Tag Archives: real estate investing

Ep. 122 Livingston Hessam: What You Need to Know About the State of Mortgage Banking and Real Estate Lending

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mortgage banking and real estate lendingIt’s a new year and change is in the air. With financial regulation changes sure to come and the recently announced Federal interest rate increases, it’s no wonder mortgage banking and real estate lending is hot on investors’ minds.

This episode, we have Livingston Hessam, who just returned from this year’s Mortgage Bankers Association Commercial Real Estate Finance and Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo.

Listeners will remember Livingston from episode 70, in which he gave us a recap on multifamily mortgage banking and real estate lending from the 2016 conference. Livingston is Vice President of Walker & Dunlop‘s Tampa office. Livingston brings over 12 years of experience in real estate lending and finance solutions to Walker & Dunlop, which just celebrated it’s 80th anniversary.

Livingston offers up a recap of the 2017 CREF/Multifamily MBA Conference and discusses key themes from the past year and the current state of mortgage banking and real estate lending.

What’s In Store for Mortgage Banking and Lending

Agency Annual Caps

  • Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac each allocated $36.5 billion for 2017 (same as 2016)
  • Certain loans and portions of loans are excluded from the cap (i.e. affordable and green/energy efficient)
  • Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac multifamily production totaled over $110 billion in 2016.
  • Fannie up 30%, Freddie up 20% from 2015
  • Expected to capture 40% of total multifamily volume for 2017 ($50-55 billion each)

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS Loans)

  • Risk-retention regulations put in place in 2016, narrowing amount of CMBS lenders
  • Post-election stability, but more selective lending market
  • CMBS lenders ramping up bridge-lending

10-year Spreads

  • Life-insurance (50% leverage and under): 125-135 range
  • CMBS (75% leverage): 250-280 range
  • Agency (80% leverage): Low 200s range
  • Federal interest rate sees .25% increase
  • Expected to increase to 2.75-3% by end of year

Hot Topics

  • Trump Administration
    • Tax reforms
    • Dodd-Frank roll-backs
  • Retail lending
    • Publix most active retail buyer in FL
    • Grocery chains are buying out plazas after lease terms or taking right of first refusal on new lease terms
    • Reduced supply of grocery-anchored retail
    • Strong retail appetite for real estate lenders

Investor Resources

  • In addition to his V.P. role at Walker & Dunlop, Livingston is President of the Society of Real Estate Professionals (SOREP). Formerly the Tampa chapter of University of Florida’s Bergstrom Council, SOREP hosts networking events and seminars to professionals and gives back to Florida universities. SOREP focuses on all aspects of the real estate industry and is open to all. Click here for more info.
  • Walker & Dunlop offers comprehensive real estate financial solutions for all income-producing properties. For more info, visit Walker & Dunlop website.
  • To contact Livingston directly, click here.

 

 

Ep. 121 Frank Hearne & Beverly Birkitt: Using Mitigation Banks for Wetland Development and Investment

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mitigation banksFlorida has a high density of rivers, lakes, swamps and marshes that are generally protected from development.  This has led many investors to wonder how much land is actually available for development. What many investors may not be familiar with is the concept of mitigation banks. Mitigation banks allow for the development of wetland areas that ordinarily would not be usable for real estate development.

Florida environmental lawSo what exactly is a mitigation bank? How does it function and how can they serve investors and developers? Our guests this week are two experts in the field of environmental law and the designation and use of mitigation banks.

Listeners should remember Frank Hearne. Frank is a shareholder for Mechanik, Nuccio, Hearne & Wester, P.A. He was also one of Invest Florida’s first guests! His firm is one of the state leaders in environmental and land law. Beverly Birkitt, of Birkitt Environmental Services, Inc., has over 35 yrs. experience in the environmental field, with a focus on wetland litigation and litigation banking.

This episode, Frank and Beverly cover the ins-and-outs of using mitigation banks for wetland development and investment.

Mitigation Banks

  • Spec wetland approved for future mitigation
  • Allows for more usable property for development
  • Exchange wetland set for development with wetlands that will be improved upon to compensate
  • Must be in the same hydrological zone as wetland to be developed (water basin)
  • State sets basin boundaries

Developing Mitigation Banks

  • Wetland landowners can develop mitigation banks
  • 100-10,000 acres usually
  • Market demand in wetland area is critical
  • Polk County strong mitigation bank market
  • Mitigation banks must improve, not just preserve wetlands
  • Mitigation bank credits based on evaluation of improvement, not land size

Hot Mitigation Bank Markets

  • Tampa Bay Basin
    • In need of freshwater wetlands
  • Coastal areas
  • Orlando/I-4 corridor
  • Former agricultural lands

Risks for Mitigation Banks

  • Feasibility
    • land, permitting, construction, management
  • ROI tough to predict

Contact

  • If you have land that you believe is eligible for a mitigation bank, let Beverly know! Beverly can be contacted through her website: www.birkitt.com or by calling      (813) 259-1085
  • For mitigation bank questions and for more info on other types of mitigation banks, contact Frank by email at frank@floridalandlaw.com or call (813) 909-7400.

Investor/Developer Resources

 

 

 

 

 

Ep. 120 Pete Kuc: Investing for Cashflow and Jacksonville Market Recap

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investing for cashflowThere are many strategies investors can apply in real estate investing. Some offer big risks and bigger returns, some offer a stable, long term earnings. While it may not be the flashiest investment strategy, investing for cashflow can provide long term stability and act as a cushion in the event of any unforeseen market downturns.

Pete Kuc, Co-Founder of May Real Estate Group, got a crash course in the big risks of speculative investing and learned the power of passive income and investing for cashflow the hard way.

Following the 2008 market crash, Pete was forced to reassess his approach to real estate, but what he has since learned about investing for cashflow has paid off. He has grown this strategy into a thriving turn-key investment company serving northeast Florida.

This episode, Pete talks about cashflow investing and gives us a recap of the Jacksonville and northeast Florida markets.

Investing for Cashflow

  • Buy-and-hold strategy
  • Fix-up, rent property, build equity
  • Not based on speculative appreciation

NE Florida Markets

  • Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Palm Coast
  • Jacksonville: strong natural growth, prices lower than other Florida markets, good rental returns; Orange Park neighborhood

Finding Deals

  • Direct homeowner marketing
    • Mailers
  • Finding off-market deals
  • Wholesalers
  • National Community Stabilizing Trust
    • Fed Program offering off-market deals at discount
    • For non-profits, but community investors may be vetted for program
  • Real Estate Investor Associations (REIAs)

Investor Advice

  • Consistence and persistence is key to success
  • Keep letting people know you are a player in the game

Contact

To find out about the turn-key investment services offered by the May Group, visit www.kigjax.com. To find out more about investing for cashflow or to learn more about what is happening in the Jacksonville real estate market, message Pete directly on Facebook.

 

Ep. 118 Rod Khleif: Leveraging Investment Goals into Real Estate Cashflow

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earn real estate cashflow with investment goalsMotivation: it’s something every one needs. Whether it’s a financial drive or a spiritual one, everyone needs something that keeps them focused and real estate investors are no different.

Setting investment goals is something that every investor does. But sometimes as investors, we find ourselves setting unrealistic investment goals or goals that may reap immediate rewards but lack long-term gain. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming trying to set manageable, realistic investment goals that can actually be leveraged into cashflow.

Investor, author and real estate investing mentor, Rod Khleif, believes in the power of actionable investment goals. By setting goals for himself that not only inspired him to become a successful real estate investor, they also empowered him to forge his path.

Rod was introduced to real estate investing early on. He managed to find success fairly quickly and, by 2006, had acquired thousands of properties across the U.S., including 800 in Florida.

Following the market crash however, Rod lost everything. Instead of accepting defeat, Rod took that as a learning opportunity. He realized that, while his investment goals had been earning him income, they did not lay the foundation for a successful, long-term cashflow strategy. Rod re-tooled his approach and, by aligning his investment strategy with philanthropic efforts, was able to form actionable, empowering investment goals.

The Key to Setting Investment Goals

  • Daily routine/morning ritual
  • Find personal drive in life, incorporate purpose into daily routine
  • Keep family, personal and business life evenly balanced
  • Write down goals
  • Spiritual, not just financial fulfillment

Resources

  • Tony Robbins – motivational speaker; psychology of success and self-empowerment
  • Lifetime Cashflow through Real Estate Investing podcast
  • How to Create Cash Flow Through Multi Family Properties
    • Text “Rod” to 41411 (free copy of book)
    • Website

For any other questions about setting investment goals to earn real estate cash flow, or to find out more about Rod’s mentor programs and investor education, check out his website!

 

Ep. 117 Augie Byllott: A Focused Acquisition Strategy Can Earn Higher Investment Returns

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focused acquisition strategy can earn higher returnsBeginning real estate investors often get caught up in the appeal of high returns. However, the focus on high investment returns can come at the expense of a sustainable exit strategy.

A focused acquisition strategy can mean the difference between a profitable investment and a failed one. It is important to consider a seller’s circumstances when making a potential investment deal. By tailoring a deal to fit individual circumstances you have a higher tendency to close. By structuring multiple deals, you can easily see what acquisition strategy works best for your investment goals.

Augie Byllott is someone who knows the importance of acquisition strategy. The founder of Creating Wealth U.S.A. is a seasoned single family investor. With over 500 deals under his belt without the use of bank loans, Augie has become an expert on tailoring his acquisition strategy to fit specific deals. He now share his advice and experience through books and mentor programs.

Earning Exit Returns Through Acquisition Strategy

  • SCOPE strategy: 5-part investment methodology using creative financing
    • Seller-financing – Careful of toxic deals from sellers. Don’t get stuck with short balloon terms.
    • Cash – Be careful of accounting for cash flow expenses when putting cash down.
    • Options – Control property with option to buy, or sell option. Pricing depends on specific deal. Couple options with lease to earn more cash flow
    • Private money – $7 trillion in private capital from retirement funds
    • Existing financing – Take over payments on existing mortgages (assigned mortgages). Though these are less frequent, properties can be put in land trusts and then sell beneficial interest on trust.

Investor Advice and Resources

Contact

Visit www.creatingwealthusa.com for more info onthe SCOPE acquisition strategy and other services. You can also email Augie directly at augie@creatingwealthusa.com.

Ep. 116 Larry Goins: Cashflow without Tenants or Rehabs

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making money in a rising market. earning cashlfow without tenants or rehabsAll investors have heard horror stories from single and multi-family investing: bad tenants, rehabs gone wrong. Often these stories result in investors paying much more in out-of-pocket capital than was accounted for. This remains a major contributing factor preventing would-be investors from making the leap. Though there are successful strategies one can adopt to deal with bad tenants or to facilitate successful rehabs, many investors are still wary of residential asset classes.

However, there are ways to earn cashflow without having traditional tenants or making unneeded rehabs to the property.

Larry Goins is one investor that does not rely on having traditional tenants or doing property rehabs.

Listeners may remember Larry from Episode 106 where he discussed finding creative ways to make money in rising markets. Larry is a 30 year investor and investment mentor. He is an author, speaker and educator sharing his wealth of investment experience with beginner investors. This episode, Larry discusses his strategy of offering lease options instead of traditional tenant leasing.

Earning Cashflow through Lease Options

  • Homeowners in Training
    • Prospective tenants are given lease with option to own
    • Tenants have stated intent to purchase property
    • Tenants put up non-refundable down-payment stating consideration to purcahse
  • Lease Agreements
    • For Dodd-Frank compliance, tenant’s down-payment only goes to closing costs; no rent credits can be given during lease agreement
    • Make sure tenant is responsible for minor repairs and maintenance for “x” amount per occurance
  • Resources

For more information about lease options and earning cashflow without tenants or rehabs, contact Larry directly through his website.

For webinars, trainings, reports and other information, visit www.larrygoins.com

Visit the Invest Florida Show website for even more episodes and to check out our archives!

 

Ep. 114 Kurt Westfield: Apartment Investor Tough Lessons Lead to New Strategy

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multifamily investing and finding a strategy as an apartment investorAs real estate investors, sometimes what we think is a good investment strategy does not turn out quite as expected. While a single family investor may be able to stick to a strategy and adopt minimal changes, this is not usually the case for the apartment investor.

Your investment strategy should suit the deal you are making. It may become necessary to change your strategy in order to make a deal work.

While this may mean an extra headache in the short-term, a change in strategy could mean the difference between a successful investment and a failure.

Just ask Apartment Investor Kurt Westfiled

Kurt Westfield is the founder of WC Companies, an umbrella brand for his multi-service real estate investment firms.Listeners will remember Kurt’s last episode with us when he discussed his transition from single family investor to apartment investor.

This episode, we catch up with Kurt following his transition to apartment investor. He discusses how he found out early on in his career the importance of finding a winning strategy.

Apartment Investor: Finding a New Strategy

The Deal

  • 14 unit apartment building
  • In foreclosure
  • Expedited due diligence (7 days)
  • Intended to be 12 month, light fix-and-flip with capital expenses at $80-100k

The Issues

  • Tenants trashed complex
  • Property had suffered from neglect

Changing Strategy

  • Evicted all current tenants
  • Rehabbed entire property, inside and out
  • Structured leasing as condo-apartment type w/ one model unit completed while construction was ongoing
  • Created brand identity
  • Started community engagement activities

The Results

  • 3 1/2 year project, cap expenses at $400k
  • Property raised market rent 60% in area
  • Identified potential of revitalizing fringe market properties
  • Focused on developing branded communities rather than street addresses

Kurt is still an active apartment investor, looking for multifamily deals in Tampa and Jacksonville up to 50 units. To contact Kurt with a potential deal, email him at kurt@wccompanies.com.

For any other questions or to find out more about services offered by WC Companies, visit their website.

Ep. 113 Elysia Stobbe: Diversifying Risk with Geography and Asset Class

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investor mortgages, diversifying riskNo Risk, No Reward

No matter the size or experience of the investor, this is a widely-held belief. However, it is not simply about risk, but rather smart risks.

Diversifying risk is a key strategy for real estate investors looking to expand their bottom line.

Increasing the Bottom Line

We are pleased to welcome back to the show, Elysia Stobbe, NMLS# 146751. Listeners will remember Elysia from Episode 108, in which she discussed updates to SFR investor mortgages.

In addition to being a branch manager with NFM Lending, Elysia is a successful investor with over 30 property deals under her belt, doing deals in and around Jacksonville, FL. She is also a published author. Her best selling book, How to Get Approved for the Best Mortgage Without Sticking a Fork in Your Eye helps single family investors in obtaining secure, prime mortgages.

This episode of Landlord Tales, Elysia discusses her transition to multifamily investing and diversifying risk with geography and asset class. Through expanding focus into the multifamily asset class and remaining open-mined about market areas, Elysia learned that diversifying risk is a great way to increase returns.

Diversifying Risk

  • Multifamily offers greater cashflow potential than single family while minimizing tenant turnover risk
  • Multifamily cap rates typically 2-4% higher than single family
  • Remain open-minded about potential market areas
  • Distressed properties can be made rentable

Finding Deals

  • Networking with wholesalers is great way to find distressed multifamily properties
    • Craigslist; Bandit signs – WeBuyUglyHouses, iBuyHomes
  • Realtors
  • Property Managers
  • Real Estate Investment Associations (REIAs)

Resources & Links

To catch up on past shows, visit our archives page!

 

 

Ep. 112 Courtney Barnard: Legislative Update for Multifamily-Residential Property Owners

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multifamily-residential property legislative updateWe’ve been hearing a lot about Florida’s single family property markets, but what about multifamily-residential property?

Though multifamily-residential may not share the same spotlight that single family is getting, apartment investing makes up a big economic portion of Florida’s real estate market and there are some big legislative changes coming to multifamily residential property that investors need to be aware of.

We are glad to have Courtney Barnard back on the show. Courtney serves as the Government Affairs Director for the Florida Apartment Association (FAA). Courtney appeared previously, in episode 42, where she discussed then-current legislative updates to multifamily-residential property.

This time, she discusses some key changes coming with the 2016 legislative updates. This episode, Courtney also gives us a Florida multifamily market overview in addition to sharing important legislative updates for multifamily-residential property owners.

Florida Multifamily-Residential Property Overview

  • Jacksonville – largest apartment growth (new construction)
  • Sarasota/Bradenton – decline in growth
  • Over 96% occupancy statewide
  • New construction focused on Class A and Class Super A – $145k/unit costs
  • Lack of affordable multifamily developments

Legislative Updates

  • HVAC Maintenance
    • House Bill 535, July 2016
    • Apartment investors with 100 unit or more buildings
    • HVAC repairs can now be made by on-site building maintenance and not HVAC contractor
    • Bill Info
  • Non-Residential Property Tax Exemptions
    • 10% cap on non-residential property tax increases set to expire in 2018
    • No cap could hurt a lot of investors and small-business owners
    • Joint resolution to be put forth to reinstate cap permanently
  • Fire Sprinklers in Building
    • Florida administration code-change from National Fire Protection Standard
    • Takes effect Dec. 31st, 2016
    • High-rises over 75 feet required to have sprinklers in residences and common areas
    • Previously, buildings built before 1994 were exempt
    • Condos + Co-ops can vote to opt out, but apartment investors must comply UNLESS: balconies/secondary entrances are attached to every unit

Florida Apartment Association

The FAA has been in place for 45 years. With 11 regional chapters and over 5,000 apartment communities, the FAA offers members access to great benefits:

To find out more resources offered by the FAA and for other updates from Courtney, visit www.faahq.org.

Ep. 111 Todd Hutcheson: Getting Into Real Estate with Limited Cash

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getting into real estate with limited cashWould-be investors always want to know ways of getting into real estate with limited cash. Regular people interested in real estate investing may be put off by the idea that real estate investing relies on huge cash reserves or access to capital. They may wonder how they are able to become an investor on a limited budget.

Enter Todd Hutcheson

A native Floridian, Todd has been an active investor in Florida real estate since 2001. His firm, ibuyhomes.com, is a nationally ranked wholesaling platform connecting buyers and sellers close on deals all over central Florida. Todd lends his wealth of experience to several investor resources, like real estate investors associations (REIAs). He is a current board member and president-elect of the Central Florida REIA.

He is helping people discover that getting into real estate with limited cash is doable through strategic marketing, networking and continuing education.

Getting Into Real Estate with Limited Cash

Wholesaling Done Different

  • Marketing-based strategy
  • Find motivated seller, put houses under contract, assign contract to investor
  • Get paid on assignment
  • Close in 8-10 from signed contract
  • 100% cash-buyers

Investor Advantage

  • Wholesaling helps investors find unlisted properties
  • Some investors don’t have marketing prowess and need help finding deals

Minimizing Risks with Wholesaling

  • Reliable tool of cash-buyers to lessen risks
  • Investors with proven track record of deals more likely to close

Marketing & Finding Deals

  • 60% of leads through ibuyhomes.com
  • 30% of leads from new investors
  • 10% of leads from selective direct-mailings

Central Florida Recap

  • Hot market
  • Lower-middle class neighborhoods seeing high price indexes
    • Pine Hills & Deltona
    • $120-130k for SFRs, $850-1050 for rents
  • Buy-and-hold investors may see tightening, wholesalers not affected as much
  • Out-of-state and foreign investors wanting to buy
  • I-4 corridor is key barometer for state markets

Other FL Markets

  • Cape Coral
  • Gainesville – strong multifamily development rise

Resources and Tips

Contact

Want to know more about getting into real estate with limited cash? Email Todd: todd@ibuyhomes.com

Visit www.ibuyhomes.com or call (407) 617-4289 for any other questions

Central Florida investors, visit CFRI‘s website for events and news.