Hello everyone!It is time for me to finally be able to post my first success story.I just finished rehabbing my first investment property, and I’m currently going through the process of placing my first tenant.I believe that my process was a bit unconventional, and may help other first-timers (Either by giving them some ideas on what to do, or if everyone hates my process, what not to do!)This may be a long post, but I thought it would be good to walk through everything step-by-step, and explain my thinking along the way.If you want to stick with me through it all, here we go:
I was not going to be getting a conventional mortgage for my first property for a number of reasons.First, I am still annoyed at the hoops I had to jump through to get a mortgage for my primary residence.Second, my liquid cash was on the lower end.Third, the properties that I would need to start out with would not be financeable anyway.Fourth, my DTI is on the high side, due to the decision that we made to take out a HELOC to complete interior improvements on my primary house.So, I decided that my path was going to be to form a single member LLC, and take a loan from my 401(k) at work to finance the down payment.Since I do not view the 401(k) loan as a long-term solution, I am treating like hard money, and pay it off ASAP.So, my first deal would be a flip, or a rental that was such a good deal, that I could re-fi out and pull all my cash out.I decided to reach out to the commercial lending department of the local credit union, which I am a member.The person I talked to (who became my lender) is fantastic.I told him what types of properties I was looking for, and that I'd look to turn them into rentals, or to flip them.I will never forget his response, which reminded me why I love this credit union.He said:"Typically, the deals you are talking about are much smaller than the deals we like to do.However, we also realize that you can not get to that level unless someone helps you get there.So, if the numbers make sense, we will see if any of our products fit."Awesome!
I began scouring foreclosures, REO's, and craigslist.Eventually, I came across an SFH REO that had been on the market for 15-16 months.It was initially listed at $89,900, and was down to $39,900 by the time I looked at it.It clearly had plumbing and a kitchen for an un-permitted 2nd unit upstairs.The conversion from SFH to duplex would be easy.It basically needed everything.I decided to put an offer in.I felt like I could make the numbers work at $25,000
For those still reading, here was the process:
- My initial offer was $10,000 w/ $500 EMD all cash.They countered at $35,000
- I went up to $15,000 and they stayed put (oops, over-played it)
- So, I counter at $17,500—best and final offer.They counter down to $25,000 w/ $2500 EMD
- I email my lender, and let him know that I am at $25,000 (he knows that was the target was), and told him that I wasn’t done and wanted to bring him down further.He says “Let me get this straight.You got them down from $40,000 to $25,000 which is 37.5% off asking price, and you want to get them down further???”I say “Yep”.
- When the bank came back with the increase in EMD from $500 to $2500, I asked my agent if that was because they wanted to increase the likelihood that I would not walk.She said that she believed that was the case.So, I believe at this point, ensuring I close is more important than the sales price.Plus I already stated that $17,500 was best and final.
- So, I countered back at $17,500 with $2500 EMD.It was accepted.My lender couldn't believe it.
After closing, the bank and I discussed financing options.Since it ended up being all my cash for the purchase, we decided on a construction to permanent loan.We got an appraisal value for its as-is condition and it's ARV.When analyzing the property, I tried to be conservative and used a $120,000 ARV.As-is condition came back at $60,000, and ARV came back at $145,000.Comps were had to come by, as this is a small, rural town and there hadn't been many homes sold recently.The bank would ultimately lend me up to 75% of the ARV, or $101,000 in 4 draws.The loan would be interest only during the renovation, and convert to a mortgage when completed.The loan is 10 year fixed at 6.25% with a 25 year amortization.Projected costs:
- Electrical work--$5,300
- Renovations--$64,000
- Zoning Hearing for approval for conversion--$1,500
- Insurance, permits, property taxes, and other holding costs--$2000
- Total Budget--$73,800
Renovation took just under 3 months, with virtually no surprises.The electrician came in at budget, and the renovations had $4,000 in overages.With the purchase price, loan costs, and renovations, I am right at $101,000.I also believe that if I chose to get a new appraisal, it would come in much higher, as since the first one, a few houses in the area have sold and would support a higher value.So here’s a quick run-down on the numbers:
All-in price:$101,000
Value:$145,000
Income:$850/month x 2=$1700
Monthly Expenses:
- Maintenance 10%:$170
- Capex 10%:$170
- Vacancy 5%:85
- Electric:$20
- Trash:$55
- Insurance:$100
- Property Taxes:$185.33
- Mortgage:$666.27
- Total:$1451.60
Monthly Cashflow--$248.40
Money in the deal—ZERO DOLLARS
Yes, I know that I did not account for property management in my numbers.The reason is that there is industry moving into the area, and higher paying jobs as well.I believe that rents will increase and support property management down the road, if I choose.If that doesn’t happen, well then I’m stuck managing forever or selling it at some point, but it is a risk I am willing to take at this point.
Is this deal a home run?For me it is.Sure, if I went conventional and put 20% down at 4.5%, it would look amazing.But that wasn’t an option for me at the current time.I will have more deals in the future where I can go that route.For now, this gets me in the game, builds a relationship with a commercial lender, gives me experience, and puts a few hundred dollars a month in my pocket, while having none of my own money in the deal.I’m damn proud of myself, because I passed on other deals that I knew would work, but not in the way that I wanted in the present.I needed to pull all of my money out, and I succeeded.Looking forward to placing tenants and get the place producing.
