All Forum Posts by: Khalid Bryan

Hey!

I totally get where you’re coming from—staying on top of market trends is crucial, especially when working with profit-focused investors. I actually started my own blog to break down the latest market news in a way that’s easy to understand and actionable.

I pull my information from a few solid sources, including:

• Florida Realtors (floridarealtors.org) – Great for statewide updates, trends, and legislative changes.

• CoStar (costar.com) – Essential for commercial real estate insights and in-depth data analysis.

• Miami Realtors (miamire.com) – Local South Florida trends straight from the source.

If you’re looking for a quick daily rundown, check out my blog and YouTube channel (linked on my profile). I regularly break down the latest market news so you and your clients can stay ahead of the game.

Hope this helps—good luck!

Hey, great question! First, let me say I’m not a lender or mortgage professional—I’m a real estate broker associate based in Miami, Florida. That said, I did some research on this topic because I found it really interesting, and I was excited to dig into the answer. Here’s what I learned:

If you want to offer seller financing for more than three properties per year to owner-occupants, Dodd-Frank regulations do kick in. The law imposes specific rules to protect buyers, and here’s how you can stay compliant:

1. Understand the Rules

• If you’re financing to consumers who will live in the property, you’re required to follow Dodd-Frank guidelines. These include:

• No balloon payments.

• Verifying the buyer’s ability to repay (documenting their income is key).

• Offering fair and reasonable terms that aren’t predatory.

However, if you’re selling to investors or non-owner occupants, these rules generally don’t apply.

2. Use a Licensed Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO)

• To finance more than three owner-occupied properties per year, you’ll need to work with an MLO. They’ll handle the underwriting and verify the buyer’s ability to repay, keeping you compliant with federal regulations.

3. Document Everything

• It’s important to keep detailed records of each transaction: how many deals you’ve done, borrower qualifications, loan terms, etc. This ensures you’re protected in case of an audit or any legal questions.

4. Consult a Real Estate Attorney

• This step is critical! A knowledgeable attorney can help you set up compliant contracts, review your processes, and ensure you’re staying on the right side of the law.

5. Consider Structuring Deals for Investors

• If you want to avoid Dodd-Frank requirements entirely, you could focus on selling to investors or structuring deals for non-owner occupants. These buyers aren’t subject to the same consumer protection laws, so you’d have more flexibility with your terms.

This topic was a great reminder of how creative financing can open up incredible opportunities for both buyers and sellers. I’m excited to keep exploring seller financing strategies myself and help my clients do the same. Hope this helps, and best of luck with your deals!

Hey!

Yes, you've got a few options to fund your live-in flip! An FHA 203(k) loan is definitely one route, but there are other ways to make it happen that might even work better depending on your situation:

1. Private or Hard Money Loans: These could be a good option if you want flexibility. A lot of private or hard money lenders won’t mind if you live in the property while you’re fixing it up, as long as you meet their terms. Just make sure to fully understand the loan terms, especially the interest rate and repayment schedule, so there are no surprises.

2. Condition of the Property: If the property isn't in really rough shape and you were able to get insurance on it using a 4-point inspection and wind mitigation, you might even qualify for traditional funding options like FHA, Conventinal, VA, a cash-out refinance or a home equity line of credit (HELOC). That could make financing the rehab a little smoother.

3. FHA 203(k): If the rehab costs and scope fit within the FHA guidelines, refinancing into a 203(k) loan could work. Just keep in mind the process can take a little longer since you'd need to work with contractors and follow FHA's requirements.

4. Your End Game: Whether you’re planning to stay long-term, rent it out, or sell once the work is done, it’s important to have your exit strategy mapped out. That’ll help you figure out the best type of funding to use.

It sounds like you’re in a great position to make this flip work! If you play your cards right, this could be a great way to build equity and add value to the property. Good luck—let us know how it goes!

When considering a vacation rental property, it’s essential to have a backup plan and understand the numbers for annual leasing. This way, if vacation rental management becomes too demanding or isn’t feasible, you have an alternative strategy in place.

Make sure to confirm that the HOA or association allows rentals at all. Some may require a waiting period of one to two years before leasing is permitted, while others may prohibit rentals entirely as outlined in their bylaws.

Always know the property’s potential for annual rental income and ensure the numbers work. If the property doesn’t make sense financially as an annual rental, it’s probably not the right investment. Never force the numbers—if they don’t add up, the property isn’t a good fit. You can present an offer that aligns with your financial goals, but be prepared to walk away if the seller won’t negotiate to a price that ensures you’re not left in a tough financial situation.

Yes, you should screen all tenants over 18 and make sure to note the total number of occupants. Be careful not to violate any Fair Housing laws during this process. I’ve seen cases where multiple tenants in a household had prior evictions from different addresses, taking turns as the primary leaseholder to avoid detection. Screening everyone over 18 helps reduce the risk of costly evictions and ensures you’re fully informed about who will be living in your property.

Additionally, be mindful of the number of occupants and how it might impact your property. Overcrowding can strain plumbing, electrical systems, and air conditioning, leading to expensive maintenance issues. For example, if your driveway only fits two cars, you need to know if tenants plan to bring several vehicles, as this could lead to parking violations and HOA fines.

Don’t forget to screen pets, too! A website like Pet Screening can help you verify and document pets to ensure they’re a good fit for your property.

Hi Geoff,

In my opinion, keeping your current home as a rental property could be a smart move. The $1,500 net cash flow you mentioned represents a tightened rental return that could provide consistent passive income. Treat this property as a business and factor in all the associated expenses, including mortgage payments (if you pull a loan), maintenance, and potential vacancy periods.

To simplify management and make this less of a hands-on job, I’d strongly recommend working with a property management company. This approach will allow you to focus on the financial benefits rather than the day-to-day operational tasks.

Additionally, consider how this rental income will contribute to your overall financial picture. With the extra cash flow, you could strive to acquire additional income-producing properties over time. For instance, targeting multifamily properties (2–4 units) is a great way to grow your portfolio. If you acquire one new property each year, you could significantly increase your wealth and potentially position yourself to qualify for larger investments, like apartment buildings or construction loans, within 10 years.

I’ve worked with clients who have successfully implemented this strategy, and it has proven to be an effective path to building long-term financial freedom through real estate.

Good luck with your decision!

Best,

Khalid Bryan

Oh perfect! So glad you could provide a better insight. The only information I had to go on was with the last Lender informed me so maybe it was specific to the company they were with. They mentioned they didn’t need any income. Definitely looking forward to getting more information on foreign national loans when you can, but yes, I can absolutely help your investors out here in Florida. 
You can give me their numbers and I will call them and keep you updated on our progress.

33304 has been a hot spot for me lately! I go to city spotlights to see whats going on where and there is ALOT of development and Redevelopment. Everyone I've sold a property to in this area in the past couple years are already celebrating equity, and increased rents. You also need to look at changes in public transit. They are expanding the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Multiple train stops. New Electric Busses. More is coming to Fort Lauderdale Beach. Just drive around and notice how many cranes are up. (They only put the crane up when the project is around 50% sold out already.)

I took a class from 'The Landlord Academy' now named 'Buy It, Rent It, Profit. Thats where I learned the importance of systems. From that It was trial and error making countless mistakes. My biggest that I wont make again is allowing myself to be convinced. Stick to the system, stick to the lease. If rent is late serve a notice. If its not paid go to evict. You delay and delay and delay and not youre just now starting a 3 month eviction process 3 months after you should have!

During evictions, let the lawyer handle it. Unless its about the full unpaid balance there's nothing to discuss. I've tried to "help" by letting tenants in default get out of eviction and leave voluntarily and got left with trashed properties on multiple occassions.

If your criteria says to deny an applicant. stick to the facts. You get persuaded and soon find out why the criteria was the criteria in the first place. As long as its fair, reasonable, and not discriminatory. Never rush a move in.

Dont go cheap on repairs and upgrades! Time and time again when I tried to cut costs by having a 'handy man' do a contractors job to save an owner money it bites me! Some of them take forever! They never turn down a job, they go collecting deposit after deposit showing up to do a little at a time and on to the next project. Sometimes you go days or weeks without seeing them and you spend countless hours calling, texting and tracking them dowsn to get the job done. Then when it IS done, it looks bad or something went wrong which is now another few weeks! Clearly I'm traumatized.The lesson I learned is its not MY money to be cheap with, its the property's money which should come from its repair reserves fund.Now instead of having 1 person do it all and stress me out, I go straight to the specialist for the task. I spent weeks trying to get a handy man to fix a sliding door. I called a sliding door company and they fixed it the same day, FOR LESS MONEY and had it working like new, much better than what the handy man would do. 

The main lesson is to take it seriously.

@Stefano Vrolijk Hi! I work with investors from other countries and there are foreign national loans available. If I’m not mistaken you put around 50% down but I can connect you with a lender to get better info