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All Forum Posts by: Michael M.

Michael M. has started 6 posts and replied 32 times.

Post: Real Estate- Accounting

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

Daniel Levine

Yes, "Tax Free Wealth" is very informative as Aaron Yates mentioned...

As for Accounting in general:

Books:
- Accounting Made Simple by Mike Pepper
- Financial Statements by Thomas Rittelson
- The Accounting Game by Darrell Mullis & Judith Orloff

Websites:
accountingcoach.com - There's free information but for $49 you gain access to videos, more reading material, quizes, problem solving etc.

As for software or programs to "teach" you accounting I'm not so sure, but Quickbooks is a popular choice, but there are also free double-entry alternatives like Wave Accounting you can check out.

-Michael

Post: New Member from Northern New Jersey

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

Darren Sager

BP sure is great and a wonderful community to be apart of. Although there's a never ending supply of information already, I'm looking forward to learning from your past & future experiences as well.

-Michael

Post: KIDS flipping houses & 9 yr old Hard money lending

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

I love hearing stuff like this. Even though I'm in my early twenties, reading this alone makes me feel like I wasted the last 15 years of my life!

Normal education in elementary & middle school consist of social studies, science, math, english etc., and I honestly couldn't tell you one significant thing I've gotten out of that and as for the more building blocks such as your ABCs and simple math may all be learned on the computer.

A dream school for children, for me, would consist of Law, Accounting, Investing, Networking & Marketing. Of course in elementary school this is all taught with fun games with pictures and lighthearted competitiveness, but as they get older and more jaded, the courses get more serious and life-like.

By the time they graduate "high school" they would be so aware of their financial surroundings that the advantage they had over those who went to "regular schools" would not even be fair.

Imagine pitching that idea to young parents about your exclusive school for wealth? I would love to see their faces.

Post: Lawsuit Statistic & Attorney Calculation

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

BP,

Two questions:

- Does anyone know of any statistics illustrating the percentage of landlords that actually get sued by their tenant?

- When filling out the APOD on a deal, at what percentage do you input for attorney fees?

While we're at it, what percentage do you input for any professional service fees and why?

-Michael

Post: Painting 3 rooms in Bergen Country, NJ

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

Eric Nguyen

If it's only painting, why not just do it yourself and save that dough for something more useful?

Post: Do you brainstorm like this?

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

Paul Timmins

How much of a percentage would one need for a controlling interest? In the example I was illustrating, two condos = 0.1111111111111111% of the total building.

Post: Do you brainstorm like this?

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

Ned Carey

Yeah, I'm in the midst of closing my first deal now and I more or less made my projections like that, and even though it made sense to me, I knew there was a more appropriate way of doing it.

After the leasing of the property is stabilized however, I'm going to have a lot of time for day-dreaming waiting for my cash/equity to fill up again!

Honestly though, I was looking for a response just like yours. I just researched that APOD sheet you were talking about and it looks intriguing, just what I was looking for and more efficient, so thanks.

Post: Do you brainstorm like this?

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

The Deal: A Mixed-Use Commercial Building is in pre-development. You're interested in two condominium units in the building as it is in an up and coming Metropolitan area with a pre-construction cost of $350,000 each requiring 20% down. Once construction is complete, the value will increase 30% reflecting it's retail cost.

Your Play: Sell one condominium for a capital gain and hold one condominium for long-term rental.

What we know:
$700,000 pre-construction cost
$140,000 down payment cost
$560,000 Hard Money Loan w/ 7% interest ($39,200)

----------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Deal Balance Sheet

Assets:
Cash $140,000

Liabilities:

Owner's Equity:
Common Stock $140,000

Net Worth: $140,000

----------------------------------------------------------------
Post Deal / Post Loan... Construction underway

Assets:
Current Assets:
Cash $0

Fixed Assets:
Condominium 1 $350,000
Condominium 2 $350,000

Total Assets: $700,000

Liabilities:
Notes Payable: $560,000

Total Liabilities: $560,000

Owner's Equity:
Common Stock: $700,000

Net Worth: $140,000

----------------------------------------------------------------
Post-Construction, Condos appreciate 30%

Assets:
Current Assets:
Cash $0

Fixed Assets:
Condominium 1 $455,000
Condominium 2 $455,000

Total Assets: $910,000

Liabilities:
Notes Payable: $560,000

Total Liabilities: $560,000

Owner's Equity:
Common Stock: $910,000

Net Worth: $350,000

----------------------------------------------------------------
Condo 2 sold for Retail ($455,000)

Assets:
Current Assets:
Cash $455,000

Fixed Assets:
Condominium 1 $455,000

Total Assets: $910,000

Liabilities:
Notes Payable: $560,000

Total Liabilities: $560,000

Owner's Equity:
Retained Earnings: $455,000
Common Stock: $455,000

Total Owner's Equity: $910,000

Net Worth: $350,000

----------------------------------------------------------------
Hard Money Loan Partially Paid off w/ Cash in Hand: $455,000

Assets:
Current Assets:
Cash $0

Fixed Assets:
Condominium 1 $455,000

Total Assets: $455,000

Liabilities:
Accounts Payable: $39,200 (7% interest categorized as an expense)
Notes Payable: $105,000

Total Liabilities: $144,200

Owner's Equity:
Retained Earnings: $0
Common Stock: $455,000

Net Worth: $310,800

----------------------------------------------------------------
Refinance with HEL for $144,200 @ 4.9% interest over 30 years and pay back hard money loan.

Assets:
Cash $0

Fixed Assets:
Condominium 1 $455,000

Total Assets: $455,000

Liabilities:
Accounts Payable: $7,066 (4.9% interest categorized as an expense)
Notes: Payable: $144,200

Total Liabilities: $151,226

Owner's Equity:
Retained Earnings: $0
Common Stock: $455,000

Net Worth: $303,774
----------------------------------------------------------------
Condo 1 is now beings leased, everything is stabilized….

Balance Sheet after Month 1 of Renting

Assets:
Cash $2,250 (Net Operating Income: $860/m)

Fixed Assets:
Condominium 1 $455,000

Total Assets: $457,250

Liabilities:
Accounts Payable: $1,390 ($765 HEL, $250 Property Taxes, $25 Insurance, $350 Maintenance)
Notes Payable: $143,435

Total Liabilities: $144,825

Owner's Equity:
Retained Earnings: $2,250
Common Stock: $455,000

Total Owner's Equity: $457,250

Net Worth: $312,425

----------------------------------------------------------------
Balance Sheet after One Year of Renting

Assets:
Cash $27,000

Fixed Assets:
Condominium 1 $455,000

Total Assets: $482,000

Liabilities:
Accounts Payable: $16,680
Notes Payable: $135,020

Total Liabilities: $135,020

Owner's Equity:
Retained Earnings: $27,000
Common Stock: $455,000

Total Owner's Equity: $482,000

Net Worth: $346,980

----------------------------------------------------------------
Balance Sheet After 2 years Rent. Rent increased to $2,325 for year 2.

Assets:
Cash $54,900 (Year 2 Net Operating Income: $935/m)

Fixed Assets:
Condominium 1 $455,000

Total Assets: $509,900

Liabilities:
Accounts Payable: $33,360
Notes Payable: $125,840

Total Liabilities: $125,840

Owner's Equity:
Retained Earnings: $54,900
Common Stock: $455,000

Total Owner's Equity: $509,900

Net Worth: $384,060

…and so on

Although not real, this is just an example to illustrate what I naturally do.

I understand how rough this is as I didn't include depreciation and all that fun stuff, but do any of you brainstorm storm like this when trying to see the big picture?

I'm over analytical at heart, and even though this only takes a few minutes to whip up, I'm still curious what everyone else does and if there are more efficient alternatives.

Post: How do I "line up" financing before submitting offers?

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

Check this out:

http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-fha-and-hud/

Post: 20y/o looking to get into REI. Where to start?

Michael M.Posted
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Posts 32
  • Votes 3

Not only should you learn- then invest; but you should learn, invest and keep learning. True investors never ever stop.

I'm 22 and my eyes just opened up to the world of REI about a month ago and since then read as many books as I could get access to ranging from thinking like an investor, real estate, land-lording, accounting, law, taxes, marketing, negotiating... coming across BP was just the icing on the cake and overwhelmed me of the wealth of information that was on here to add to my arsenal. Just prohibit yourself from being overwhelmed.

Even though I'm still learning I didn't hesitate to get into my first deal which is in the process.

When anything ever comes into your head or something you're reading, such as a term being unfamiliar, research it right away and make sure you learn it. Move on. Rinse & Repeat. Even if you don't comprehend it the first time, things will soon click after numerous encounters.

You don't need to be an expert in the beginning, although it wouldn't hurt to be. Just learn who the players of the game are and how to use them. Gain enough insight to know what they are capable of so you can use them to your utmost advantage, and in doing so you will also learn from them- that's what you pay them for as well.

Make cheat sheets if you have to. I literally have a list of "players" and their functions. A list of "terms" and their meanings. A list "legal documents" and their purposes. It may sound corny, but I didn't know what an asset or liability was not too long ago.

If I come across anything new, it goes into one of my lists. I see it as creating the rules and instructions to a board game in order to prepare myself to play it. Just like games have an objective to win it, you must prepare a "goals sheet" and ensuring every move you make leads towards those goals, which you should have a list of too, as games do seem to have a play-by-play nature to them. With this being said, the system you build for yourself allows anything that deviates from your criteria to be quickly noticed and dismissed.

Remove the emotions- use your logic.

Create a system of resources for yourself that allows it to build upon itself. Likewise your use of organization from the get-go will prove to be the platform at which your wisdom will grow.