Bridge Loan Network

Looking to Buy? Consider A Tiny Home!

If you are familiar with the real estate industry, you’ve surely heard of the new “tiny house” craze. This movement is a way for home-buyers to save thousands of dollars, and valuable time on home improvement projects, by purchasing homes that are way smaller than a normal property. On average, the typical American home is between 2,000-2,600 square feet, whereas tiny homes generally weigh in between 100-400 square feet. Coming in all different styles, and materials, these houses may be the new future of real estate.

Some people scoff at the idea of living in such tight quarters, but there are a variety of reasons people are choosing to downsize their living space; the main reasons being cost, environmental concerns, and the itch for more time and freedom. With over 70% of Americans facing credit card, and student loan debt, the idea of a tiny house sounds extremely appealing. Certain tiny home kits can go for as little as $10,000; which is a steal in the grand scheme of housing.

According to thetinylife.com, there are an abundance of reasons why you should buy a tiny home:

68% of tiny house owners do not have a mortgage, compared to 29% of U.S. homeowners.
The average tiny house is 186 sq. feet compared to the average 2100 sq. foot U.S. home, which is the equivalent of 11 tiny homes. The environment would thank us if we carried out this housing trend.
89% of tiny house owners carry less credit card debt than the average American.
65% of tiny house owners carry zero credit card debt.

Giving up square footage is a small sacrifice to save thousands of dollars, and endless amounts of time. A smaller property means smaller messes to clean, and smaller yards to maintain, resulting in a better quality of life. Also, aside from the money, our planet will thank us since buildings contribute to roughly 1/3 of our greenhouse gas emissions.

If you’re in the market, and looking for a unique style of living, consider purchasing a tiny home, because your wallet, and our planet will thank you!

Author: Tara Doherty

Investing The Right Way

Investing in the real estate biz can be a great source of income, but you must jump through a few hoops before you gain a profit you are satisfied with. When people first start out in the industry, they often wonder how they will acquire the necessary funds to start investing in the industry. When it comes to fixer-uppers here are a few ways fund your first project;

Banks – While banks usually offer relatively cheap interest rates, they often require a large down payment. However, if you have good credit, and 45 (or more) days to close, then banks are a great option.
Private Lenders – Opting with this route allows you to dictate the terms, and structure the deal. Private lenders are often harder to find, but they offer a lot of flexibility.
Hard Money Lenders – As one of the most popular, and easy to access options, hard money lenders are an extremely flexible option. While this option can be more expensive than other funding outlets, hard money lenders will get your deals closed on a timely basis.
Joint Venture Partnerships (JVs) – This type of partnership is rather popular. Usually the JV money partner funds all of the money needed for the deal, and the other partner manages the contractors, and delegates the transaction. This method allows you to arrange the partnership anyway you see fit, and you can also split the profits accordingly.
Your Own Personal Money– If you have the means necessary, cash is a great way to fund real estate deals. Most people do not have enough money to take this path, but self-directed IRAs are also a way to fund the transactions.

While investing often seems like a daunting task, these various methods can help make your real estate dreams a reality. With the right tools, and proper funds, the real estate opportunities are endless.

Author: Tara Doherty

What To Consider Before Investing In Commercial Real Estate

As of recently, the number of people investing in commercial real estate has been on the rise. According to Bigger Pockets Blog, there are a number of pros and cons to investing in this kind of real estate. So, before you jump head first into the industry, it is very important to research exactly what you are getting into to avoid any surprises in the end.

Don’t be fooled; although commercial real estate is a complicated business to involve yourself in, it can also be extremely lucrative, so here are some of the benefits from professionals who have been through it before:

1. Flexible Financing- Rather than spending money out of pocket, banks are often willing to provide substantial loans to help commercial real estate investors succeed. There is also an option to utilize auxiliary financing, which means there is up to 100% coverage with first or second mortgages; whereas residential financing often opposes the 100% financing option. This essentially means that if you are looking to purchase an apartment complex with 40 units, you will only be paying one mortgage on the property as opposed to 40 mortgages on 40 properties.

2. Economies of Scale- When owning multiple units on one plot of land (i.e. an apartment complex) contractors are usually willing to negotiate lower costs for maintenance and repairs on the property. However, the more units in the complex the better, because then you can afford to hire your own team which will cost even less than bringing in outside contractors.

3. Passive Environment- If the commercial property you own is an office building, you will receive little to no maintenance requests after hours, or on weekends and holidays; As opposed to owning residential properties where the tenant occupies the space 24/7. Also, with a triple net lease (common for most commercial leases) the tenant is the one responsible to pay any taxes, insurance costs, and maintenance costs, including rent, and utilities.

While these benefits sound enticing, there are unfortunately a list of cons pertaining to owning a commercial real estate property as well:

1. More Competition- In the commercial industry most buyers are looking to improve the space. Usually they want to increase the value of the property so they can refinance with cheaper options. However, as the investor this may be challenging because properties in a reasonable price range with room for improvement are in high demand.

2. Risk of Poor Management- After finding your dream commercial property, it’s just as important to have a strong property management team which is often hard to come by. Tenants will be paying higher rent in order to afford the team, so it’s important to hire a solid crew. When looking for property managers you must ask them their efficiency rate, how much experience they have, and if they’re compliant in order to avoid problems in the future.

In conclusion, investing in commercial real estate can be extremely lucrative, but there are many factors to consider before purchasing the property, as you can see above. When you are confident that you can handle taking on the responsibility of owning a commercial property, the most important thing to remember is to stay up to date with the trends, and most of all have fun with it!

Author: Tara Doherty