Tag Archives: Tampa

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. 115 Denis Hanks: 3 Things Vacation Rental Owners Must Know for 2017

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vacation rental regulations to know for investorsFlorida is a huge market for vacation rental property investors. Florida is a leader in the tourism industry and vacation rentals are rapidly becoming a major economic power.

The rise of shared lodging options has led to a surge of interest in vacation rental properties from investors.

Despite increased economic impact, the vacation rental industry remains a complex and sometimes hostile landscape for investors to navigate. Regulations on vacation rentals vary widely on a state, municipal and association-based level.

Denis Hanks, Senior Director of the Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association (FVRMA), knows just how complex this landscape can be. For over 21 years, FVRMA has been a legislative voice for the vacation rental market industry, in addition to providing property management solutions. Denis brings 20 years experience in state and municipal government to FVRMA’s oversight and efforts.

This episode, Denis discusses some things investors should know for the vacation rental industry in 2017.

Florida Vacation Rental Industry

  • $31 billion/year economic impact
  • Captures nearly 50% of tourist dollars
  • Comprised of condos, single family homes and luxury home resorts
  • Central FL
    • 4,000 new developments dedicated to vacation rentals
    • 25% of U.S. vacation rental market

3 Things to Know for 2017

  • Frequency and Duration
    • FL Statute 509 – preemption protects property owner rights; State cannot prohibit frequency and duration for vacation rentals
    • Regulations can change from municipality to municipality
    • Investors need to do due diligence on local zoning/compliance regulations
    • Be aware of condo/homeowner association regulations
  • Metro Miami/Broward
    • Top 2 international buyer markets in FL
    • Most hostile regulations
    • $20,000 violation charges in Miami; $1,000 per dy fines in Ft. Lauderdale
  • State Regulations
    • Pressure from local officials to remove Statute 509 Preemption

Resources

FVRMA provides a voice for vacation property investors in the state. Members have access to educational resources in addition to legislative lobbying. To find out more about the services offered by FRVMA, visit their website www.fvrma.org or call 407-201-0120

To contact Denis regarding what you can do to learn more about being a vacation rental investor, email him at denis@fvrma.org.

Check out Episode 39 Greg Bugay – Things You Should Know About Growing a Vacation Rental Business in our show 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. 110 Andrew Cohan: Investing in Vacation Properties through Branded Hotels

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investing in vacation propertiesFlorida, the dream destination. A vacationer’s paradise; the land of perennial sun and fun.

Florida has long been a favorite of vacationers. It has also been a favorite of those investing in vacation properties. Investing in vacation properties is a major market for Florida real estate investors.

We have discussed investing in vacation properties before. In ep. 39, we discussed investing in vacation properties using Airbnb, with Greg Bugay. This episode, however, focuses on the hotel market in Florida.

 

Who better to discuss that than Andrew Cohan?

Andrew Cohan is Managing Director for Horwath HTL, serving mainly Florida and the Caribbean. He is an expert on health and wellness resort properties and lends his expertise to determining optimum market demand for these types of properties.

This episode, Andrew discusses investing in vacation properties through branded hotels.

Miami Hotel Market

Investing in Vacation Properties through Branded Hotels

  • REITs
  • Condo-hotel units

Investing in Condo-hotel Units

  • Not a conventional, cap rate-type of investment
  • Unit investors typically earn about 40 percent back on investment
  • Owner, manager and developer of resort may be 3 separate entities
    • Investors need to know that circumstances may change over the investment’s life-time

Condo-hotel Draw for Developers

  • Quick exit, high return opportunity
  • Don’t have to worry about property management
    • Brand managers or non-brand managers

If you are looking to find out more about investing in vacation properties through branded hotels, you have more questions about acquiring a condo-hotel unit or you are a developer looking to transition to hotel/hospitality, you can contact Andrew directly by phone or email:

(305) 606-2898

acohan@horwathhtl.com

Ep. 109 Dennis Cisterna: A Tool for Rent Research

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rent researchRent research can be tough. Rent research can be a pain

Rent research may not be most’s idea of a good time, but it is necessary for single and small multifamily real estate investors. In order to determine investment value and potential for rental income, comprehensive rent research must be done on a property. Usually, this requires an extensive effort on an investor’s part in due diligence and market research.

Dennis Cisterna may have the answer to many investors’ prayers. In addition to his veteran experience in real estate investing and lending, Dennis serves as Chief Revenue Officer RentRange Data Services and Investability Real Estate, Inc. Each of these services serve as a helpful tool for investors conducting rent research on potential properties.

This episode, Dennis discusses these tools for rent research and lends his expert knowledge to Florida market overviews. Find out why there isn’t a better time to become a real estate investor in Florida!

Tools for Rent Research

  • RentRange
    • Analytical tool help investors understand SFR market points
    • Automated rent estimates on +10,000,000 properties
    • Premier SFR analytics tool
    • Business oriented – geared toward property managers, lenders, banks, etc.
  • Investability
    • Online search and acquisition platform (operates as brokerage firm)
    • Totally free to use
    • Offers 3rd party investment services
    • One-stop-shop for SFR and small multifamily investors

Florida Markets

  • Hot markets: Miami, Ft. Myers/Cape Coral, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orlando, Jacksonville
  • Strong rental markets statewide
  • Miami: 15% rent increase and 5% vacancy
  • Tampa/St. Pete: 10% rent increase and 8% vacancy

Dennis has been kind enough to draw up a Florida-centric market analysis for our listeners. Check it out here! Invest Florida Show – Florida Market Analysis

Investors can visit RentRange and Investability to find out the full extent of services each platform offers. Each platform has an excellent sales and support staff to assist clients with any questions/concerns.

Ep. 108 Elysia Stobbe: Post Election Update & 3 Changes w/ SFR Investor Mortgages

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investor mortgagesElection years always have the potential to inject uncertainty into investment and securities markets… this year has been particularly interesting and it should be fair to say that the result of this election ties an enormous “?” to the end of 2016. Market uncertainty has been reflected in recent rate rises for investor mortgages.

Elysia Stobbe, NMLS# 146751 is not deterred by uncertainty. Elysia is not only a mortgage expert with NFM Lending, but with over 30 properties in her personal portfolio, she is also an experienced investor. She has shared her expert advice on numerous radio and television broadcasts and has authored a book on getting the best investor mortgages. She has been following changes to investor mortgages closely and is finding flexibility and continued promise for real estate investing.

3 Changes to Investor Mortgages

  • .5% hike in mortgage rates driven 10 year treasury bonds post-election
    • e.g. $300k loan sees monthly increase of $90
  • Fannie Mae (FNMA) loan-to-value down-payment requirement 25% up from 20%
  • Multi-property SFR (up to 4 units) investors can hold up to 10 mortgages if purpose is to purchase investment properties

Other News

  • Cash-out options have been increased for investment properties
    • Shows improved confidence in property equities
  • Return of bank statement programs to bank portfolio loans
  • Recent rise of investor rehab loans
    • Investors can save cash while making properties rent-ready

Finding Financing

  • Lot loans
  • Mortgage brokers/bankers
  • Community banks
    • While they may not be offer as much community banks generally offer better terms than national banks
  • Big banks
  • Alt. options: seller-financing; hard-money

Contacts & Resources

Ep. 105 Kurt Westfield: A Journey from Single Family to Multifamily Investing

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multifamily investingMost real estate investors starting out will try their hand at single family investing first. Single family properties are familiar, small-scale and generally easy to tackle for first-time investors.

However, many investors will find they have a limited ceiling for growth with single family properties. Juggling dozens of single family properties while actively marketing for new investments no longer becomes practical. Apart from wholesaling, flipping and other similar single family markets, the next logical step for many investors is to make the move to multifamily investing.

Multifamily investing may be intimidating to some, but while it is a different ball-game than single family, the two do share a few commonalities and the overall benefit of multifamily investing outweighs the risk.

Just ask Kurt Westfield.

Kurt moved to Florida from New York and, in 2008, co-founded an investment partnership, WC Equity Group. They then entered into Tampa’s single family investment market.

After doing 102 single family deals in his first two years, Kurt new it was time to make a change if he wanted to scale his investment growth.

Kurt turned to multifamily investing and has since expanded to also offer lending, management and syndication services under his umbrella firm, WC Companies. In addition to Tampa, WC Equity Group also has properties in Jacksonville, FL and Cleveland, OH.

Check out Kurt’s story going from single family to multifamily investing and what he learned along the way!

Tools for Multifamily Investing

  • Market Timing
    • Understand where market could go, not where it is.
  • Fringe Markets
    • Areas on edge of of hot market’s outward growth, i.e. markets around South Tampa
    • Similar tenant quality to class-a markets, better price points
    • Gentrification/community redevelopment occurring
    • Value-add opportunity
  • Network
    • Working relationships with brokers
    • Like-minded investor base
    • Reliable team of contractors/sub-contractors
  • Responsiveness
    • Be prompt and responsive for potential investment deals. Assure potential investors of trust-worthiness.
  • Mentors/Inspiration

Kurt is always interested in working with bright, like-minded investors and brokers to expand his network in multifamily investing.

To contact Kurt with potential deals or to find out about the services his companies offer, visit www.wccompanies.com, click on any company tab and find the contact section.

Check out their Facebook Page!

 

 

Ep. 99 Phillip Smith and Jason Schaller: What You Need to Know About Multifamily Design and Amenities

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Apartment investing is undergoing a profound transformation in regards to multifamily design and amenities. The age of the shoe-box apartment is over. Changing climates in construction, social trends, economic growth and consumer demand have forced apartment investors and developers to re-examine what apartments could and should provide tenants. Apartment investors, whether they are refurbishing existing buildings or developing new complexes, are taking a drastically different approach to multifamily design and amenity provisions. This episode, we are fortunate to have two guests lending their insight and experience to the changing perceptions of what tenants want out of an apartment space.

multifamily design and amenitiesPhillip Smith is CEO of Framework Group, LLC, a multifamily development and construction group based out of Tampa, FL. Phillip oversees acquisition, design and development of multifamily communities. Currently, Framework Group has projects under construction in Tampa, Orlando and Sarasota, with projects under contract in Jacksonville. Framework Group’s goal is to provide multifamily communities with location and amenities that highlight and promote the urban lifestyle. By pushing the envelope of what makes a sensible investment to what meets with consumer demands, Framework Group has become a major figure in and development, offering full-service, high end apartments in Tampa and along the I-4 Corridor.

multifamily design and amenitiesJason Schaller is Managing Director of Property Management for McKinley. McKinley owns and operates a $4.6 billion real estate portfolio, 35,398 apt. units and 21 million SF of shopping centers and office centers around the country. The Michigan-based firm has a special interest in Florida’s I-4 Corridor with much of their Florida portfolio focused on it. Jason currently oversees Mckinley’s line of boutique apartment projects in Tampa, Mckinley | Hyde Park. Jason brings over 20 years of design and construction experience to multifamily design, refurbishing older and historic buildings and adapting them to suit the growing urban lifestyle.

Amenities

  • Reinforce and promote urban lifestyle
    • bike-share programs
    • Canoe, kayak, bike storage
    • Outdoor kitchens
    • Functioning communal spaces
    • Technological integration
  • Health and Wellness Focus
    • Hot/cold plunge pools and resistance pools vs. traditional pools
    • High-end exercise equipment
    • Classes, training courses: yoga, exercise, massages
  • Pet amenities
    • Green spaces
    • Grooming

Multifamily Design and Development

  • High-end finishing/fixtures
    • Quartz counter-tops
    • Rain-style shower-heads
    • Upgraded moldings
    • Wine glass racks
    • Kitchen storage
    • Stainless steel appliances
  • Individual feel
    • Corridor entrances
    • Lighted unit numbers
  • Space
    • High ceilings
    • Larger rooms
  • Décor
    • Natural finishes
    • Authentic colors and textures

If you are a building owner in the Tampa area and you think it might make a great addition to the McKinley | Hyde Park portfolio, visit the Principal to Principal contact page on their website. To find out more about becoming a resident at a McKinley | Hyde Park project, visit the Apartments page on their website for more information.

Framework Group, LLC provides general contracting services and selective development consulting in addition to project development and construction. To find out more about current and upcoming projects along with services offered, visit their website.