Archive for October, 2007

Minneapolis Investment Property Workshop

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The City of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Police Department’s Community Crime Prevention, and the Minneapolis Housing Inspections department are working together to put on a Rental Property Owners workshop in Minneapolis on Thursday, October 25, 2007.  I have attended these events and found them to be a great resource even if you don’t own property in Minneapolis.

Investment Property owners will learn ways to keep their properties free of drug dealing and other illegal activity.  Other topics presented include:

• Working with the Minneapolis Police Department
• Working with Minneapolis Housing Inspections
• Tenant issues
• Hennepin County Housing Court
• Arbitration as an altermative to Eviction

This event is also a great opportunity to network with other Minneapolis Investment Property owners.  To get a registration form, click here.  The cost is $20 and includes a box lunch.  The details and location for the event are:

Thursday, October 25, 2007
5-9 PM
St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church
3450 Irving Ave S
Minneapolis, MN

You must RSVP by Friday, Oct 19 by emailing ccpsafe@ci.minneapolis.mn.us or calling the message line at 612-673-2812.  Plan to attend.

Investment Property Analysis-Cash on Cash Return

There are many different ways to analyze investment property purchases.  These financial ratios include:  Cash on Cash Return, Cap Rate, Debt Coverage, Gross Multiplier, and Return on Asset to name a few.  Which ratio you use depends upon your personal preferences as well as your financial goals, your risk tolerance, and even the type of property [...]

There are many different ways to analyze investment property purchases.  These financial ratios include:  Cash on Cash Return, Cap Rate, Debt Coverage, Gross Multiplier, and Return on Asset to name a few.  Which ratio you use depends upon your personal preferences as well as your financial goals, your risk tolerance, and even the type of property you are analyzing.

Cash on Cash Return is a good indicator if the property is a cash cow or is potentially under priced.  Because most of the required numbers are readily available in the field, most investors will use this ratio as a quick test to determine if further analysis is required.  Less seasoned investors may want to use a property spreadsheet or a an on-line property analysis tool to do the work for them.

The math equation is: 
First, let’s calculate Annual Before-Tax Cash Flow:

• Calculate your yearly income from the property including rent and additional income such as laundry fees.
• Total all yearly expenses that you pay as the owner/landlord such as:
  • Utilities (heat & electricity)
  • Water/Sewer/Garbage
  • Snow/Lawn Care
  • Management/Care taking
  • Insurance
• Subtract your yearly expenses from your yearly income to arrive at your Annual Net Operating Income.
• Calculate your mortgage payment using any on-line mortgage calculators.  Multiply by 12 to get your annual mortgage payment.
• Subtract your annual mortgage payment and your annual tax amount from the above Annual Net Operating Income to arrive at your Net Annual Cash Flow.  Make sure you did not include taxes more than once!

Your Total Cash Invested is quite easy.  It is your down payment that you put in to acquire the property.  You may be thinking, “what about closing costs”.  Most investors will keep the process simplified by NOT including closing costs or other “acquisition costs”.

To calculate your Cash on Cash Return, simply divide Net Annual Cash Flow by Total Cash Invested.  This will give you a percentage/ratio that you can use to compare investments.  This number shows you how much of your cash out of pocket is returned to you each year by this investment.  Because this is a quick test, it does not take into account any tax implications, depreciation, or appreciation.

Most real estate investors are looking for at least a 24% Cash on Cash Return.  Many will not even consider a property unless it generates a ratio of greater than 30%.  I recommend that you run multiple examples to become familiar with this ratio before making a purchase decision using it.

Scott Ficek is a Realtor with Re/Max Advantage Plus in Minneapolis and helps new and seasoned investors buy and own investment real estate. He owns and manages almost 30 investment property units from single family to multi-family. Find his website at www.minnesotainvestmentrealestate.com.

Evicting Your Tenant

If you are a landlord long enough or own enough rental properties, you will eventually need to evict one of your tenants. It can seem like a traumatic and complicated event, but if you follow some simple tips, it is actually quite simple.
The rights and duties of landlords and tenants in each state are [...]

If you are a landlord long enough or own enough rental properties, you will eventually need to evict one of your tenants. It can seem like a traumatic and complicated event, but if you follow some simple tips, it is actually quite simple.

The rights and duties of landlords and tenants in each state are spelled out in federal law, state statutes, local ordinances, safety and housing codes, common law, contract law and a number of court decisions. These responsibilities can vary from place to place around the country and even within each state and municipality. Also, tenants in federal housing and other forms of subsidized housing have additional rights under federal law. Consequently, this article is specific to eviction in Minnesota and the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. My goal is that readers from other areas can still use this article as a framework to make the process easier.

Why to evict:
Typically, evictions happen because a tenant is behind in their rent or has stopped paying their rent all together, but any violation of the lease can actually be grounds for an eviction. As a landlord, you need to understand the language in your lease and your legal regulations. Some examples of lease violations that I have evicted tenants for include: repeated incidents of disturbing the neighbors, excessive damage to the apartment, excessive police calls, unauthorized pets, and unauthorized people staying in the apartment.

When to evict (for other lease violations):
Evicting for lease violations (other than past due rent) requires good documentation and proper notification of the tenant to put yourself in the best position to win the eviction when going to court. You should document in writing each time the lease is violated. Make sure to note the exact details of who was involved. Follow up each lease violation with a written warning to the tenant (keeping a copy for yourself). Make sure to quote the section of the lease that was violated and inform them that any repeated violations can lead to their eviction. If the violation is severe enough you may need to immediately start the eviction process, after you have collected the documentation, without issuing a warning.

When to evict (for past due rent):
As a new landlord, it is very easy to listen to the sob story about why a tenant can’t pay their rent and before you know it, they can become several month behind in their rent. Ultimately, most books and “experts” will say, start the eviction process the first day after the rent is late. I would argue that in the real world, it rarely happens that way. I am not suggesting that you let a tenant pay whenever they want, but you should do what you feel is fair. I have many tenants that consistently pay their rent late, but they do pay and include a late fee. You need to decide what your tolerance is and when you are going to cut off a tenant. Set that date in stone and stick to it.

Time to evict (in MN):
Although you can file all the necessary paperwork and go to court yourself, I am strong proponent of paying a service or attorney to perform the eviction for several reasons:

• The costs for many of these services is less than what I value my time at ($88 for the service that I use). I simply fill out a 3 page document, sign it, and pay with a credit card. The service calls me when the court date has been scheduled and they call me after court is over to tell me the results. I do nothing else.
• The process may require multiple trips to the court and waiting at the court for your case to be called. If you have a full-time career, do you want to take time off to attend an eviction proceeding?
• Several steps in the process require a neutral 3rd party such as serving the eviction notice. If these are not done correctly, the court can throw out your eviction action. You have lost time (and more money, including the filing fee).
• Lastly, these services perform hundreds and even thousands of evictions per year. They can be an invaluable resource if you have questions about the process. You may even consult with them to see if you can evict a tenant in a specific situation.

Regardless if you handle the eviction or you pay a service, the process generally works like this (in Hennepin County in MN):

• The court has you fill out some short paperwork explaining why you are requesting the eviction. You will pay a filing and process fee ($342 in Hennepin County).
• The court clerk will assign you a court date (typically 2-3 weeks out in Hennepin County).
• A neutral 3rd party must serve the tenant with a notice regarding the court date and why they are being evicted. If the tenant is not home or refuses to answer the door, the notice can be secured to the primary door.
• On the day of court, several scenarios can play out:
  • Both the landlord and the tenant will be given an opportunity to explain their side.
  • If the tenant owes past due rent, the judge will ask them if they are prepared to pay. Sometimes the judge will allow the tenant a week to come up with the money, but most often the judge will side with the landlord as s/he recognizes that the tenant has had plenty of time to work out a payment plan or find other sources for the rent.
  • If the tenant is claiming to be holding the past due rent because of repairs that the landlord has refused to perform, the judge will often make the tenant give that rent money to the court to hold until the work is performed. Typically, the tenant is just trying to use this as a delay tactic and can not produce the money.
  • When the eviction is for lease violations, other than past due rent, the judge will issue a ruling based upon the evidence presented. Again, having excellent documentation can help you prevail.
  • If only one side shows at the court hearing, the judge will always rule in favor of that party. In my experience, only about 50% of the tenants will attend the hearing. Most will already have moved out by this date as they know they are going to lose in court and be required to move immediately.
• Typically the hearing is over very quickly and the judge will make a decision on the spot.
• If the judge rules in favor of the landlord: You can choose to enter into a payment plan with the tenant for any past due rent and allow them to stay in the apartment provided they honor the plan. OR You can file for a “Writ of Eviction” (in MN) which requires the sheriff to serve a notice on the tenant notifying them that they have 24 hours to vacate the property (there is an extra cost for this-$95).
• After the Writ has been issued, you have up to 30 days to schedule the sheriff to come to the apartment and have the tenant forcibly removed. In my experience, it rarely gets to this point. If a tenant loses in court, they are usually moving immediately as they don’t want to be removed from their apartment and locked out.
• Once removed by the sheriff, the tenant can be arrested for trespassing if they enter the building or apartment again.
• If the tenant leaves anything in the apartment after they vacate, you are required to store those belongings for 60 days before disposing of them as you like. You can charge the tenant to store the belongings, but you can not hold the belongings ransom to them paying the past due rent.

Other tips when going through an eviction:

• Sometimes it may be easier to threaten an eviction and have the tenant move out peacefully and quickly. This will save you time and the possibility that they will damage the apartment on the way out.
• Because it is difficult to accurately know when the apartment will again be available (or what condition it will be in), you should give yourself enough time after the eviction before releasing the unit.

The entire process can be intimidating, but it is a necessary part of being a landlord. It is always better to cut your losses, go through the process, and find a better tenant.

Scott Ficek is a Realtor with Keller Williams Integrity in Minneapolis and helps new and seasoned investors buy and own investment real estate. He owns and manages almost 30 investment property units from single family to multi-family. Find his website at www.minnesotainvestmentrealestate.com.

Finding Your Flips

After all your flipping prep work, you will need to generate leads on potential properties to flip.  Unfortunately, not all leads will end in you buying a property to be flipped.  Many leads will be dead ends for various reasons including (but not limited to) the lack of a seller’s motivation, condition of property, and even competition.  [...]

After all your flipping prep work, you will need to generate leads on potential properties to flip.  Unfortunately, not all leads will end in you buying a property to be flipped.  Many leads will be dead ends for various reasons including (but not limited to) the lack of a seller’s motivation, condition of property, and even competition.  Because this is a numbers game, you need to define how many properties you want to flip each year or month and then how many leads you will need to generate properties to make offers on.  The following techniques, when used consistently, should allow you to generate enough flip leads which in turn will allow you to find (and make offers) on properties to flip:

• Prospecting-The following tools will generate leads on potential houses to flip.  Once you generate the lead, use the county’s on-line property tax system to find the owner.  Call them or send them a letter asking if they are interested in selling and that you can close quickly.
  • Use the MLS or a realtor to find properties that are below the average price range for your target neighborhood.  Although it is not a perfect statistic, use a price per square foot as a rough way to find leads on properties.  Also, look for keywords in the listings that say:  needs TLC, fixer-upper, As-Is.  Additionally, review properties that have been on the market for an extended period of time. 
  • Drive or walk around your target neighborhood.  Look for houses that have uncut grass or are vacant and/or boarded up.  Properties that also appears to need exterior work may be leads.
  • Sometimes desperate sellers will attempt to sell the property themselves first, before using a Realtor.  Check the classifieds in the local paper and Craig’s List for your area.
  • Check the foreclosures listings in the newspaper.  I do not recommend buying the property at the sheriff sale, but  contact the sellers to see if you can help them out of a bad situation.  Otherwise, simply make a note of what properties are going into foreclosure and watch for them to become available (probably on the MLS).
• Advertising can be an effective technique to generate qualified leads as people are calling you to discuss their property/situation.  Small “bandit” signs at intersections and boulevards is a highly effective technique that many national firms use.  You can also create letters or post cards and mail them to your target neighborhoods calling the recipient to call you if they need to get out of their house quickly.
• Networking involves connecting with as many people that you can find that many have knowledge of a lead on a house that needs to be rehab’ed.  These may include Realtors, contractors, neighborhood residents, and other investors.  One great source is to connect yourself with attorneys that handle estates.  Often the family members are not interested in going through the process of selling or fixing up their relative’s home and just want it taken off their hands.  Many times these will be homes that have been neglected for years by an aging owner. 

Even once you start your first flip, do not turn off your lead generation process.  If you intend on continuing to do house flips, you will want to always have leads in your pipeline.  The above techniques will not only generate property leads, they should also help you understand your target neighborhood better.

Scott Ficek is a Realtor with Keller Williams Integrity in Minneapolis and helps new and seasoned investors buy and own investment real estate. He owns and manages almost 30 investment property units from single family to multi-family. Find his website at www.minnesotainvestmentrealestate.com.

Investment Property Cash Flow=Good

In the last year I have had two different conversations about cash flow that I was amazed by.

The first was an investor that owned one property. He was so excited to tell me “It only took 3 years, but my investment property is finally making a positive cash flow”. I felt sorry for him that [...]

In the last year I have had two different conversations about cash flow that I was amazed by.

1. The first was an investor that owned one property. He was so excited to tell me “It only took 3 years, but my investment property is finally making a positive cash flow”. I felt sorry for him that his real estate agent had sold him the wrong property.
2. Secondly, I went to a seminar where the speaker (a mortgage consultant) recommended that it was OK to take $300-500 per month out of your pocket each month to pay for the negative cash flow of your investment. He suggested that you should simply reduce the amount you contribute to your 401k each month and divert it to an investment property!

Maybe I am going to get some letters for this post, but I am sad for the guy in example #1 and outraged at the mortgage consultant in example #2. If you are pouring $300-$500 per month into the property on your best day, what happens when you have a vacancy or a major repair?

My bare minimum rule is that an investment property must generate $100 per door per month. In other words, a duplex must make at least $200 per month. This simple math does not automatically validate a property as a good buy, but it is a start. You must still look at your cash on cash return and your return on asset. Do you think spending $600k for a duplex (with $60k out of your pocket for the down payment) to only make $200 per month would make you excited? Probably not. Using a highly qualified mortgage broker that works with investment property is good way to insure you are spending (and making) your money wisely.

In this market, with mortgage financing drying up, it is more difficult to find decent properties that cash flow. I believe you just need to work harder and look longer to find them. You also may need to take bigger risks by going into neighborhoods which may be depressed today. I also believe that using a real estate agent that works with (and owns) investment property is the only way to approach it.

Scott Ficek is a Realtor with Keller Williams Integrity in Minneapolis and helps new and seasoned investors buy and own investment real estate. He owns and manages almost 30 investment property units from single family to multi-family. Find his website at www.minnesotainvestmentrealestate.com.

Buying Foreclosure Properties

Foreclosures seem to be a hot topic of conversation even amongst people that are not in the real estate market. I am often asked “Are you finding a lot of deals with all the foreclosures happening now”. My standard answer is “yes, typically”. Foreclosed properties are usually a great opportunity to buy [...]

Foreclosures seem to be a hot topic of conversation even amongst people that are not in the real estate market. I am often asked “Are you finding a lot of deals with all the foreclosures happening now”. My standard answer is “yes, typically”. Foreclosed properties are usually a great opportunity to buy a property at below market prices. You just need to understand some basic rules, differences, and tips:

• Foreclosed properties are also called REO properties and are owned by banks after a borrower (ie: owner/mortgagee) has defaulted on their loan and the bank has gone through the proper legal methods to take the home.
• Although foreclosed properties are often priced below market, the banks that own them are not interested in even reading “low-ball” offers. That type of offer will often go unanswered. Banks have an established (but confidential) price strategy that they rarely deviate from.
• The banks have no emotional connection to the house and in fact they have probably never seen it. It is just another file on a desk of someone probably in another state. These asset managers work a regular job and do not respond to offers outside of the work week. Typically because of their workload, they can take days or weeks to respond to an offer.
• Because of the length of time in working with a bank, do not count on closing on the date you propose in the purchase agreement. The bank will set their own schedule. Therefore, allow yourself enough time to move out of your previous house! You don’t want to be stuck homeless waiting for the bank!
• Read all the documentation that the bank provides regarding the sale. Often your earnest money is non-refundable after the inspection period ends if you fail to close. Additionally, the bank will normally charge a fee per day (per Diem) for every day the closing is late (but will then occasionally close late because of their own problems with no excuses or restitution to the buyer).
• Inspect the property thoroughly prior to the end of the inspection period. Typically the bank will not negotiate anything found on the inspection. They will simply respond that you an either cancel the purchase agreement or buy it as-is.
• There is no need to track the sheriff sales or foreclosure notices in the paper or pay for a list from an Internet provider. All foreclosures (in Minnesota) are listed with real estate agents. This means that they can easily be found on your local MLS via a Realtor or a public website.

These are only some highlights of the difference in the process of buying foreclosure properties. I recommend you use a real estate agent that has previously sold foreclosures. They will help you navigate your way though this unique, but potentially profitable process.

Scott Ficek is a Realtor with Re/Max Advantage Plus in Minneapolis and helps new and seasoned investors buy and own investment real estate. He owns and manages almost 30 investment property units from single family to multi-family. Find his website at www.minnesotainvestmentrealestate.com.