Real Estate Information

Residential Income Property Financing: Part 2 of 3


Welcome to the second segment of a three-part series about income property. In this second segment we will be discussing financing options for residential income properties as well as the upside (and downside) of owning this type of property.

Financial Concerns

Financing options for residential income property vary widely from commercial or industrial properties. For one thing, most private lenders place size requirements on the apartment complexes they are willing to finance, usually five units or more. Smaller complexes just don't have the revenue generation potential required to make your loan officer feel comfortable.

The good news is that residential income property loans usually carry a higher LTV ratio than other property types. If you recall from the first segment of this series, LTV (loan-to-value) ratio indicates the percentage of money your lender will lend you to the property's market value. An 80% LTV is the maximum most lenders will provide for residential income property.

Loan terms usually range from 25 to 30 years with a maximum loan amount of up to $3 million. Current competitive interest rates can range from 4.70% up to 6.625% depending on several factors including your credit rating and the size of your down payment.

Most loans for residential income property are termed as 'recourse loans'. This means that the lender has 'recourse' to your personal assets in the event you default on the loan. Needless to say, you need to make sure you are ready to assume the financial responsibility of making your payments in a timely fashion.

Managerial Challenges

Besides financial responsibility, residential income property management brings with it other unique challenges. Likewise, it demands certain skills above and beyond investment savvy and experience. To successfully manage your residential income property, you'll need a good combination of street smarts, interpersonal, and handyman skills.

More than any other income property type, residential property will bring you into close contact with those renting or leasing your property. Possibly the most important part is screening those you rent to. Background checks, calls to previous landlords, and searching interviews can save you a lot of headache and money down the road.

It's likely that at some point in the tenancy something will break or malfunction. If you have the ability to replace windows or wiring, know how to fix an A/C or refrigerator, or have rudimentary plumbing skills, chances are you will save some money by performing these tasks yourself.

Sometimes dealing with tenants can be the hardest part of owning residential income property. How well can you deal with angry, demanding people? Do you stay cool, calm, and collected in tense interpersonal situations? If so, you'll be prepared to deal with some of the issues likely to crop up during your management experience.

Conclusion

It's important to keep your goals in sight when managing a residential income property. Sometimes it's easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day duties of running the property that you lose sight of making a profit. Know your rights as a landlord; know your bottom line as an investor. As with any investment, having an accurate idea of your time horizon will, to a large extent, dictate the amount of effort and money you should put into your income property.

Cameron Brown is an internet marketer specializing in investment property. For more information about residential income property, please visit Security National Capital.


MORE RESOURCES:

WA today

Real-Estate Executive Found Dead in Apparent Suicide
Wall Street Journal - 11 hours ago
By TIMOTHY MARTIN and KEVIN HELLIKER CHICAGO -- Real-estate executive Steven L. Good was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday in ...
Chicago real estate executive kills himself, police say Chicago Tribune
Real estate tycoon found dead Straits Times
Real estate mogul found fatally shot in suburban wildlife preserve Chicago Sun-Times
WBBM780 - The Courier News
and more


New York Times

Tough '09 Is Seen for Commercial Real Estate
Washington Post, United States - Jan 5, 2009
By Dana Hedgpeth This year will be among the worst for the US commercial real estate industry, as unemployment leads to a drop of as much as 30 percent in ...
Commercial Real Estate Miami Daily Business Review
Commercial real-estate market faces worsening slump San Bernardino Sun
Debate over a commercial real estate bailout Journal Record (subscription)
NASDAQ - New York Times
all 55 news articles


Boston-area commercial real estate sales plunge
Boston Globe, United States - 11 hours ago
Now, real estate investors don't have data to guide them in pricing properties in the soft economy, making it less likely that buyers will come forward out ...
Office vacancies rise south of Boston The Patriot Ledger
all 4 news articles


The Associated Press

Bailing out the real estate market
Boston Globe, United States - 2 hours ago
But in a switch, the powerful real estate trade group is not downplaying the bad news this time. "A real estate-focused stimulus plan is urgently needed," ...
Pending home sales plunge to record low in Nov. BusinessWeek
Pending Home Sales Drop to Seven Year Low Dividend.com
Pending Home Sales Hit Seven Year Low, Factory Orders Drop More ... istockAnalyst.com (press release)
New York Times - Washington Post
all 645 news articles


Daily Mail

Tom & Katie Are Not NYC's Next Real Estate Moguls
E! Online - 17 hours ago
Are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes trying to give Donald Trump a run for his New York City real estate money? If a new report is to be believed, ...
Katie Holmes spends $14m in six months in New York Telegraph.co.uk
Katie Holmes: Final Week On Broadway! The Gossip Girls
TomKat: Nobu Dinner Date Night The Gossip Girls
all 114 news articles


New York Daily News

New York City neighborhoods with the best real estate bargains
New York Daily News, NY - 7 hours ago
Now the tides may be turning, according to a new real estate study by Streeteasy, a website that tracks real estate trends. The good news: there are a lot ...
Manhattan housing up in 4Q, but luxury market down BusinessWeek
Streeteasy study finds home sales in Manhattan drop 34% New York Daily News
all 40 news articles


Overseas Property and Investment News

Striking Declines Seen in Manhattan Real Estate Market
New York Times, United States - Jan 5, 2009
By JOSH BARBANEL For those New Yorkers who wondered what the Manhattan real estate market might be like without the ever-rising bonuses of Wall Street’s ...
Manhattan's Sterling Real-Estate Market Begins to Tarnish Wall Street Journal
NYC real estate defies gravity - so far CNNMoney.com
More Confirmation Real Estate Market is Tanking Gothamist
AHN - Sun-Sentinel.com
all 102 news articles


PerezHilton.com

Shaquille O'Neal boxed in by drop in real estate values
Los Angeles Times, CA - 21 hours ago
As everybody knows, the real estate market has tanked since then and Shaq just relisted his Miami home with a dramatically reduced price of $25 million. ...
Shaq' home back on market Bizjournals.com
all 13 news articles


Real estate power broker dead of apparent suicide
CNN - 18 minutes ago
Steven L. Good was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound in his car Monday CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- One of Chicago's most well-known real estate moguls ...


New York Times

International Real Estate For Sale in Mexico
New York Times, United States - 16 hours ago
Oceanfront homes on Cozumel start at about $1 million, said Nancy Edwards, a broker with Cozumel Living Real Estate; condominiums sell for around $500000. ...

Real-Estate - Google News

home | site map | Contact Us | Privacy policy | Disclaimer
Copyright © 2006 realestategainer.com - contact us:- info@realestategainer.com