Creative Financing For Commercial Real Estate Investors

Commercial Real Estate Investing

There are many income producing commercial real estate properties that are being offered below market that are great investment opportunities. The problem or barrier for most real estate investors buying these properties is the down payment required to acquire them. As a rule general rule to purchase income generating apartment buildings and mixed use multifamily properties one should be prepared to spend 25% to 35% of the purchase price for the down payment. Plus the investor must have closing costs and reserves of 6 months or more. This is a substantial investment that eliminates many potential buyers. This can often be overcome by these creative financing strategies for commercial real estate investors.

Creative Financing

This is a highly misunderstood concept in real estate. My simple definition has two parts. Creative Financing requires a property with substantial equity and a willing and motivated seller. If the seller is motivated yet there is no equity there is no opportunity to utilize creative strategies to acquire the properties. By the same token if the property has enough equity and the seller is neither willing nor motivated no strategy will work.

3 Creative Strategies to Purchase Commercial Real Estate

1. Seller Financing and / or Carry Back: There are many ways to structure a deal  where the seller can finance the property or hold a second mortgage for a short time and then the buyer can refinance the loan. Many lenders requires the loan to be seasoned one or two years. Yet there are lenders that we work with that will refinance immediately requiring no seasoning. These deals close within 3 to 6 months from the initial seller financing contract.
2. Transaction Funding Programs: These are programs where a private lender will finance the loan from One to forty - five days. The key is to have a buyer ready to close immediately or to be able to refinance at once. This only works when the end lender is aware of the transactional financing and they require no seasoning. As in point #1 above most lenders require one to two years of ownership seasoning so having the proper end lender is important.
3. Down Payment Assistance Program: If the property has equity and the seller is willing to use it to help the buyer acquire the home, then a down payment assistance program similar to Ameri-Dream or Nehemiah (programs used to purchase residential properties financed by FHA loans) may be a great option for you. Ultimately the Down Payment Assistance Company (DPA) gives the down payment and the seller reimburses the company at closing. This can only happen if there is substantial equity in the building.

As previously stated creative financing requires substantial equity in the commercial income producing property that the seller is willing and motivated to use to strategically sell there property as soon as possible. Lower the price simply is not the answer because the main problem still exist. Commercial Real Estate Investors do not have 25% to 35% for down payment plus closing costs and reserves. Let a professional help you structure your deals to make them close.

Commercial Real Estate Investing is an opportunity whose time has come. Louis Jeffries has been a mortgage banker for over 20 years helping real estate investors achieve their real estate investing goals. Learn more about commercial real estate investing, down payment assistance for commercial properties, conventional and creative financing options. Go to http://fbcfunding.com for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Louis_Jeffries/190848

Real Estate Appraisal Methods

Real estate appraisal is the practice of developing an opinion of value of real property. It is presumed that no two properties are exactly alike, and that all properties differ from each other in their location, which is one of the most important determinants of their value. Real estate appraisals are generally performed by a licensed or state certified appraiser.

Typically, there are three (3) approaches to value, to wit: the cost approach, the sales comparison approach, and the income capitalization approach. With respect to residential appraisals, all three forms are identified in a standardized form known as the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report. More complex appraisals are usually reported in a narrative appraisal report.

There are several types and definitions of value sought by a real estate appraisal. Some of the most common are:

• Market Value - the price at which a property should exchange on the date of valuation between an educated buyer and a reasonably motivated seller in an arms-length transaction after proper marketing wherein the parties had each acted knowledgeably, prudently, and without undue influence.

• Value-in-use - The net present value (NPV) of a cash flow that an asset generates for a specific owner under a specific use. Value-in-use is the value to one particular user, and may be above or below the market value of a property.

• Investment value - is the value to one particular investor, and is usually higher than the market value of a property.

• Insurable value - is the value of real property covered by an insurance policy. Generally it does not include the site value.

• Liquidation value - may be analyzed as either a forced liquidation or an orderly liquidation and is a commonly sought standard of value in bankruptcy proceedings. It assumes a seller who is compelled to sell after an exposure period which is less than the market-normal time frame.

Price versus value

It is important to distinguish between Market Value and Price. A price obtained for a specific property under a specific transaction may or may not represent that property's market value: special considerations may have been present, such as a special relationship between the buyer and the seller, or else the transaction may have been part of a larger set of transactions in which the parties had engaged. In essence, price does not always equal market value.

State certified or licensed appraisers must conform to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Thus, the definition of value used in an appraisal or CMA analysis and report is a set of assumptions about the market in which the subject property may transact. It becomes the basis for selecting comparable data for use in the analysis. These assumptions will vary from definition to definition but generally fall into three groups of methodologies for determining value - the cost approach, the sales comparison approach, and the income approach.

Mario D'Artagnan is a Broker Associate at Rossman Realty Group, Inc. in Cape Coral, Florida. Mario is a former real estate instructor, having taught pre and post licensure courses along with residential real estate appraisal. For comments or questions, please contact Mario at:mariodartagnan1953@gmail.com, or visit his website at: [http://www.mariodartagnan.com].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mario_D'Artagnan/1585633

The "Lingo" Of The Real Estate Appraiser

A real estate appraisal is a service performed, by an appraiser, that develops an opinion of value based upon the highest and best use of real property. The highest and best use is that use which produces the highest possible value for the property. This use must be profitable and probable. Also of importance is the definition of the type of value being developed and this must be included in the appraisal, ie fair market value, condemnation value, quick sale value, etc.

Types of value

There are several types and definitions of value sought by a real estate appraisal. Some of the most common are listed:

Market Value

- The price at which an asset would trade in a competitive Walrasian auction setting. Market value is usually interchangeable with fair market value or fair value. The legal definition of market value is usually given by some variant of the following: "The most probable price at which a property would trade in an arms-length transaction in a competitive and open market, in which the buyer and seller each act prudently and knowledgeably and in which the price is not affected by any special relationship between them".

Value-in-use

- The net present value (NPV) of a cash flow that an asset generates for a specific owner under a specific use. Value-in-use is the value to one particular user, which may be above or below the fair market value of a property.

Investment value

- is the value to one particular investor, which may be above or below the fair market value of a property.

Insurable value

- is the value of real property covered by an insurance policy. Generally it does not include the site value. It is important to distinguish between market value and price. A price obtained for a specific property under a specific transaction may or may not represent that property's market value: special considerations may have been present, such as a family relationship between the buyer and seller, or else the transaction may have been part of a larger set of transactions in which the parties had engaged. It is the task of the real estate appraiser/property valuer to judge whether a certain price obtained under a certain transaction is indicative of market value.

Three approaches to value

There are three usual approaches to determining the fair market value of a property, cost approach, sales comparison approach, and income approach. The appraiser will determine which of the approaches is applicable and develop an appraisal based upon information from each individual market area. Costs, income, and sales vary widely from area to area and particular importance is given to the specific location of the property. Consideration is also given to the market for the property appraised. Properties that are typically purchased by investors (ie. skyscrapers) will give greater weighting to the Income Approach, while small retail or office properties (purchased by owner-users) will give greater weighting to the Sales Comparison Approach. Single Family Residences are most commonly valued with greatest weighting to the Sales Comparison Approach.

Cost approach

The Cost approach is sometimes called the summation approach. The theory is that the value of a property can be estimated by summing the land value and the depreciated value of any improvements. It is the land value, plus the cost to reconstruct any improvements, less the depreciation on those improvements.

Sales comparison approach

The sales comparison approach looks at the price or price per unit area of similar properties being sold in the marketplace. Simply put, the sales of properties similar to the subject are analyzed and the sale prices adjusted to account for differences in the comparables to the subject to determine the fair market value of the subject. This approach is generally considered the most reliable, IF good comparable sales exist.

Income capitalization approach

Income Capitalization Approach

Often simply called the income approach, is used to value commercial and investment properties.

Automated valuation models

Automated valuation models (AVMs) are growing in acceptance. These rely on statistical models such as multiple regression analysis and geographic information systems (GIS). While AVMs can be quite accurate, particularly when used in a very homogeneous area, there is also evidence that AVMs are not accurate in other instances such as when they are used in rural areas, or when the appraised property does not conform well to the neighborhood. Because of the limitations, AVMs have begun to fall out of favor with many lenders but are widely used in other appraisal problems such as mass appraisals for ad valorem real estate tax purposes.

Michelle Hiller

Seasoned Loan Expert

[http://www.quoteinwrititng.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Michelle_Hiller/9609