Posted on

Case Study – Making Big Profit on a Foreclosure

Most of my San Antonio real estate investing portfolio consists of under market value distressed properties that I own in cash. I then owner finance them properties to buyers who lack the credit to buy a home with a bank loan.

This type of San Antonio buy and hold may sound risky to many investors, I can tell you that if you do your homework on your potential buyer – verify their employment, income, get at least $5000 down, do a personal interview – you can often get very good buyers who pay you for many years.

I own several San Antonio investment properties that I owner financed for $5000, $699 to $999 per month. Some of the investment properties are 2/1s, and many are 3/1s.

Whenever possible, I only do a few thousand dollars of clean up on the property, and then I sell it with owner financing to the buyer. Most of my San Antonio owner finance buyers are blue collar workers and they can fix the homes themselves.

I do not have too many problems with foreclosures on my San Antonio fixer uppers, but when I do have a foreclosure, it isn’t a major obstacle to my profits.

This year, one of the San Antonio homes in my portfolio was 126 E. Dullnig 78223. The homeowner had paid me mortgage payments for three years, but I had to foreclose on the owners when they were 60 days late.

I took the house back and spent a thousand dollars to clean it up and get the junk out. It wasn’t in bad shape at all, and I didn’t need to do much.

Then, I was able to sell it for $49,000 cash to an investor in San Antonio, and made myself a $15,000 profit. Below is more about that home:

Front

Address: 126 E Dullnig Ct., San Antonio, TX 78223
Year Built: 1919
Description: Major cash flow on this San Antonio fixer upper distressed property – 4 beds 1 bath, 1100 sqft, two large storage units in the back, Lot Size: .19 acres, Yearly taxes: $1,600.00, Estimated yearly insurance $700.00, Estimated repairs: 15K, includes interior paint, electrical/plumbing up to code, landscape, trash removal, kitchen/bath updates, central HVAC, flooring, 2 room conversions, foundation/roof repairs.
Max ARV: $109-$115k

Cash Price: $48,000

Exit Strategies:

  • Rent with 30K in repairs: $1150.00
  • Owner Finance San Antonio wholesale property with 20K repairs: 5k down, $995.00 monthly P/I, 30 year amortization, 10% interest, Price: 99K. Or, owner finance with quick $5k clean up, resell for $79,900.

Not every house that I get back works out that well, but I still do fine. Usually, I just clean up the San Antonio foreclosure and resell it with $5000 down again to another buyer. I have gotten some homes back three times and just keep reselling it for the same $5000 down.

Posted on

Buy in San Antonio TX Now Before Prices Double!

Since the market crash in 2007 and 2008, San Antonio real estate prices have changed a lot. We were fortunate during the crash somewhat because our prices in San Antonio did not dip nearly as much as other places.

One of the long term benefits of investing in San Antonio real estate for cash flow is that the prices are quite steady overall. This is due to the general strength of the Texas economy, low tax rates, lack of red tape and a general pro business mind set.

When the market takes a dive, you will lose value on your home like anywhere, but the prices on homes in San Antonio in 2007 and 2008 only dropped in the area of 10%.

These days, however, the San Antonio real estate market is booming and prices on San Antonio investment properties could be rising again. Many local experts think that the real estate market in San Antonio is being driven by an increase in jobs and low mortgage rates. The number of people moving to San Antonio is still very strong, and this is driving up the real estate market.

Also, oil prices have dropped in 2016, and gas is under $2 per gallon and should stay there for the forseeable future. Any time oil starts to get near $50 to $60 per barral, more Texas rigs start to frack for oil again, which also helps the local job market.

All of this to say, these days you can still buy San Antonio investment properties of mine for cash flow for under $50,000, but this may not last. With the incoming Trump administration, we also could see cuts in taxes and regulations, which could send the San Antonio real estate market even higher. So now is the time to invest in San Antonio real estate.

With the below property for $49,000, you will be able to generate 13-14% ROI.

thumb_IMG_5970_1024

  • Address: 8013 FM 1518, Somerset, TX 78069
  • Year Built: 1955
  • Description: Tremendous cash flow investment opportunity in South San Antonio suburb, excellent school district and low crime rating, 3 beds 2 bath San Antonio investment property under market value, 2150 sqft, land: .16 acres, built: 1955, tax value: 84.9K, yearly taxes: $2,400.00, estimated yearly insurance: $1,000.00, Estimated Repairs:10K, ARV:79-89K
  • Cash Price on San Antonio Fixer Upper:  $49,000
  • Exit Strategy: Owner Finance with 10K in repairs: then resell with: 5K-10K down, $895 monthly PI/TI, 30 year amortization, 10 % interest, Sales Price 89K.
Posted on

So You’re Thinking About Real Estate Investing in 2017!

Now that the presidential election is over, I am seeing more new real estate investors who are thinking about getting into cashflowing real estate properties in San Antonio.

Many of these potential investors have good jobs and good incomes, and have so far saved and invested their money mostly in the stock market. But they are nervous about investing in real estate.

I think investing in the stock market is ok in a limited fashion. I was heavily invested in the market back in 2000, and I lost a large chunk of it in the crash after 9/11/01.

That experience taught me something important: Having one’s life savings in the stock market is risky, even if you are well diversified. Since I lost so much money in the stock market at that time, I decided to invest in something solid – specifically, San Antonio under market value properties.

I strongly believe that investing in certain under market value San Antonio fixer uppers is an excellent long term wealth building strategy. My real estate strategy is usually to buy a San Antonio under market value property for $35,000 to $75,000 cash, do $5000 or $10,000 in repairs, and either rent or owner finance it.

Here is a great case study example; this property belongs to a California investor of mine:

55

The house above in on West Poplar Ave. in 78207 in San Antonio. It is a newly completed San Antonio investment property that was bought the the California investor for $44,000 in October 2015.

We conducted $10,000 of rehab on the property and put it on the market in December 2015. Total cost to investor was $54,000. It was resold in late January 2016 with the following terms:

  • $83,000 sales price
  • $5000 down
  • $627.61 per month ($800 per month PITI)
  • 9% interest
  • 30 year note

Note that this is a seller finance property, not a rental property.

That property is generating $627 per month in cash flow on a $54,000 investment with no other expenses.

But what if you don’t want to do all cash deals? That’s ok too. You can use your available cash to put a down payment on a property and to do repairs, and then either rent it out or owner finance it (this is called a wrap around mortgage).

In such a case, you should be able to net at least $250 to $350 per month in positive cash flow if you hold a mortgage on the San Antonio investment property.

Here is a current property that I have carefully scouted out that can generate 12-14% ROI after the repairs are done:

thumb_IMG_5970_1024

  • Address: 8013 FM 1518, Somerset, TX 78069
  • Year Built: 1955
  • Description: Tremendous cash flow investment opportunity in South San Antonio suburb, excellent school district and low crime rating, 3 beds 2 bath San Antonio investment property under market value, 2150 sqft, land: .16 acres, built: 1955, tax value: 84.9K, yearly taxes: $2,400.00, estimated yearly insurance: $1,000.00, Estimated Repairs:10K, ARV:79-89K
  • Cash Price on San Antonio Fixer Upper:  $49,000
  • Exit Strategy: Owner Finance with 10K in repairs: then resell with: 5K-10K down, $895 monthly PI/TI, 30 year amortization, 10 % interest, Sales Price 89K.

I recommend that a new San Antonio real estate investor work with an expert investor and real estate agent who has a large portfolio of properties. He or she can help you to get a good deal such as the above.

Posted on

OFF MARKET – 8013 FM 1518, Somerset, TX 78069

 

thumb_IMG_5970_1024

  • Address: 8013 FM 1518, Somerset, TX 78069
  • Year Built: 1955
  • Description: Tremendous cash flow investment opportunity in South San Antonio suburb, excellent school district and low crime rating, 3 beds 2 bath San Antonio investment property under market value, 2150 sqft, land: .16 acres, built: 1955, tax value: 84.9K, yearly taxes: $2,400.00, estimated yearly insurance: $1,000.00, Estimated Repairs:10K, ARV:79-89K
  • Cash Price on San Antonio Fixer Upper:  $49,000
  • Exit Strategy: Owner Finance with 10K in repairs: then resell with: 5K-10K down, $895 monthly PI/TI, 30 year amortization, 10 % interest, Sales Price 89K.
  • Sold and Rental Comps: Rental Comps 8013 FM 1518 Sold Comps 8013 FM 1518
  • For more information, please contact us. 

More Images:

thumb_IMG_5971_1024 thumb_IMG_5972_1024 thumb_IMG_5973_1024 thumb_IMG_5974_1024 thumb_IMG_5975_1024 thumb_IMG_5976_1024 thumb_IMG_5977_1024 thumb_IMG_5978_1024 thumb_IMG_5979_1024 thumb_IMG_5980_1024

Posted on

San Antonio Is An Overvalued Real Estate Market – So What?

Years after the bottoming out of the housing market in Texas, which was in 2012, Texas generally and San Antonio specifically  is one of the to be one of the most overvalued markets in the US, according to Forbes Magazine. But I don’t think this is a bad thing.

Since prices hit rock bottom in San Antonio in January 2012, the San Antonio economy has grown strongly, with gross metro product hitting 9% in San Antonio since the end of 2014. While Austin’s gross metro product is higher at 18%, so are real estate prices. Prices in Austin rose from the end of 2012 until the end of 2015 by 41%, with a median home price of $278,000.

In San Antonio, prices rose just 21% in the same period for a median price of $190,400 as of mid 2016.

Some people would say that an overvalued housing market is not a good thing, but I think it is worth keeping a few things in mind:

  • San Antonio homes are still very affordable, with a median price currently in the $200,000 range. Got that? You can still buy a house here for $200,000 or less!
  • San Antonio under market value fixer uppers are still available for $50,000 or less, and I have seen prices drop recently, actually.
  • Even with higher prices in the last two years, I have many San Antonio fixer uppers that can return 12% or higher returns when all costs are factored in.
  • An overvalued real estate market indicates strong demand and limited supply, which indicates good economic growth. For a real estate investor, strong ecnoomic growth  is a good thing, as you have plenty of renters and buyers to occupy your real estate investment properties.

I can understand where an overvalued real estate market such as San Francisco could be a big problem, as it will price everyone but the super rich out of the market.

But here in San Antonio, prices for my San Antonio real estate investments are still very low, and we have a very low unemployment rate. The strong growth of our area and Texas generally means that many companies are moving in here, such as Maruchan (of instant noodle fame), Chevron, Rackspace and Geekdom among others.

Want to see a good example of a cheap San Antonio fixer? Here you are –

thumb_IMG_5926_1024

  • Address: 127 Hopkins St. San Antonio, TX 78221
  • Year Built: 1972
  • Description:  Location Location! Very popular neighborhood with extra-large back yard south of downtown. This is a high ROI, under market value San Antonio investment property ! – 3 beds 1 bath, 850 sqft, built: 1972, Lot Size: .16 acres, Yearly taxes: $1,052.00, Estimated yearly insurance $600.00, Estimated repairs: 5K, landscape tree removal, trash removal interior/exterior. ARV: 69.9K
  • Cash Price on San Antonio Fixer Upper:  $39,900
  • Exit Strategy: Owner Finance this San Antonio investment property with 5K in clean up: 5k down, $695.00 monthly P/I, 30 year amortization, 10% interest, Price: 69.9K.
Posted on

What Will Donald Trump Mean for San Antonio Real Estate Investing in 2017?

As a real estate investor in San Antonio, I am well aware over the years of how much uncertainty a presidential election can have on the financial markets generally, and real estate specifically.

Now that Donald Trump has been elected president of the United States, many investors in San Antonio are wondering if his election will be good, bad, or somewhere in the middle for San Antonio investment properties.

Well, I can only speak for myself when it comes to the national economy and the real estate investing market, but I think that much of the ‘economic recovery’ in the last eight years has left behind a lot of the investing class and many middle class Americans.

Many of us believe that the Federal Reserve’s monetary policies have led to many in the middle class feeling inflation, little wage growth and while unemployment is low, many Americans are underworked and are making due with part time jobs to make ends meet.

I think that with Trump in charge, who obviously is a highly experienced real estate investor himself, we are likely to see more economic expansion with infrastructure investments. He also may use debt to encourage growth and will try to lower taxes for the middle class and higher earners, who provide much of the financing for job growth.

It also seems possible that he will reduce regulations in Dodd Frank and make it easier for small investors to borrow money.

Hopefully, a Trump administration will encourage stronger economic growth and greater confidence in the real estate investing markets than we have seen since 2009.

I do know that we have seen a slight drop in San Antonio real estate investment prices in the last six months, prior to Trump being elected.

I do think that with the lower real estate property prices, this is a good time to move into buy and hold real estate investing in San Antonio. Prices are lower, interest rates are still low, and the unemployment rate in San Antonio is very low. There is a strong rental and buyer market here for sure.

Here is a great under market value fixer upper that will be a great addition to your real estate investing portfolio:

thumb_IMG_5980_1024

 

  • Address: 8013 FM 1518, Somerset, TX 78069
  • Year Built: 1955
  • Description: Tremendous cash flow investment opportunity in South San Antonio suburb, excellent school district and low crime rating, 3 beds 2 bath San Antonio investment property under market value, 2150 sqft, land: .16 acres, built: 1955, tax value: 84.9K, yearly taxes: $2,400.00, estimated yearly insurance: $1,000.00, Estimated Repairs:10K, ARV:79-89K
  • Cash Price on San Antonio Fixer Upper:  $49,000
  • Exit Strategy: Owner Finance with 10K in repairs: then resell with: 5K-10K down, $895 monthly PI/TI, 30 year amortization, 10 % interest, Sales Price 89K.

 

Posted on

How To Financially Retire on $20,000 ‘Junk Houses’ With Minimal Repairs

Many of our top investors in San Antonio have been buying and selling under market value San Antonio properties since 2001. The majority of my portfolio are properties that are $20,000 to $40,000. When I first started out, I was able to pick up many $20,000 homes in San Antonio and surrounding areas.

For the first few years, I would repair these San Antonio fixer uppers and then rent them out. That would net me in the area of 10% per year and it was fine.

But at one point, some of our investors owned more than 100 rental properties, and all of the repairs were stressful and really started to eat into my bottom line. It was in 2007 or so when one of my mentors advised me to stop fixing up these San Antonio under market value properties and renting them out.

Now, I will usually just buy $20,000 San Antonio investment properties, and do a brief clean up for a few thousand dollars, if that, and then owner finance it to a qualified buyer.

I have learned how to qualify buyers carefully; most of them are blue collar hispanic workers who have a good job and earn $3000 a month or more. I get a $5000 down payment from them, and charge 10% interest. They usually do not have good credit, but as long as they have a steady job, most of my buyers end up paying me on time for years.

I like to deal with cheap, under market value San Antonio houses for $20,000 or so and leave most of the repair to the owner finance buyer. This may not be the most obvious source of regular cash flow; most investors think they have to rent out properties and be a landlord.

I definitely prefer to just do buy and hold real estate with these fixer uppers with owner financing. Here’s a great one for just $18,000 and it needs no repairs:

Back

    • Address: 308 Strong Ave, Ballinger TX 76821
    • Year Built: 1900
    • Description:  Texas fixer upper cash flow king – 3 beds 1 bath, 1300 sqft, ¼ acre lot, yearly taxes: $500, yearly insurance: $500,
    • Estimated Repairs: NONE – Resell AS IS.
    • Cash Price: $18,000
    • Exit Strategy: Owner Finance this buy and hold under market value property with ZERO repairs: 2k down, $395.00 monthly P/I, 30 year amortization, 10% interest, Price: 39k. Strong demand for affordable houses under $500 per month here.
Posted on

A Different Take on Buying and Holding Investment Properties Successfully

A lot of investors in San Antonio do a lot of flipping properties. Flipping homes has worked well for me in some cases in the last 15 years, but flipping San Antonio houses in the under $75,000 range can be challenging.

I deal mostly in affordable San Antonio properties, and with prices going up and construction costs going up, I have found that turning a profit of more than $3000 on a six month flip has been difficult.

Over the long term, I have been a big believe in buying and holding real estate – getting rich slowly rather than quickly. Taking a slower approach to getting wealthy in real estate might not be what you see on TV, but I think buying and holding San Antonio investment property is the key to long term wealth building, more than flips.

What Is Your Exit Strategy? 

Most of my under market value properties were bought under market value in San Antonio for $25,000 to $75,000. I usually buy and hold them for more than 10 years. Some of my properties I have held for 15 years!

Generally, I buy my houses in cash, do a few thousand in repairs, and then owner finance the homes instead of renting them out. With owner financing, I get a steady $500-$800 per month in cash flow and I have to do no repairs on the home once I have sold it.

Many buy and hold investors only consider renting out the property, and while I do have some rentals, I will usually prefer to owner finance them.

I also recommend San Antonio owner financing properties for the investor who still has a full time job. You don’t have to concern yourself with fixing leaking roofs or water heaters. The new property owner takes care of it and just pays you each month.

While I buy my homes in cash, you can get a mortgage on an investment property that is in decent condition, and then owner finance it just as you would if you bought it cash. This is called a wrap around mortgage. This is an option for people who do not have the cash to buy a bunch of houses for all cash. As long as you are able to clear $300 or so on the property, this can make sense.

The home I have for sale below would work great as an owner financed property to make you 11% or so per month with no repairs.

Only $5000 in repairs to get it sold.

thumb_IMG_5926_1024

  • Address: 127 Hopkins St. San Antonio, TX 78221
  • Year Built: 1972
  • Description:  Location Location! Very popular neighborhood with extra-large back yard south of downtown. This is a high ROI, under market value San Antonio investment property ! – 3 beds 1 bath, 850 sqft, built: 1972, Lot Size: .16 acres, Yearly taxes: $1,052.00, Estimated yearly insurance $600.00, Estimated repairs: 5K, landscape tree removal, trash removal interior/exterior. ARV: 69.9K
  • Cash Price on San Antonio Fixer Upper:  $39,900
  • Exit Strategy: Owner Finance this San Antonio investment property with 5K in clean up: 5k down, $695.00 monthly P/I, 30 year amortization, 10% interest, Price: 69.9K.

 

Posted on

How Pulling Cash Out of Investment Properties Can Increase Your Portfolio

If you are like many San Antoni real estate investors, you only have so much cash to invest in your buy and hold properties.

When many of our investors started out, they only had 10k or 20k or their own money.  When you have limited investment capital like that, you have a few options before you:

  • Buy under market value properties and flip them for a profit
  • Buy and hold rental properties in cash and save the cash flow to buy more
  • Buy and hold rental properties with mortgages and buy more with cash flow

Both of those options for investing in properties can work well, and I have done both. Naturally, both of those strategies have downsides:

  • Flipping properties can be challenging to do profitably in some markets. For example, in 2016, flipping affordable homes in San Antonio for significant profit is more difficult as prices have risen the last two years, and construction costs have increased with the stronger economy. Finding under-market value properties that allow a flip profit have been hard as well. That’s why some flippers i know have been doing few deals lately.
  • I believe in buying and holding properties as rentals or with owner financing for cash flow. But it obviously takes a long time to save up cash flow to buy more properties. I prefer to buy my homes with all cash and it will take a long time to save up the capital for more, but you also can buy them with 3.5% or 5% down if you can qualify for the mortgages. That way you can buy more homes faster.

Another way to build up your portfolio of under market value San Antonio fixer upper properties is this:

  • Buy your first San Antonio investment property with all cash.
  • Rent it out after you fix it, and wait a year.
  • With property values rising, you should be able to do a cash out refinance of that property and get enough cash to at least do a down payment on another property.

Note that you will need to have considerable equity in the rental property; many lenders want 80% or lower loan to value to do a refinance.

Or, consider pulling equity out of your personal residence and buying rental properties, or owner financing them. If you are getting 3-4% interest and you put that money into a property that makes you 12% or 14% per year, you really cannot go wrong. You will need to work with an expert investor to show you how to do it, and you also need to buy the right property, but this is very doable in San Antonio right now, as prices on affordable homes are often under $50,000.

Here is a nice San Antonio investment property I have right now that will return 12-14% per year:

thumb_IMG_5926_1024

  • Address: 127 Hopkins St. San Antonio, TX 78221
  • Year Built: 1972
  • Description:  Location Location! Very popular neighborhood with extra-large back yard south of downtown. This is a high ROI, under market value San Antonio investment property ! – 3 beds 1 bath, 850 sqft, built: 1972, Lot Size: .16 acres, Yearly taxes: $1,052.00, Estimated yearly insurance $600.00, Estimated repairs: 5K, landscape tree removal, trash removal interior/exterior. ARV: 69.9K
  • Cash Price on San Antonio Fixer Upper:  $39,900
  • Exit Strategy: Owner Finance this San Antonio investment property with 5K in clean up: 5k down, $695.00 monthly P/I, 30 year amortization, 10% interest, Price: 69.9K.
Posted on

Consider Owner Financing Your San Antonio Fixer Upper to Save on Repairs

The most popular way to buy and hold properties in San Antonio is to renovate and rent them out.

I own many rental properties myself, and there is nothing wrong with doing that. But the majority of my portfolio continues to be San Antonio buy and hold properies that I owner finance.

Owner financing usually works very well in San Antonio because we have so many blue collar workers who make $3000 to $5000 per month as a family. Many of them have no credit or poor credit. But if they have a good, steady job and can prove their income, owner financing these San Antonio fixer uppers often is better than renting them out. Why?

The major reason that I find as an owner of under market value San Antonio investment properties San Antonio investment properties is that I can save thousands of dollars on renovating the property. I let the new owner of the home do most of the repairs. Most of the repairs that I do are just enough to get it sold.

For example, consider this $39,900 cash San Antonio fixer upper:

thumb_IMG_5926_1024

  • Address: 127 Hopkins St. San Antonio, TX 78221
  • Year Built: 1972
  • Description:  Location Location! Very popular neighborhood with extra-large back yard south of downtown. This is a high ROI, under market value San Antonio investment property ! – 3 beds 1 bath, 850 sqft, built: 1972, Lot Size: .16 acres, Yearly taxes: $1,052.00, Estimated yearly insurance $600.00, Estimated repairs: 5K, landscape tree removal, trash removal interior/exterior. ARV: 69.9K
  • Cash Price on San Antonio Fixer Upper:  $39,900
  • Exit Strategy: Owner Finance this San Antonio investment property with 5K in clean up: 5k down, $695.00 monthly P/I, 30 year amortization, 10% interest, Price: 69.9K.

If I rented this out, I would need to probably do at least $15,000 in additional rehab work. I can do it, but it will lower my cash reserves and lower my ROI. Also, prices of San Antonio construction materials are higher these days, so I prefer to owner finance the home with limited repairs.

With an owner finance deal, I will only need to remove trash and brush, and do some minor plumbing work in the kitchen and bathroom, plus do a full cleaning. Then I will find a good buyer with a good job with poor credit, and he or she can continue to fix it up. I have found that these types of owner finance deals on affordable San Antonio properties can work out very well for the investor. What do you think?