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All Forum Posts by: Tim Swierczek

Tim Swierczek has started 13 posts and replied 1466 times.

Post: Seeking Business Partner for Property Investment Near University of Minnesota

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624
Quote from @Eric Chau:
I am looking for a business partner to invest in a prime property I own near the University of Minnesota. This 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom property, with a spacious 1,790 sqft living area on a corner lot zoned CM1 for mixed-use, offers significant rental potential.

**Key Details:**
- Remaining loan balance: $178,000
- Favorable interest rate: 3.4%
- Monthly PITI: $1,368
- Potential rental income: Over $2,200/month

I prefer not to sell outright and am seeking an equal equity partner. The ideal partner would either manage the property on-site or have an interest and experience in developing or new builds. Experience in property management or real estate investment is highly preferred.

I am open to discussing how to structure the deal to ensure mutual benefit, including considerations for new development.

If you are interested in a lucrative real estate investment with the capability to manage or develop the property, please contact me to discuss further.

 Hey Eric I have experience on the management side. it would be worth a call or zoom meeting. Please PM me if you are still looking for a partner.

Post: Earnest Money Question

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624

In this market, I'd start with a low figure. $25K and negotiate it in the LOI phase. Two years ago you would need at least 50K hard maybe 100K just to get a signed LOI.

Post: Section 8 Voucher Redemption

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624
Quote from @Natan Gutt:

Hi,

I am looking to start investing in section 8. I have a few long term rentals in Minneapolis and looking to find the right city to start in. I was getting locked in to start in Cleveland when the agent I was working there said that you can never redeem the full amount of the voucher because it’s always higher then fair market value of the rent.

For example. 3b 1bth house voucher is roughly $1,550, but the rents get no where near that much apparently and cap at around $1,300.

Is there a city that people do section 8 in that has houses for 100k close to turn key and also are high enough rents to match the voucher and take full advantage of that amount?

Thank you ahead of time for your help

 I have heard nothing but horror stories from out-of-state investors in Cleveland. From my second-hand accounts, I would stay far away from that market. It's my understanding that you must have local knowledge to be successful there. I second @James Hamling's comments to stay in MN and look for markets here that attract good section 8 tenants.

Post: How can property taxes go up by 164%?

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624
Quote from @Molly Jones:

Wow thanks for letting me know! As a first time investor I am quite wary of going out of state. Many of the connections I've made are here in Minnesota and I just feel a bit more comfortable starting here. 


 This particular property has special circumstances. The property is being charged $8,137.29 in special assessments. The charges are mainly due to it being a vacant building. That will drive up the taxes on any property.  The tax increase was 14.75%

The 2023 tax without the special assessment was $4,054.04

The 2024 tax without the special assessment was $4,274.83


Here's the breakdown from the County's website:

Values established by the assessor as of January 2, 2023

Estimated market value:$334,000Taxable market value:$326,820Total improvement amount: 

Total net tax:$4,274.83 Total special assessments:$8,137.29

Special assessment details:

010272316GST IMPRV RESURFACING$247.35
0109602023VACANT BUILDING REG$7,703.71
0125121T052021 TREE REMOVAL-5$186.23

Post: What Cash-on-Cash Return Should I Target in Multi-Family?

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624
Quote from @Evan Polaski:

@Charlie Moore, the challenge I have with this question is: how are you planning on calculating CoC returns. There is no universal way, especially when directly owned.

If you buy a $1mm asset, you will likely be putting all $250k into the down payment, leaving nothing left to renovate. So your renovations will be from cash flow. So your early CoC will be 0%.

Or you buy a $600k place, and hold 50-70k for Renos.  Now, you have a Cash on Cash in year 1, because you are not using cash flow for renovations.  

Assuming the second way, anything north of 5% in year 1 is probably good.  Anything north of 10%, I would assume you are likely not underwriting correctly.  

I see many on these forums assume that a Class C or D property will have the same assumptions as an A or B.  But in reality, you will likely have more frequent turn over in C and D than A and B assets.  On top of, typically, higher vacancy as you wait for a qualified tenant to apply.  So more vacancy + higher turn over costs quickly eats into the C and D returns, often yielding returns only marginally better than A or B assets.  Additionally, C and D assets have lower rents, but roto-rooter and Home Depot don't care whether you get $500/mo in rent or $5,000/mo.  That plumbing bill or new appliance will generally cost the same, so higher R&M reserves, as a percentage of rent, are needed in lower quality/lower rent assets, too.


 Agreed, I had this exact conversation with another investor today when they brought up the lower purchase prices in small-town Minnesota.

Post: Hello from Duluth, MN

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624
Quote from @Dan Manion:
Quote from @Tim Swierczek:

Hi @Shawn Frost.  Welcome to BP. There are regular meetings of investors in Duluth. There is a meet-up that I've spoken at twice. I can send you the meetup link if you PM me. I can't post it here due to BP rules.


 Would you be willing to send that my way as well? I'm new to real estate investing and my first property is in Duluth.


 Sure, please PM me and I will reply with the link

Post: Is Now a Bad Time to Start Out?

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624

@Gabe Morrell There has been a lot of good advice, rather than repeat it. I would suggest you want to get the HELOC in place no, because you want to be ready to act if something comes up. Although, this is one of the toughest cash flow markets I've seen you can still occasionally find deals that make sense when combining strategies such as value add and rent to own, or short/midterm rentals. The point being you never know what will pop up and being ready with a HELOC in place is a good idea in my opinion.

Post: First property, competitive market, any ideas?

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624
Quote from @Michael Smythe:

@Mohammad Al-hadad investor expectations have been skewed by the last 5 years of low interest rates and artificially low prices.

10+ years ago, most investors focused on Class B and C properties, not Class A.

Reason: hard to get Class A properties to cashflow!

Class B typically cashflows from purchase or within a year or so.

Class C typically cashflow well from purchase, but has tenant performance challenges.

Read copy & paste info below:

Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.

If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.

So, when investing in areas they don’t really know, investors should research the different property Class submarkets.

Here’s our OPINION for the Metro Detroit market (use as a template for your target area!) that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases.:

Class A Properties:
Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.
Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.
Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+, zero evictions in last 7 years.

Class B Properties:
Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.
Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.
Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680, some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 years

Class C Properties:
Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation. Can try to reposition to Class B, but neighborhood may impede these efforts.
Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, but 15-20% should be used to also cover tenant nonpayment, eviction costs & damages.
Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores of 560-620, many blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 2 years. Verifying last 2 years of rental history very important! Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.

Class D Properties:
Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with zero or negative relative rent & value appreciation
Vacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.
Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560, little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions. Verifying last 2 years of rental history and income extremely important to find the “best of the worst”.

Make sure you understand the Class of properties you are looking at and the corresponding results to expect.


 Great Post, thank you for spending the time writing it.

Post: First property, competitive market, any ideas?

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624

1. houses are for like 350,000 - 425,000 in Minnesota with rent from 1,800 - 3,300 so if I get a property for 415,000 with about 5,000 in rehab and rent for about 3,000 is this a good deal and how do I know what a good deal is? 

- I would not do this deal. I would look for small multi-unit properties with high bedroom counts. A 5-bedroom duplex in a solid area will generate $4500/mo in rent or more. Then you need to look for the one that has low expected CapEx for the next 10 years. These would be properties with good roofs, windows, siding, and mechanicals.

2. I always have family and friends giving me negatives like " what is it doesn't rent" or who is going to "pay that much for rent" or "what if the tenant burns the house down" are these realistic situations and how do I prepare and understand to to come back if anything like this happens how do I plan ahead. 

- My parents used to say the same things, I ignored them and now I'm a millionaire. There are plenty of people who will pay these rents, infact there are over 100's of thousands in the Twin Cities alone.  Of course, you need to use your common sense when comparing properties. One common mistake is that investors look at the high market rent and assume they can get it, or they use an average rent but their unit is below average. Shop your own unit like you were a prospective tenant and you will figure out exactly what is should rent for. Getting rent right is the easiest part of being a landlord. If you know how to shop for a rental you know how to get rent projections correct.

3. should I go for a newer house with little to no rehab for 415,000 or something like 350,000 with like 10-20 in rehab?

-I wouldn't look for single-family rentals in the Twin Cities in this market unless you find a steal or an owner-financed deal. Rates are too high to make those numbers work. You will be working your day job just to afford to subsidize the rent. See my answer above for more details.

Post: Investor Social Meet-up & Networking at Twins Suite

Tim Swierczek
Posted
  • Lender
  • Saint Paul, MN
  • Posts 1,529
  • Votes 1,624

Meet other investors and network at The Twins v Boston Red Sox Game on Sunday, May 5, in a premium suite. Come to meet other investors and house hackers. Talk about what is working and what is not working. Learn how to get started or how others still deal in this market. The host Tim Swierczek has purchased five rentals and 8 flips in the last year. Yes, deals are happening.

Beverages and game tickets are included. Your tickets will be texted, so a mobile phone number is required.

Tickets for this event are limited and cost the host $100 each plus beverages, so the $40 fee ensures only people who plan to attend register. No refunds will be given to cancellations and non-attendees. Please only register if you plan to attend.

Please use the Meetup link to register