Real Estate Investing Ethics - When is Lying Just Being Creative?

Here’s the story. An investor- we’ll call him “Bill”- was preparing to close on an investment property. He received a copy of the final loan documents via fax, and took the opportunity to look them over so he would be prepared to sign them at closing the following day.

Bill was surprised to find that the loan application contained some glaring inaccuracies, including a gross overstatement of his income and a property usage declaration stating the property would be used as his second residence. In fact, Bill had clearly informed the mortgage broker he had no intention of ever living in the home.

Bill was in a bad position. He was committed to closing on the property the next day, or he faced over $100 per day in penalties. Yet he knew that signing the application with the false statements was an act of fraud. What to do? What would you do?

The answer to that question is at the heart of a growing split in the ranks of real estate investors, and I believe it reflects a similar split in our society as a whole.

Many would look at Bill’s situation and claim, ‘It’s not his fault- he didn’t tell the lie, the broker did! Look at what he stands to lose if he doesn’t close. Besides, he committed to close on that house- he can’t back out now. He should just go ahead and sign the documents. It will work out alright in the end, especially since he’s just going to flip or refinance the property within a year anyway.”

The other side of the argument states, “Signing those documents is clearly loan fraud, and quite simply lying on Bill’s part. Even though the original deceit wasn’t his, once he signs his name he knowingly becomes a party to it, and the loan would be funded under false pretenses. Even though it may cost him money, and possible the deal, Bill should refuse to sign and try to work it out some other way.”

There is no middle ground here, and if you plan to invest over the long term you WILL face some similar dilemma. The question is not IF but WHEN. Now, not when you are in the heat of the moment, is the right time to decide how you will respond.

Simply stated, what kind of person are you? The kind for whom ethics are relative to the situation you are in, and how much pressure you’re under? Or, are you a person who knows right from wrong and is prepared to do the right thing no matter the consequences?

The more of us who choose to be the second kind of person, who choose right every time, the better will be our industry and, by extension, our society and our world.

The answer to the question in the title? When is lying just being creative? Never. Lying is always just plain lying.

Real Estate Business Investing - Risk Taking For Profit

Many people today are going into the real estate business. Lots of us seem to be willing to take a risk. But keep in mind that if you are thinking of investing in real-estate, you might as well be gambling. There is no guarantee that the land or home you invest in will bring a profit. The rule of thumb is that the greater the potential for earnings, the greater the risk. Fortunately, if you are interested in the estate business you can take advantage of the myriad of helpful information available on the internet. Just go to google and search away to your heart’s content.

When it comes to purchasing real-estate it is critical that you have all the statistics and facts. Consider how much capital you can afford to invest. The amount will be different for every individual. I may be able to afford only $160,000 but maybe you can spend $500,000. Figure out how much you are willing to spend and how much you would like to make.

Television happens to be another good resource that you can take advantage of today. There are a number of good reality shows that deal with the current real estate business. Just recently I watched a show about a couple who had saved up some extra money. They wanted to try their luck in the real estate business. Their plan was to purchase a home and flip it. It was in Florida, but not in the greatest area.

Unfortunately, they paid more than they had planned to flip the home. Honestly, it was a mess when they bought it and they had to completely gut it and totally re-do the yard. They then put it on the market and the real heartache began. At first it would not sell at all and when it did, it went for less than what they hoped for. They had to lower the price substantially and barely broke even in the end. They wasted all that hard work, time and effort.

The bottom line is that the real estate business can be very risky, as I said earlier - a gamble. Just be sure to obtain all the information you need before investing your hard earned dollars in this market. Knowledge is power when it comes to the real estate business.

Real Estate Business Investing - Risk Taking For Profit

Many people today are going into the real estate business. Lots of us seem to be willing to take a risk. But keep in mind that if you are thinking of investing in real-estate, you might as well be gambling. There is no guarantee that the land or home you invest in will bring a profit. The rule of thumb is that the greater the potential for earnings, the greater the risk. Fortunately, if you are interested in the estate business you can take advantage of the myriad of helpful information available on the internet. Just go to google and search away to your heart’s content.

When it comes to purchasing real-estate it is critical that you have all the statistics and facts. Consider how much capital you can afford to invest. The amount will be different for every individual. I may be able to afford only $160,000 but maybe you can spend $500,000. Figure out how much you are willing to spend and how much you would like to make.

Television happens to be another good resource that you can take advantage of today. There are a number of good reality shows that deal with the current real estate business. Just recently I watched a show about a couple who had saved up some extra money. They wanted to try their luck in the real estate business. Their plan was to purchase a home and flip it. It was in Florida, but not in the greatest area.

Unfortunately, they paid more than they had planned to flip the home. Honestly, it was a mess when they bought it and they had to completely gut it and totally re-do the yard. They then put it on the market and the real heartache began. At first it would not sell at all and when it did, it went for less than what they hoped for. They had to lower the price substantially and barely broke even in the end. They wasted all that hard work, time and effort.

The bottom line is that the real estate business can be very risky, as I said earlier - a gamble. Just be sure to obtain all the information you need before investing your hard earned dollars in this market. Knowledge is power when it comes to the real estate business.

Real Estate Business Investing - Risk Taking For Profit

Many people today are going into the real estate business. Lots of us seem to be willing to take a risk. But keep in mind that if you are thinking of investing in real-estate, you might as well be gambling. There is no guarantee that the land or home you invest in will bring a profit. The rule of thumb is that the greater the potential for earnings, the greater the risk. Fortunately, if you are interested in the estate business you can take advantage of the myriad of helpful information available on the internet. Just go to google and search away to your heart’s content.

When it comes to purchasing real-estate it is critical that you have all the statistics and facts. Consider how much capital you can afford to invest. The amount will be different for every individual. I may be able to afford only $160,000 but maybe you can spend $500,000. Figure out how much you are willing to spend and how much you would like to make.

Television happens to be another good resource that you can take advantage of today. There are a number of good reality shows that deal with the current real estate business. Just recently I watched a show about a couple who had saved up some extra money. They wanted to try their luck in the real estate business. Their plan was to purchase a home and flip it. It was in Florida, but not in the greatest area.

Unfortunately, they paid more than they had planned to flip the home. Honestly, it was a mess when they bought it and they had to completely gut it and totally re-do the yard. They then put it on the market and the real heartache began. At first it would not sell at all and when it did, it went for less than what they hoped for. They had to lower the price substantially and barely broke even in the end. They wasted all that hard work, time and effort.

The bottom line is that the real estate business can be very risky, as I said earlier - a gamble. Just be sure to obtain all the information you need before investing your hard earned dollars in this market. Knowledge is power when it comes to the real estate business.

Real Estate Business Investing - Risk Taking For Profit

Many people today are going into the real estate business. Lots of us seem to be willing to take a risk. But keep in mind that if you are thinking of investing in real-estate, you might as well be gambling. There is no guarantee that the land or home you invest in will bring a profit. The rule of thumb is that the greater the potential for earnings, the greater the risk. Fortunately, if you are interested in the estate business you can take advantage of the myriad of helpful information available on the internet. Just go to google and search away to your heart’s content.

When it comes to purchasing real-estate it is critical that you have all the statistics and facts. Consider how much capital you can afford to invest. The amount will be different for every individual. I may be able to afford only $160,000 but maybe you can spend $500,000. Figure out how much you are willing to spend and how much you would like to make.

Television happens to be another good resource that you can take advantage of today. There are a number of good reality shows that deal with the current real estate business. Just recently I watched a show about a couple who had saved up some extra money. They wanted to try their luck in the real estate business. Their plan was to purchase a home and flip it. It was in Florida, but not in the greatest area.

Unfortunately, they paid more than they had planned to flip the home. Honestly, it was a mess when they bought it and they had to completely gut it and totally re-do the yard. They then put it on the market and the real heartache began. At first it would not sell at all and when it did, it went for less than what they hoped for. They had to lower the price substantially and barely broke even in the end. They wasted all that hard work, time and effort.

The bottom line is that the real estate business can be very risky, as I said earlier - a gamble. Just be sure to obtain all the information you need before investing your hard earned dollars in this market. Knowledge is power when it comes to the real estate business.

Real Estate Investing Ethics - When is Lying Just Being Creative?

Here’s the story. An investor- we’ll call him “Bill”- was preparing to close on an investment property. He received a copy of the final loan documents via fax, and took the opportunity to look them over so he would be prepared to sign them at closing the following day.

Bill was surprised to find that the loan application contained some glaring inaccuracies, including a gross overstatement of his income and a property usage declaration stating the property would be used as his second residence. In fact, Bill had clearly informed the mortgage broker he had no intention of ever living in the home.

Bill was in a bad position. He was committed to closing on the property the next day, or he faced over $100 per day in penalties. Yet he knew that signing the application with the false statements was an act of fraud. What to do? What would you do?

The answer to that question is at the heart of a growing split in the ranks of real estate investors, and I believe it reflects a similar split in our society as a whole.

Many would look at Bill’s situation and claim, ‘It’s not his fault- he didn’t tell the lie, the broker did! Look at what he stands to lose if he doesn’t close. Besides, he committed to close on that house- he can’t back out now. He should just go ahead and sign the documents. It will work out alright in the end, especially since he’s just going to flip or refinance the property within a year anyway.”

The other side of the argument states, “Signing those documents is clearly loan fraud, and quite simply lying on Bill’s part. Even though the original deceit wasn’t his, once he signs his name he knowingly becomes a party to it, and the loan would be funded under false pretenses. Even though it may cost him money, and possible the deal, Bill should refuse to sign and try to work it out some other way.”

There is no middle ground here, and if you plan to invest over the long term you WILL face some similar dilemma. The question is not IF but WHEN. Now, not when you are in the heat of the moment, is the right time to decide how you will respond.

Simply stated, what kind of person are you? The kind for whom ethics are relative to the situation you are in, and how much pressure you’re under? Or, are you a person who knows right from wrong and is prepared to do the right thing no matter the consequences?

The more of us who choose to be the second kind of person, who choose right every time, the better will be our industry and, by extension, our society and our world.

The answer to the question in the title? When is lying just being creative? Never. Lying is always just plain lying.

Real Estate Investing - Is There One Magic Rule?

If you’ve spent much time around people who invest in Real Estate you know they all have their favorite rules. In Investment Club meetings, online chat rooms, even at the corner coffee shop, you catch snippets of conversations including phrases like,

?Location, location, location,?

?Buy low, sell high,?

?Invest in what you know,?

and many others.

While these are all important, in my experience (and that of many other seasoned investors) there is one rule that, if followed consistently, will save you from almost all of the potential pitfalls investors commonly encounter. What is this pearl of wisdom?

Simply this: YOU MAKE YOUR MONEY WHEN YOU BUY.

?What?s that,? you say? ?Everybody knows you make your money when you sell.?

?Not so fast,? I reply.

Think very carefully through what I?m about to say. Etch it into your mind and heart. Follow it faithfully and you will come close to guaranteeing your investing success. Forget it at your peril.

YOU MAKE YOUR MONEY WHEN YOU BUY. Very simply, this means that your profit is literally created at the time you purchase a property, through the price you choose to pay and the terms you negotiate in your purchase offer. There is no other time in the life cycle of an investment when you will exercise such tremendous control over your potential profit.

There is no other time when you can come so close to guaranteeing your success, and also no time when you can virtually guarantee your failure.

Buy right, for the right price and terms, and you will be able to weather virtually any unforeseen or unknown defect in the property. Sure, some of your profit may be eaten up correcting the problems, but there will still be something left for you- something to allow you to move on to your next project.

Buy wrong, spending too much on the property, and even if you do everything else right you will be hard-pressed to make money.

This Rule Almost Makes The Others Obsolete

Even if you?ve broken most or all of the other so-called ?rules? of Real Estate investing, if you follow this one magic rule, you can emerge victorious, a little wiser but unscathed by crippling losses. Let me illustrate.

Recently I purchased a single family home, and in so doing I broke many of my own rules. I bought a house nearly an hour from my home, I bought a house for the wrong reasons (I really, really liked it), and I bought a high end house in a low end neighborhood (a classic no-no). I also bought it without having a clearly defined exit strategy (another classic blunder). I just knew I could do something with this house.

Additionally the house had one of the most investor-unfriendly features I have ever had the misery to run across- an indoor swimming pool. When I wasn?t busy finding and repairing leaks in the liner, I was struggling to refill the pool using the property?s seriously overtaxed well, which I had to keep waiting for to recover. I still have nightmares about it.

This house took me three times longer to sell than I first imagined, and holding costs were eating me alive.

But? I owned this house right because I had bought it for the right price. I had foreseen that this house, with all it?s beauty and features, could also be a very difficult house to rehab, hold, and sell. Based on that, I structured my offer with plenty of room, which is a good thing, because much of that ?room? was eaten up before I was finally able to sell.

Much, but not all.

Why was I able to withstand all of those expensive problems and still walk away with a tidy profit, and some hard-won wisdom? Because I recognized and applied the first and most important rule of Real Estate investing- YOU MAKE YOUR MONEY WHEN YOU BUY.

I believe that if you will etch this principle forever in your mind, and think of it always when making your offers, you will safeguard yourself from almost all potential investing disasters (acts of God excluded).

Two Things You Must Know

To put this principle into practice, you absolutely must acquire knowledge in two key areas- market values and repair costs. While each of these is worth an article on it?s own, I will cover them briefly here.

First, market values. You must thoroughly understand the market values in the neighborhood where the property is located, so that you can project an accurate After Repair Market Value (ARMV). In other words, how much will this property sell for after all needed repairs and upgrades have been completed. While it is beyond the scope of this article to cover market value in-depth, I will simply note that the one best way to determine the ARMV of a residential property is to compare similar properties in the neighborhood which have sold recently (called comparables or ?comps?).

If you don?t know the values in the neighborhood, STOP! Don?t invest there until you have come to understand the values by looking at lots and lots of properties, and talking with Realtors and others who know the neighborhood. Then you can proceed from a position of strength, certain that you know what you are doing.

Second, repair costs.

Once you know the ARMV, you need to be able to work backwards to arrive at an offer that makes sense. To do this, you must know what any needed repairs and upgrades will cost you. You don?t need to know to the penny, but you must come reasonably close, and you can only learn to do this with experience. If you don?t have this experience, and you?re not an expert, hire one.

You will need to befriend a contractor you trust, or partner with one on a few deals. Either way, let someone who knows this stuff bring you up to speed. Get a contractor on your team.

It shouldn?t take you more than a few deals before you can walk into a home in a neighborhood you?re familiar with and, after spending no more than 10 minutes or so, know what it will cost to repair and what it will sell for after you repair it. Knowing you can do that equates to freedom and power.

How To Structure Your Offers

Armed with that kind of specialized knowledge, you will be able to confidently structure offers that others can?t, because they just don?t know what you know. Once I have this knowledge (ARMV and repair costs) I use a very simple formula to structure almost all of my offers on residential rehabs. Feel free to use this formula for your offers.

ARMV ? Repair Costs ? 30% = My Offer

Here?s an illustration. I recently looked at a single family, split level foreclosure in a middle class neighborhood I am very familiar with. Knowing the values for similar homes in that neighborhood were around $90,000, I next walked through the house and estimated repair costs to be about $12000. Here?s how I structured my offer:

ARMV ($90,000) ? Repair Costs ($12,000) = $78,000

$78,000 ? 30% ($23,400) = My Offer ($54,600)

Did it matter to me that the asking price of the house was $84,000? Not in the least. My offer (and therefore my profit) has absolutely nothing to do with how much the sellers are asking, or how much someone else might offer. My offers are based on my specialized knowledge of market values and repair costs.

If someone else wants to offer more, that?s fine by me. Their circumstances might be much different than mine. Perhaps they are going to live in the house while they repair it. Maybe they are ignorant of market values or repair costs, or both. It doesn?t matter. I won?t let their mistakes become mine, and you shouldn?t either. There are plenty of houses out there.

You?ll get plenty of offers accepted, because you know what most others don?t. You know that- YOU MAKE YOUR MONEY WHEN YOU BUY.

Now, go make more offers!

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