Bankruptcy alone does not relinquish ownership of the property. The bank has to legally foreclosure on the investor in order to take back the property. This means the investor could actually keep collecting any rents received until the property is sold at auction assuming the bank does not assume the rents as they are entitled to. The main thing bankruptcy accomplishes is that it eliminates the right of the lender to collect a deficiency judgment from the investor when the property sells for less than its loan amount.

A hard money lender makes short-term loans based on the value of an asset, in this case a property, with little regard to the borrower’s credit and/or finances.  Hard money lenders charge higher interest rates than standard banks due to the high risk nature of these loans.  Unlike traditional banks, hard money lenders can provide funds quickly, usually in 10-14 days, to purchase and rehab distressed properties.  These properties can be in need of significant repairs or be in various stages of foreclosure. This makes these loans popular with first time real estate investors that have little working capital or poor credit scores.  Look to use hard money loans to rehab foreclosures as your means to long term wealth and financial freedom.

Hard money lenders will only provide loan terms of 4 – 6 months at which time the… Read the rest

Define your “House Flipping” Strategy and Stick To It

When referring to flipping properties, we are referring to the “art” of buying a broken down house, rehabbing it quickly, and turning it into profitable asset in the least amount of time at a controlled cost. The exit strategy can be either to sell for quick profit or rent out the house for cash flow.  The decision typically depends on the state of the current economic market cycle. When property values are skyrocketing it’s easy to fix and flip for quick profit. When it’s a buyer’s market, usually during economic downturns, it’s easy to create positive cash flowing rental properties. Regardless of which profit strategy is chosen, stick to it without wavering.  In the long run this will save you money by not wasting time bouncing back and forth between strategies… Read the rest

Rehab Financing Made Easy – Develop a Strong Relationship with your Local Community Bank

Find that investor friendly community bank located in the neighborhood where you will be buying and fixing foreclosures.  Be upfront, truthful, and communicate openly with your bank’s lending officer.  Develop a strong relationship based on open communication and most importantly consistent on time payments. Keep the lending officer abreast of your work so they get to know you and eventually the bank will treat you as a preferred customer.  They will be more willing to work with you in hard financial times or with special requests.  It makes smart financial sense for lending institutions to work with their borrowers during difficult financial times rather than enforce their strict guidelines with no flexibility.

3 Month Payment Deferral

Here are two… Read the rest