease payments that aren't usually taken off the purchase price. This arrangement is done through a lease and option to purchase agreement.

Buyers have also been happy with our program. The biggest benefit is that through our program, they will get a custom blueprint in how to get mortgage qualified. Often times, we are following up with them on a monthly basis to track their progress. Another reason they like the program is that they get to move and settle-in to a home that they will ultimately own before they are mortgage qualified. Most of the buyers we work with are really great folks and make good money. A lot of times the buyer has had  some unfortunate life event preventing them from getting a mortgage. For example, I got a phone call a few months back from a father of 3 out in California, he works for Apple. He and his family were looking to move to Minneapolis to be closer to family. Him and his wife weren't able to get a mortgage because they couldn't keep up with the medical bills, their son and recently passed away. We didn't end up working together because we didn't have a house for sale in the location he wanted to live.

Hope that helps. I'd be happy to answer questions on here if anyone is interested. 

User Stats

2
Posts
4
Votes
Robin Edwards
  • Specialist
  • San Diego, CA
4
Votes |
2
Posts
Robin Edwards
  • Specialist
  • San Diego, CA
Replied

Hi David!

Are you still with Pink Houses? Checking in to see how that is going and if the model works as intended. What is average marketing time there? I am considering doing this for one of my rentals but cannot find any positive reviews. Thanks!

Robin

User Stats

6
Posts
0
Votes
Mohammad Kadiwal
  • Plainsboro, NJ
0
Votes |
6
Posts
Mohammad Kadiwal
  • Plainsboro, NJ
Replied

@David Stanford ,

Hi, I am also looking into Little Pink Houses. How has the ride been so far and would you still recommend it?

I did find some reviews here: https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/jacksonville/profile/ren...

Looks like they have had issues but tried to deal with them in the right way.

Thanks,

User Stats

219
Posts
79
Votes
David Doyle
  • Investor
  • Monrovia, CA
79
Votes |
219
Posts
David Doyle
  • Investor
  • Monrovia, CA
Replied

"Danger Will Robinson,,!!!Danger!!!!"

User Stats

1
Posts
0
Votes
Replied

@DavidDoyle Can you elaborate on your comment a little bit.  I.E. do you have any personal experience with dealing with this particular company?  

User Stats

6
Posts
1
Votes
Replied

Hi 

@David Stanford Are you still involved with Little pink houses of America.

I would like to connect with you and know a bit more.

Thanks.

User Stats

919
Posts
911
Votes
Alan Grobmeier
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Phoenix, AZ
911
Votes |
919
Posts
Alan Grobmeier
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Phoenix, AZ
Replied

His profile does not have little pink houses on it, so I am guessing he is no longer affiliated. Looks like he has gone RE agent at this time.