An REO is real estate owned by the bank, and many investors consider an REO property to be money just waiting to happen. An REO is different from a foreclosure property in that the bank has already tried to sell it at a foreclosure auction and has had no luck getting bids. Because the property was not bid on, the bank then became the owner of the property. Naturally, the bank does not want to keep the REO any longer than possible, and this makes it a great opportunity for an investor. Not every REO is a good deal, but when you look at an REO you’ll commonly find that there is a lot of money to be made.

So, is this a foreclosure?

Technically speaking, the home was foreclosed on because the owner of the home failed to make their scheduled payments. The bank set up and went through a public auction, but there was not any bids placed on the home, so the bank ended up owing the property. Yes, the home was foreclosed on, but it is well past the foreclosure process and the bank will be anxious to get rid of the property.

Advantages of REO vs. Foreclosed Property

When you are thinking of buying an REO you have to distinct advantages that a buyer does not have with a foreclosed property. The first is that you are able to buy on your schedule, as you do not have an auction date to work with and around. You can make an offer of the home any time; you don’t have to wait for bidding to begin. Another big advantage of an REO compared to a foreclosed property is that you can inspect it before you buy, when you cannot do this with the majority of foreclosed homes that you think about purchasing. Being able to inspect the property before you buy will let you know how big of a project you will be dealing with.

Best types of REO to purchase

You might not think the type of loan the home was purchased with the first time around matters but it does. You should attempt to purchase REO’s that had a conventional loan the first time around, as you will likely get much better deals with these than you will if you look at FHA and VA loans. The federal government backs FHA and VA loans, and the government can actually buy them back if they are so inclined. Homes that had conventional loans the first time are often purchased for just a fraction of their value, meaning that they can make an investor a lot more money.

Which REO’s you should not purchase

Just because the bank owns a property does not make it a good deal. In fact, when you see that a home or property is an REO you have to wonder exactly what IS wrong with it. The house was not bid on because no one saw the worth in it. Did the home just not have enough equity? Were their IRS liens against it? Was the property just too badly damaged? You need to ask these questions. If the bank cannot answer the questions then you need to be even more skeptical. Take advantage of your right to inspect the REO so that you can see with your own eyes what may or may not be wrong, hire professionals if necessary as well.

One must also be sure that if they are purchasing an REO to fix it up and sell it, that the property is located in a desirable part of town. If the home is not located in a desirable part of town, you should really think about how wise of an investment the property may be. Perhaps location is why the property was not bid on at auction. There are three big things to consider when dealing with any type of real estate and those are location, location, location. Never let a seemingly good deal let you lose sight of how important location is for any piece of real estate that you intend to sell.

Why the bank will sell an REO cheap

Basically, a bank is not set up to deal with real estate. Sure, they give loans to people, but really, they are not equipped to buy and sell real estate. Because banks are not accustomed to dealing with real estate, it often takes them awhile to get the ball rolling so that they can repair the property, and get an agent to sell the property. What this means is that while the bank attempts to get their business together they are losing money hand over fist and the federal government often penalizes them for each and every REO that they acquire.

Because the bank is loosing so much money on each REO, they are willing to sell it fast and cheap. In fact, banks commonly sell an REO property for around 30% of its value just to be done with it. Sure, they end up losing money on the deal, but they end up losing less if they sell cheap now than they would if they kept the property for another six months while they try to pull everything together so that they can sell the property.

The great thing about working with the bank with an REO is that you aren’t buying site unseen. Because you can walk through the house and make all the inspections that you want, you can deal with them in a way that will give you the best deal, and the bank will typically be happy with any serious offer because it will get the house off of their hand and they will stop losing money.

Generally REOs are a great investment as long as you know what you are getting into. The bank simply wants to get rid of these homes, and if you find the right property and are ready to make the serious investment, it can be a great way to get off and running in the real estate business.

 

Should I Refinance?

When do you know that refinancing might be in your best interest? Since your home and your mortgage are your largest investments, it is very important to stay on top of appreciation trends, market changes, and other important issues, because unltimately your home can become the most startegic investment that you own. Let’s face it the home is the biggest investment most American’s make. Should you refinance now? Ask yourself the questions below…and then consider

Factors To Consider

Are Rates Lower? Is My Payment Changing? Is My Home Appreciating? Do I Have a 2nd Mortgage? Do I Have Other Debt? Am I Having Trouble Making My Payments? Are Rates Lower Than My Current Rate?

Don’t sell your self short by having tunnel vision when it comes to refinancing. One of the largest misconceptions about refinancing is that there needs to be large swings in interest rates in order to make it worth your while. In reality, interest changes as low as 0.25% can trigger a smart refinance. As a homeowner, it is important for you to be aware of flucuations in the market, and at any time that the prevailing rates seem to be lower than your existing rate, it is time to inquire about refinancing. Notice I said, it is time to inquire. There are many factors that ultimately determine how wise a refinance may be, and believe it or not, the rate is only one of many. Another very important factor is how much longer you plan to remain in the property. If you are planning to sell within the next year or two, then refinancing may not be a smart move for you. However if rates are lower, and there is that possiblity that you might remain after two years, then it doesn’t cost you anything to inquire.

There is no set amount that rates have to come down to make refinancing a good thing. Each individual situation is different, and subject to it’s specific analysis. Sometimes, the solution is to do nothing, but even then we know that the market will continue to change.

Is My Payment Going To Change?

There are only two things that can make your payment change. First, and most common, is that there is an adjustment to the amount of escrows that are being collected to pay for your taxes and insurance when those bills come due. Small changes in those annual bills result in small changes in your monthly payments, however, big changes can become devastating. Let’s assume that two years ago, your taxes were $3500 per year, and this year you get the bill and they have increased 40% (remember your home is going up in value) to $4900 per year. All year when you made a mortgage payment, a prtion of that payment was being deposited to pay this years taxes at $3500, or $292 per month. But when the tax bill comes at $4900, the lender HAS to make that payment on your behalf. What happens next can become truly devastating for some families. The increase in taxes was $1400 per year, or $117 per month, so you would expect the lender to increase the escrow portion of your payment by $117 per month, right? Guess again! The lender will increase your payment by at about $234 per month, or TWICE THE AMOUNT OF THE INCREASE! Why? When the tax bill came it was $4500, and they had been collecting enough funds in escrow for taxes to pay a tax bill of only $3500. So in essence, they have loaned you the $1400 increase in order to pay the bill, and are giving you 12 months to repay them, while simultaneously increasing the amount that they are collecting so that they can now pay $4500 when the bill comes the following year. If your payment is about to increase by even $100 a month, it’s definitely time to review your current situation for refinancing.

The second most common reason for your payment to increase is directly relative to the terms of your current mortgage. Adjustable Rate Mortgages have a predetermined time when the interest rate will adjust, and when the rate adjusts, if it goes up, then so does your payment. On a $200,000 loan amount an increase of only 1% would cause your payment to increase over $125 per month. If you currently have an Interest Only Mortgage, then there will come a time when the Interest Only period will expire, and this will definitely increase your payment. The payment on a $200,000 6% Interest Only Mortgage is $1000 per month, but if the Interest Only period was 5 years and now expires, the mortgage would then convert into a 25 year mortgage (the remaining term of the 30 year mortgage), causing your mayment to increase from $1000 per month to $1288 per month, an increase of $288 per month! Wait, what if your Interest Only Mortgage was also an ARM and it is scheduled to adjust at the same time? Assuming it only went up 1%, then instead of $1000 per month, your payment would jump to $1413 per month. But wait, what if your taxes went up at the same time? Now instead of $1000 per month, your payment will increase by $647 per month, a 64% increase! Now is definitely the time to review your situation.

Is My Homes Value Appreciating?

This may be the most important factor considering what your goals are. It’s really not being a nosy neighbor When you call about a home for sale in your neighborhood. It’s actually a great way to stay up to date on what is happening in your specific market. Or you can find a good Realtor or Loan Officer to help you find out your homes value. Keep in mind that your home is one of the largest investments that you will ever make. If you owned $200,000 in Wal-mart stock, I’m pretty sure that you would be checking on it’s price everyday. Homes almost always appreciate in value over time, but how mich is dependent on other homes in your area that are selling today.

With a conservative level of appreciation, your home may go up in value as much as 10% per year. In a hot market, appreciation could be as much as 40% annually. How much has your home gone up in value? www.zillow.com will give you an broad estimate. Your favorite Realtor will be more than happy to offer an opinion, because they know that quite often, once a homeowner realizes just how much their home has increased in value, they utilize that increase in equity to buy a newer bigger home.

If your home has appreciated in value, other reasons that might make a refinance a smart thing might be if your are currently paying Private Mortgage Insurance or if you have a second mortgage. If your original loan amount exceeded 80% of the purchase price when you bought your home, then most likely you are paying Private Mortgage Insurance, or PMI. This expense, which protects then lender from you not making your payments as agreed, and is not tax deductible, can be removed through a refinance if the current value of your home has appreciated as little as 10-20% since you became the owner. As we have seen, even in a conservative market (10% appreciation), owning your home as little as two years could save you hundreds of dollars per month by being able to refinance out of Private Mortgage Insurance obligations. If you purchased your home with a Combo Loan (an 80% first mortgage and then a simultaneous 2nd mortgage), then you are paying a much higher rate on your second mortgage. Appreciation in your property could allow you to refinance now and combine both mortgages into a single lower payment, and still not have to pay PMI.

In summary make sure you analyze your over all goals for refinancing and market conditions. Over looking any one thing can hurt you in the Refinance game.

There are many things to look for when buying an apartment building. One thing to look for when buying a property is the utilities. To rent out each apartment you must have electric meters for each apartment. If each unit does not have its own electric meter you will have to pay for everyone’s electric bill. To get around this you can charge a higher rent and include electricity with the rent. The down side of doing this is if the people or families you’re renting the property out to know they don’t have to pay for electricity they won’t be shy about using it.

In some cases the electric bill can be so high that you can lose money every month. Another thing to look for when buying an apartment building is the units. If the apartments are small it will be harder to rent out. One other thing to look for when it comes to the property is how much individual rooms each apartment has. When it comes to rooms usually the more rooms a unit has, the easier it will be to rent out.

One last thing to look for when buying an apartment building is the location of the property. If the property is close to public transportation, schools, and businesses this will make it a more desirable place to live. Buying an apartment building is a big step when investing in real estate, but with the information you read here you will have an idea on some of the things to look for.

A good web site where you can see more information on topics like this is Buying An Apartment Building which is highly recommended. Another article which is also recommended is Will Real Estate Go Up Or Down Thank you and enjoy.