Creative Financing Options for Real Estate Investors

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Real estate investing can be an extremely profitable endeavor, yet one of the biggest obstacles for many hopeful investors is finding the capital to purchase property. Traditional bank financing does not work for every real estate deal, especially when just starting out. Thankfully, there are a variety of creative financing options that investors can utilize to fund real estate purchases without going the conventional loan route.

Seller Financing

One of the most popular creative financing strategies is obtaining seller financing. Here, the seller of the property basically serves as the bank and finances a portion of the purchase price for the buyer. This approach allows buyers to purchase real estate with little money down while sellers receive cash flow in the form of an agreed upon interest rate.

Seller financing terms are negotiated between the buyer and seller. Typical terms include requiring 10-20% down from the buyer, with the seller financing the remainder of the purchase price at an interest rate a few points higher than market rates. Buyers make monthly payments just like a traditional mortgage. These transactions work best when the buyer and seller have a direct relationship, allowing them to come to mutually beneficial terms.

For real estate investors, seller financing opens up doors that would otherwise be closed with traditional bank loans. Investors can potentially purchase properties with great cash flow potential even if they do not have access to significant down payment funds. As long as they can make the monthly payments, sellers are often very motivated to provide financing.

Private/Hard Money Loans

Another option for financing real estate purchases is utilizing private or hard money loans. These loans come from private individuals or companies rather than banks or mortgage lenders. Hard money loans are asset-based loans, meaning they are made based on the value of the real estate being purchased rather than the borrower’s income or credit score.

Private lenders are usually willing to lend up to 60-80% of a property’s value, sometimes even higher for fix-and-flip projects. This allows investors to purchase properties without large down payments. Interest rates and fees are higher than conventional loans, but quick access to capital makes these loans attractive to investors who want to pounce on time-sensitive deals.

Hard money loans are ideal for short-term projects like rehabs or flips taking less than a year. The high interest rates make them impractical for long-term buy-and-hold investing. When used strategically, though, these loans provide the fast cash real estate investors need to fund deals traditional lenders won’t touch.

Crowdfunding

Real estate crowdfunding represents an exciting new opportunity for investors to participate in larger scale real estate projects without needing access to huge amounts of capital. Crowdfunding platforms allow developers and operators to raise funds from a pool of accredited and non-accredited investors. Investors can fund deals with as little as $1,000 in exchange for equity or debt investments with targeted returns.

While investors do not exert direct control over the real estate, they benefit from the experience and capabilities of the sponsor raising capital. This allows for easy diversification across projects and geographic markets. Passive investors enjoy earning solid returns without having to source, negotiate, or manage deals themselves.

From the sponsor’s perspective, crowdfunding widens the pool of capital beyond traditional lending sources. It enables them to take on more and larger projects than they could fund on their own. The influx of capital helps scale their business. Overall, real estate crowdfunding nicely matches investors and sponsors in a win-win relationship.

Crowdfunding does come with risks, as with any investment. Performing proper due diligence on sponsors and understanding deal terms is a must. With so many platforms available, investors have ample opportunity to spread capital across multiple offerings to mitigate risk. For investors seeking diversified exposure to institutional quality real estate, crowdfunding represents an exciting option.

Partnerships & Joint Ventures

Finding success in real estate often requires strength in numbers. Pooling resources and expertise with a strategic partner is a proven model. Partnerships and joint ventures allow investors to take on larger, more complex projects by spreading the risk and workload.

A huge benefit of partnerships is the ability to lever one another’s specialized strengths. A seasoned investor who excels at finding and evaluating deals can partner with someone who has rehab experience. An investor with lots of capital may join forces with another who has lending relationships to find financing. The combinations are endless.

Partnerships also allow each partner to contribute their fair share without overextending themselves. For larger projects like apartment complexes or commercial buildings, splitting the purchase price, down payment, and funding obligations makes deals more feasible. Partners can diversify into different markets and property types as well.

Like any relationship, clearly defining responsibilities and terms upfront is critical. Partners should agree on ownership stakes, return expectations, deal sourcing duties, exit strategies, and much more. Putting everything in writing ensures all parties share the same vision. Though not without challenges, the benefits of partnering with those whose skills complement yours often outweighs going it alone.

Getting Creative to Fund Deals

As shown above, investors have numerous options beyond traditional mortgages and cash to fund real estate purchases. Exercising creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit are hallmarks of successful investors. Finding ways to get deals done that others miss is what sets apart average investors from highly profitable ones.

Build a Strong Private Lender Network

Hard money and private lenders exist in every market. Making the effort to build relationships with local lenders will pay dividends. Attend real estate networking events, ask fellow investors for referrals, and proactively reach out to lenders you identify.

Earning a reputation as a responsible borrower will encourage lenders to work with you. Be ready to provide business plans, financials, and collateral to demonstrate you are a low risk. Having a solid team including real estate agents, contractors, and property managers also gives lenders confidence.

Cultivating a strong private lender network takes persistence, but doing so will provide you with a reliable source of capital again and again.

Get Sellers to Provide Financing

Not all sellers will agree to financing, but many will if approached strategically. Offering a slightly higher than market purchase price in exchange for attractive seller financing terms can convince hesitant sellers.

Sellers are also more amenable to providing financing when they completely trust the buyer. Working to build rapport and address any concerns they may have goes a long way.

Investors able to creatively structure win-win terms benefit tremendously from seller financing. Make submitting creatively financed offers part of your acquisition strategy when appropriate.

Exchange Services for Resources

The saying “you have to spend money to make money” does not always hold true. Investors can exchange services, expertise, and connections for the resources they need.

For example, you may exchange accounting or legal work for project funding from professionals in those fields. If you have construction skills, you could offer to renovate a lender’s property in exchange for financing. The possibilities are endless.

Think about what skills and services you can offer and approach those who may value them. Bartering your expertise for resources allows you to complete more deals.

Partnering for Creative Finance Success

Finding the right partners can provide the expertise, manpower, and funding needed to tackle major projects. Here are tips for entering into win-win partnerships.

Complementary Partner Traits to Seek Out

Ideally, your partner’s core strengths will differ from and complement your own. This allows you to tackle more aspects of investing than possible flying solo.

For acquisition heavy strategies like fix-and-flips, partner with someone strong on the rehab and construction side. Or team up with a financing guru to fund bigger deals. Marketing-savvy partners can promote fix-and-flip properties to maximize sales prices.

Partners with networking strengths can source deals and financing opportunities you may otherwise miss. The key is identifying and filling your weak spots by partnering with those whose capabilities shore up your gaps.

Define Responsibilities Clearly

Create a thorough partnership agreement detailing each partner’s duties, powers, and limitations. This helps avoid confusion and makes resolving disputes easier.

At minimum, outline each partner’s equity stake, their contributions in capital and services, how profits/losses will be shared, and the process for making decisions. Also address acquiring additional properties, ways to exit the partnership if needed, and more.

Putting terms for the partnership in writing forces important conversations about expectations upfront rather than waiting until problems arise. It also provides legal protection. Covering your bases helps partners start off on the right foot.

Share the Workload Evenly

Pay close attention to dividing responsibilities fairly based on each partner’s bandwidth and abilities. The partnership will not last if one partner feels they are pulling most of the weight.

Periodically check in to realign duties if needed. Life happens, so remain flexible. Just ensure contributions and workload are reasonably balanced.

When starting out, err on the side of taking on more than your fair share. Your initiative and work ethic will set the tone. Just don’t let yourself be taken advantage of long term.

Conclusion

Real estate investing provides too many opportunities to let lack of funds slow you down. With the right knowledge and creativity, capital can be accessed to fuel your investing goals. Seller financing, private loans, crowdfunding, partnerships, and exchanging services are just some of the ways determined investors obtain resources.

Do not let fear of the unknown dissuade you from pursuing creative finance methods. The experience gained will prove invaluable while propelling your business to new heights. Step outside your comfort zone and watch your real estate investing journey reach exciting new territory. Here’s to funding your next deal creatively!

Source: Sunrise Capital Group