Real Estate Investing - Should You Ever Use Credit Cards?

Over-using credit cards can lead to financial disaster. Alternatively, careful use of credit cards can jump-start a successful real estate investment program. Under what circumstances should you use credit cards to fund real estate purchases? When should you leave your credit cards alone?

Perhaps I should tell you the story of my first home purchase. I purchased my first piece of real estate in Chicago during the late 1970s. At the time, the city was in the midst of a relatively new real estate phenomenon. Real estate developers and investors were feverishly purchasing large and mid-size apartment buildings, renovating them and converting them to condominiums. I had recently arrived in Chicago from college to start my first job. Arriving at the beginning of this condominium craze, I was immediately attracted to what appeared to be an excellent ground-floor opportunity. Houses in the Chicago area were well beyond my means, but the cheaper two-bedroom condos were within reach.

While I was otherwise qualified to purchase a very nice condominium in a turn-around Chicago neighborhood, what I did not have was money for a down-payment. I stayed awake at night trying to envision a way to pull together what was needed. An older buddy at work told me the story of how he purchased his first house using credit cards. This information was just what I needed to put together my first down payment. I used my only credit card and one that my parents had to put my plan into action.

The plan worked well for me because: my credit was very good at the time and drawing down the maximum under my card did not dissuade the mortgage lender; I had full access to my card and was able to tap my parents’ card; I had a stable job and earned enough to service the credit card debt, the mortgage loan, and still be able to repay my parents within a year; and lastly, I am a bit of a risk taker, and fortunately the risk paid off.

Using credit cards as a tool to help finance real estate can be useful. Credit cards are convenient, versatile forms of financing. Usually, you can borrow and re-borrow up to the cash advance limit as needed. Finally, you have already been approved to use them.

There are, however, some big negatives.

The repayment requirements are fairly stiff. Most credit cards require repayment of the outstanding balance within as little as 42 months. This short time frame may not fit your cash flow circumstances.

Another negative is that high card balances will negatively impact your credit rating. If you have great credit and you can afford the credit card payments, it might be worth taking this risk to buy good real estate.

Using credit cards and other consumer credit can be addictive. If you have little self-discipline in this area, it is probably best not to use your cards for real estate. You might be better served by ridding yourself of credit cards altogether.

Lastly, the interest rates charged by the credit card companies are relatively high. Rates can range from 12% to well over 18% per year. These high rates will eat into your real estate gains.

Given the advantages and disadvantages, do credit cards make a good choice for financing real estate investments? This method certainly is not an ideal one because of its high risk. It would not be my first choice. I would tap other assets like life insurance cash value or money from a 401-K plan ahead of using credit card debt.

I would only recommend this financing method as a short-term arrangement, if you have run out of other alternatives. Additionally, it probably makes little sense unless: you have a stable job; you can afford to service the credit card debt; you can afford the real estate mortgage and can manage the related real estate expenses; and you will still have money left over to live fairly comfortably.

Notwithstanding the benefits and risks, the credit card option is one worth noting.

About the Author

George Parker is a Director and Executive Vice President of Leasing Technologies International, Inc. (”LTI”). Headquartered in Wilton, CT, LTI is a leasing firm specializing nationally in equipment financing programs for emerging growth and later-stage, venture capital backed companies. More information about LTI is available at: www.ltileasing.com.

How Does Real Estate Investing Work

A question often raised by brand new real estate investors, and those who would like to be, is ?How does real estate investing work?? I will attempt to provide you with a brief overview in this article, and hopefully you will have a better understanding of real estate investing and how you might become involved.

First of all, when answering the question, ?How does real estate investing work?? it?s important to begin by stating that there are almost as many different types of investing as there are investors.

You could become involved in commercial real estate investing. This would include many different kinds of property and types of investing, from strip malls to mobile home parks, from malls to apartment complexes. You could buy commercial property at bargain prices, and sell for immediate gain, or you could buy income property and hold for the long term. You could also combine the two, and realize income from both the increase in value and the month-to-month rent. Commercial property is an important consideration when answering the question, ?How does real estate investing work??

You could also get involved in any of a number of different strategies involving residential property, from single family homes, duplexes, small apartment houses, even mobile homes. When it comes to answering the question, ?How does real estate investing work?? the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

If you?re the type of person who enjoys projects, you might enjoy buying ?fixer-uppers? and rehabbing them. You could become a wholesaler or a bird-dog and find deals for other, more experienced investors, some of whom have already worked out the answer to the question, ?How does real estate investing work??

Maybe you like helping people? If so, working with buyers and sellers to solve their credit or payment problems will provide you with ample opportunity to profit from their dilemmas. You could also negotiate directly with the mortgage lender to buy houses, either in foreclosure or ?short sale? investing. A little investigation of these terms will give you a clearer picture of the answer to the question, ?How does real estate investing work??

Alternatively, you may have money to invest, but little or no time. You may find that investing as part of a group, or ?trust? is a good fit for you. These trusts can be very lucrative, and a good option for the less hands-on investor. Even very busy professionals find REIT?s (Real Estate Investment Trusts) a good choice when deciding for themselves, ?How does real estate investing work??

Hopefully, you?re curiosity has been piqued by this brief introduction to the question, ?How does real estate investing work??

Now, go make more offers!

How Does Real Estate Investing Work

A question often raised by brand new real estate investors, and those who would like to be, is ?How does real estate investing work?? I will attempt to provide you with a brief overview in this article, and hopefully you will have a better understanding of real estate investing and how you might become involved.

First of all, when answering the question, ?How does real estate investing work?? it?s important to begin by stating that there are almost as many different types of investing as there are investors.

You could become involved in commercial real estate investing. This would include many different kinds of property and types of investing, from strip malls to mobile home parks, from malls to apartment complexes. You could buy commercial property at bargain prices, and sell for immediate gain, or you could buy income property and hold for the long term. You could also combine the two, and realize income from both the increase in value and the month-to-month rent. Commercial property is an important consideration when answering the question, ?How does real estate investing work??

You could also get involved in any of a number of different strategies involving residential property, from single family homes, duplexes, small apartment houses, even mobile homes. When it comes to answering the question, ?How does real estate investing work?? the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

If you?re the type of person who enjoys projects, you might enjoy buying ?fixer-uppers? and rehabbing them. You could become a wholesaler or a bird-dog and find deals for other, more experienced investors, some of whom have already worked out the answer to the question, ?How does real estate investing work??

Maybe you like helping people? If so, working with buyers and sellers to solve their credit or payment problems will provide you with ample opportunity to profit from their dilemmas. You could also negotiate directly with the mortgage lender to buy houses, either in foreclosure or ?short sale? investing. A little investigation of these terms will give you a clearer picture of the answer to the question, ?How does real estate investing work??

Alternatively, you may have money to invest, but little or no time. You may find that investing as part of a group, or ?trust? is a good fit for you. These trusts can be very lucrative, and a good option for the less hands-on investor. Even very busy professionals find REIT?s (Real Estate Investment Trusts) a good choice when deciding for themselves, ?How does real estate investing work??

Hopefully, you?re curiosity has been piqued by this brief introduction to the question, ?How does real estate investing work??

Now, go make more offers!

Real Estate Investing: How To Buy Distressed Real Estate During Pre-Foreclosure

When folks find out that I buy houses from distressed
homeowners during the preforeclosure stage, they always ask
the same question: “How do you find them?”

My simplest answer is: “At the courthouse.”

Distressed properties are always easiest to find when a
mortgage lender begins the foreclosure process. (The process
is triggered when the borrower fails to make a mortgage
payment.) Technically speaking this is the “preforeclosure”
stage. The borrower/homeowner has missed one or more
payments, the sheriff’s sale or public auction is looming on
the horizon, and the homeowner realizes he may soon lose his
home.

Depending on which state you live in, the lender either
records a Notice of Default (NOD) or files a judicial
foreclosure lawsuit against the borrower. As soon as the
foreclosure is public information, it’s relatively easy to
find.

So, depending on which property I’m interested in, I either
do a search at the county courthouse or I get the
information from a legal newspaper that has done the
searching for me.

The hardest part is finding a property that has any equity
in it. What I’m looking for is a Loan To Value (LTV) of 80%
or less. For example, if a property has a market value of
$100,000, the homeowner can’t owe more than $75,000 -$80,000
on the property.

Why? Because I can’t spend more than $75,000 - $80,000 for
the property and still make a decent profit.
That includes what I pay for the property
(principle, interest, taxes, and insurance), my repair
costs, and my holding costs. I have been known to pass on a
great deal, simply because it was November and I wasn’t
convinced that the property would sell before summer.
I always factor in having to pay the holding costs
on a property for at least six months while I remodel or
market the house. If the numbers don’t work, I walk away.

Sometimes it takes quite a bit of research to find a
property that I can make a profit on, but the rewards are
worth it.

Now, before you call me a mercenary just because I look for
distressed properties to profit on, let me say this:
Somebody profits from every foreclosure - and it might as
well be you or me.

Some people think it is unethical to benefit from another
person’s misfortune of losing their home or investment
property by buying it from them in the preforeclosure
stage. But I disagree. I look at buying preforeclosures as
opportunities to help the distressed owners save their
credit. When I buy their property, their debt is paid off
and they are free to move on with their lives.

Foreclosures and other property distress are caused by
divorce, unemployment, death, medical emergency, economic
downturn, and any number of personal problems.

Recently, many homeowners bought expensive homes or
refinanced to take equity out of their homes when the
interest rates dropped. Those that later lost their jobs or
had a medical emergency suddenly lost their ability to make
mortgage payments. Many of those houses are now coming on
the market as foreclosures because their owners haven’t been
able to sell them.They think of me as their guardian angel
when I am able to buy their property prior to the sheriff’s
sale, save their credit, and pay off their debt.

For the most part, homeowners understand I need to make a
profit to stay in business. If they are “upside down” in
their house (meaning, they owe more than the property is
worth), and there is no equity in the property, then it is
very unlikely that they will be able to sell quickly — to
me or anyone else — and get out from under their debt.