Beretta Only

Monday, March 27, 2017

Glenford’s Spec Home Story—Are Spec Homes Right for You?

Contemplating adding a spec home to your real estate investment portfolio? Weighing the pros and cons and working with professionals can help.

An Experienced Contractor’s Story

Glenford Branham comes from a long line of savvy real estate investors and general contractors. Starting at just 14 years of age, Glenford has been in the construction industry for 57 years. Originally from Kentucky, he moved to Arizona to enjoy the warmer weather. “Construction and real estate is a family tradition,” he says.

Glenford’s built a few houses in his day—around 40. After his wife passed away last year, he decided to “do something a little different” by tackling a spec house project. He called his go-to contact Tony for assistance with the mortgage loan, but spec home financing is simply not an option at most traditional banks and mortgage brokers.

Tony recommended Glenford work with Private Hard Money Lender, Level 4 Funding, touting the group’s impeccable track record, quick service and competitive pricing. Glenford was sold, picked up the phone and called Mark Gowlovech.

As a general contractor, Glenford also handles commercial construction and is always on the go. He’s actively coordinating several construction projects, all while raising his 12 year old granddaughter by himself. With no time left for added headaches or piles of paperwork Glenford was happy to lean on Mark for the heavy lifting and speedy service his hard money loan request needed.

Speedy Service

Mark swiftly took the reins and got Glenford the financing he needed for his latest real estate project. Glenford smiled as he shared he just received the project permit and would be diving into the construction process shortly.

Glenford was satisfied with his Level 4 Funding spec home loan experience, thanks to Mark. Though this was his first transaction with Level 4 Funding, chances are it won’t be the last. Glenford will be back when his next spec home or specialty project calls.

A Contractor’s Advice

Glenford is a man of few words. When asked to summarize his experience with Level 4 Funding and share advice regarding lending and investments, he said:

“Get with someone you trust to help you

with your lending and your business.”

Pointed advice from a seasoned general contractor, with so much incoming work he has no need to advertise. Glenford trusts his projects to Level 4 Funding, and recommends calling Mark for your next spec project loan.

Are Spec Homes for Right for You?

Speculative homes, commonly referred to as spec homes, are of course houses investors build with the intent to sell for a profit. Some builders prefer to deal in spec homes, and avoid the complications and time needed to customize a project for a specific home buyer.

Review the pros and cons below to help decide if building a spec home is the right investment move for you.

Pros

Moderate Risk: Don’t let their risky-sounding name fool you—spec homes can actually be a fairly conservative investment. Of course you must have or be an experienced builder to confidently secure a tidy profit or conservative turns to risky.

Reputation is Everything: Builders know that spec homes are a reflection on their quality of work and highly visible in the marketplace. Shoddy work will quickly show, and negative news spreads like wildfire. To preserve and showcase their reputation, builders typically take great care to perform their best work on spec homes. Great news for investors and homeowners alike.

Generous Profit: Profits on spec homes vary based on house location, type, and size, but many investors strive to net a 25% profit. Others follow a “sell two, build a third for free” rule of thumb, with a target net of 33% per project. No matter where you fall in this range, spec homes can indeed be lucrative. Just ensure you’re properly estimating and tracking expenses and using the most trustworthy partners you can find.

Cons

Builder Biffs: End up with a disreputable builder and your project stability begins to crumble. Costs can creep up, profits sink down and in a worse-case scenario you’re stuck paying expenses for a property you can’t sell. Or can’t sell for a profit. Do your homework and ask around to ensure a reputable builder is on your side to increase safety and peace of mind.

Customized Competition: Once your spec home is ready to sell, you’ll be competing with custom built homes. Spec homes are intentionally built following rather “vanilla” formats as builders have no idea what customized features the buyer would want. Keeping costs down without sacrificing quality is their primary concern. Your home may lose the battle against a buyer’s ability to choose their specific preferences and build a customized home.

The Great Unknown: Even the most sophisticated and experienced spec home builders can’t predict the future. The real estate market takes twists and turns outside of anyone’s control. One construction company owner built and sold over 20 spec homes in California over a 15 year period. But his spec home profit streak ended when the real estate market headed south and he avoided spec building for 5 years. Now he’s back at it, and his first project sold before it was even finished.

Spec Home Financing Solutions

Decided building a spec home is in your future? Follow Glenford’s lead and call Private Hard Money Lender Level 4 Funding. They can’t guarantee your profits or reduce your project risks, but they can ensure smooth, solid financing solutions available when you need them.

About the Author: Dennis has been working in the real estate industry in some capacity for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the amazing investment opportunities provided by trust deed investing and hard money loans. His desire to help others make money in real estate investing led him to specialize in alternative funding for real estate investors who may have trouble getting a traditional bank loan. Dennis is passionate about alternative funding sources and sharing his knowledge with others to help make their dreams come true. Dennis has been married to his wonderful wife for 42 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.

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Violin Soloist and Attorney Share Success via Level 4 Funding

When Sharon Chen and her husband William needed a hard money business purpose loan, they knew just where to go—Level 4 Funding. Busy professionals don’t have time to “play around” to find the right loan, William explained. And Sharon and William are successful, busy professionals indeed.

Success on Stage

Sharon was born and raised in Maryland, to parents originally from Taiwan. Her father is a well-respected physician and both of Sharon’s brothers followed proudly in his footsteps—one works for Johns Hopkins University, the other became a gynecologist.

The only girl in her family, Sharon opted out of medical school but took an equally prestigious path. She started playing the violin at just 2 ½ years of age, and eventually went on to attend Harvard College.

Sharon played the violin in the Harvard symphony and became a concertmaster, which is the highest ranking violinist in an orchestra. As a concertmaster, Sharon led the violin section in maintaining unity, and typically played all of the violin solos during a performance. When it comes to Sharon’s musical talents, her adoring husband William says “she is a genius.”

William is a successful banking attorney handling business investors, legal contracts, and legal consultant work. Originally from Switzerland, he and Sharon met and married in New York. Starting 10 years ago, Sharon unfortunately began suffering from an unusual medical condition, and together she and William have traveled throughout Europe and the US in search of the best medical care and cure. They visited Arizona as one of their destinations, prior to heading back home to New York.

After the New York tragedy on September 11, 2001, William and Sharon decided to head west and make Arizona their home. The couple have been proud Phoenix residents ever since.

Nothing but the Best

When it comes to Sharon’s medical care, William settles for nothing less than the best. Their travels around the world are proof that he puts his money where his mouth is.

William’s high-quality philosophy translates into his family’s financial transactions as well. He originally heard about Level 4 Funding from his trusted colleagues in the real estate industry. Unwilling to waste time or risk his personal finance transactions being handled by a mediocre team, he dealt directly with Mark Gowlovech at Level 4 Funding.

“We can’t afford to take shortcuts. Good work is worth paying for,” says William. “Go where service and quality count, like Level 4 Funding.”

William speaks from experience, and just wrapped up his second transaction with Level 4 Funding. He is impressed with Mark Gowlovech professionalism and expertise, and glad he took his colleagues’ advice to reach out to Mark when he needed a quick response on his first loan.

“He’s very easy to work with,” says William, “and he takes time to understand your story and situation. He’s great at putting everything together, and finding ways to make solutions fit your needs.”

Like many of us, William knows that some traditional lenders can be extremely slow to make decisions, and require hours of time to wade through large stacks of paperwork. William prefers the private client boutique-style experience he’s received with Mark and team.

Success Tips from the Professionals

William and Sharon’s track record as successful professionals speaks for itself. Among the best of the best at what they do, they shared additional tips for life and lending.

“Life is made up of two things,” advises William, “your occupation and your hobbies and leisure pursuits. Work hard to get paid well at your career. Then pay someone to work hard and give quality service and results to you.” The cost of incredible service and better quality is worth paying for, William stated firmly. Getting a high-quality loan has just as much value as buying reliable quality clothes and dining at the best restaurants.

“Hard Money Loans are serious business,” William continued. When you need something done, find a professional who can help you get the job done right, and go with them. It’s the same as a critical home repair. If you have a plumbing issue, you find the best plumber and have them handle the job. If you try to do it yourself, you risk errors and waste time—time you could be spending making more money in your area of expertise, or time you could be spending enjoying leisure pursuits. “Don’t play around to try to find the [least expensive] deal,” he advised. “Go where service and quality count, like Level 4 Funding.”

William and Sharon continue to be highly complementary of Mark and team. As two-time clients and connoisseurs who settle for nothing less than the best, they should know. In summary William stated:

“Excellent work, Level 4 Funding makes things a lot easier. I’m busy, Sharon’s sick, and we can’t afford to take shortcuts. Good work is worth paying for.”

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Tuesday, March 21, 2017

FIVE TIPS FOR FINANCING INVESTMENT PROPERTIES

According to a study conducted by the online real estate site Trulia.com, becoming a homeowner is still as important as ever among consumers. In 2016, 75% of those surveyed dream of becoming a homeowner one day, although twenty-two percent of respondents expect it to become increasingly harder to acquire a mortgage.

If you are one of the lucky Americans who already own a home, yet is considering buying an investment property, pay attention to these five important ideas for financing your real estate investment transaction.

How to Find Financing

If you are new to the real estate investment world and have a clean credit report and low debt ratios, a traditional bank is your best bet for financing. Many of the large banks can offer low rates on mortgages to investors with good credit. While investment money is typically a little more expensive, you can still expect great rates that can increase your buying power.

According to Bankrate.com, the average interest rate on a conventional 30-year home loan is 3.65%, with 15-year rates hovering around 2.50%. These rates are some of the lowest in the history of mortgage lending. If there was ever a better time to finance real estate, we haven’t seen it.

Alternative Lending Private Hard Money In California

Portfolio loans are mortgages that a bank keeps on their books, rather than selling on the secondary investment market. Many credit unions or smaller banks offer these types of loans to investors with multiple properties. The loans are typically a little higher priced than their big bank counterparts but have easier qualifying terms.

Portfolio loans are useful; having comparatively fewer regulations associated with them and higher credit limits. You can find portfolio lenders by reaching out to local investment communities or asking your real estate agent. Real estate agents have an extensive network of lenders with which they work, and many have nurtured those relationships specifically for the benefit of their clients.

Seller Carrybacks

A “seller carryback” is a loan, or portion of a loan, that the seller provides and holds. For real estate investors, seller financing is one of the best options available. A property that is seller-financed means that the seller has agreed to personally finance the mortgage at a “market” interest rate with a specified down payment. These loans typically have a shorter term but are a great option for investors who look to re-sell the property in the near future.

The seller has the possibility to either finance the entire property or the difference between the real estate value and the loan available to the consumer. These loans are an excellent opportunity to get immediate financing with a minimum amount of documentation and regulatory headaches. A realtor or escrow company can assist with drawing up the mortgage docs.

Low Capital? Pursue a FHA 203K Loan

FHA loans are a great strategy for fledgling investors with little start-up capital. With a down payment of only 3.5%, an investor can finance the purchase balance, and with repair costs allowed to be calculated into the loan balance. The only downside to 203K loans is that the buyer will have to live in the property for one year before they can rent it or place it on the market.

There are important details to consider when enlisting these types of high-LTV loans. With a smaller down payment, your loan balance will be higher, which means it is vital to determine your cash flow before considering it as a rental property.

Private Hard Money Lending Solutions

Successful and savvy real estate investors are always seeking to build up their portfolio of properties. A financing strategy many of these investors utilize is private hard money capital. Private lending can come from family or friends, but there are also private money lenders that can provide quick financing at comparative rates.

House flippers and fixers typically use this type of funding to snap up below-marked priced rehab properties quickly. The rate may be high, but if you plan to quickly turn around and sell the property, you can cut the annual percentage rate in half

Private Hard Money Pools

Private lenders use funds pooled from investors to provide real estate borrowers with quick access to the capital needed to finance their properties. There has also been an explosion in this market with the addition of crowdfunding for real estate. According to current regulations, accredited investors with more than $ 1 million (excluding their home value) are eligible to participate in such crowdfunding endeavors.

Putting Your Retirement Funds to Work

If you own a Solo 401K or SEP IRA, you can legally use those funds to finance an investment opportunity. For years, people have been using their retirement funds to start a retail business or invest in one, but you can also use it to finance your real estate investment.

Why Use Solo 401K for Property Investment?

• Access to tax-free capital from the sale of investment property

• You have tax-deferral benefits associated with the capital

• You can invest freely with the capital

• Financing of real estate projects with tax-free, non-recourse loans

• Ability to choose from a wide variety of investments

Using a Solo 401K plan to invest in real estate comes with a few restrictions. First, you must put the capital gains or net income back into your 401K plan. Second, all costs and expenses involved with the investment property should originate from the retirement account.

While it does require a fair bit of due-diligence, investing into real estate is a great opportunity to take advantage of record-low mortgage rates and use them to make money. There are few better advantages in life than earning profits with “OPM” – Other People’s Money.

With the popularity of real estate crowdfunding sites and an extensive selection of private money lenders to choose from, access to capital should not be an issue, as long as you are a responsible investor who has done his or her homework in advance.

By Nema Daghbandan, Esq. | Geraci Law Firm || 21-Mar-2017

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Monday, March 20, 2017

How To Spot A Shark Among Hard Money Lenders In California

In a perfect world, every business would have good intentions and want to do nothing but the right thing. Sadly, that is not the case, and some Hard Money Lenders in California are ready to pounce and unsuspecting borrowers like sharks going in for the kill.

It doesn’t happen often, but from time to time there have been shark attacks in the waters off the coast of California. While dangerous, the larger problem for people is not the sharks in the water but the ones on land. No, not Land Sharks like from the old Saturday Night Live sketches or from “shark-nadoes” from the SyFy channel movies.

The sharks people have to worry more about are the unscrupulous Hard Money Lenders in California. They may appear nice. They may act like they are your friend. But if you are not careful and let them get too close, they can make you wish you were swimming with actual sharks rather than doing business with them.

How To Spot A Shark Among Hard Money Lenders In California

In the ocean, it is pretty easy to tell what’s a shark and what isn’t. So when one does get a little too close for comfort you can move away. However, when it comes to Hard Money Lenders in California, it is not as easy. The sharks can be a lot like the good guys. They can say all the right things and appear to be your new best friend while secretly plotting to kill your dream and take you for everything you own.

So—how do you avoid a shark in a sharp suit pretending to be your friend? There are ways to see a shark coming before he/she gets too close to bite:

• Upfront fees or Success fees: If the broker is legitimate, he or she will be compensated by the lender—not you, the borrower. If they want any sort of fee upfront or try to hit you with a “success” fee because they actually did their job right, take your business elsewhere. Something shady is going on.

• Experience: This does not mean an inexperienced lender is a charlatan. But with the barriers to becoming a loan broker being as low as they are, it helps to know about their experience before getting into bed with them. Do they know what they are doing? Have they been successful more often than not? Dig into their history. If any red flags pop up, take your business elsewhere.

• Exclusivity: If your broker works with just one hard money lender in California or only a few, be worried. The better brokers will have relationships developed with numerous lenders and will cultivate more as often as possible to get you a better deal. If they only work with a few, chances are they were created for the sole purpose of funneling clients to those lenders.

• Careful thinking or flooding: a good broker is going to carefully review your application and needs and send your loan package to a select group of hard money lenders that are more apt to approve your loan. A not-so-good broker is going to flood the market with your application in hopes that someone will bite and give you an offer—but not necessarily a good one.

• The Commission: a good broker will take a modest fee from the lender upon the completion of the deal. A bad one will try to take a larger one or charge ridiculous fees. Do your homework, and you can avoid these guys.

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Hard Money Loans in California Just One Way To Get Your Pot Business Started

Federally insured financial establishments are not allowed to work with pot dispensaries but if you want to get into the business, you have to get your money from somewhere. Hard Money Loans in California are one option, but there are others.

It probably still sounds strange to some, but depending on how you do it and which state you live in, it can be legal to sell marijuana. If the media has taught us anything, there is some serious cash to be made in legalized pot. However, since the federal government does not recognize it as legal, federally insured financial institutions are not allowed to approve loans for marijuana dispensaries or even take deposits from them.

So—does this mean you have to be already independently wealthy to open a pot dispensary? Of course not! There are ways to find the money. Hard Money Loans in California are a common method, but they are far from the only option available.

Options Other Than Hard Money Loans in California For The Pot Industry

Hard money loans can be obtained to get the capital you need to get started, but what if the terms are not that friendly and you have already hit up every other hard money lender in the area? Are you screwed? Is this guy dictating such terrible terms because he knows you are screwed?

You aren’t, of course. But it will get a little more challenging to find your funding. The following are a few options:

• Friends and family: It can be embarrassing and hard to ask your friends and family to invest. Doing so certainly comes with an element of risk (how do you tell your brother to quit sticking his nose in the business when he put up $50,000?), but your family and friends are less likely to charge you an insane amount of interest.

• Attend industry events: If you want to find someone who is pro-marijuana and could be interested in investing in a dispensary, attend a trade show, conference, or some other kind of gathering. They wouldn’t be there if they were not interested, and if they don’t have the money to invest, they may know someone who does.

• Private equity funds: This will probably not work if you are trying to get started, but if you are established, have a brand, and want to expand, private equity firms are becoming interested in the market and may be willing to strike a deal.

• Foreign investors: According to some cannabis industry insiders, there have been some Chinese investors making waves in Oregon of late. The talk is just being classified as “rumor” for now, but if you are running out of options, it is something to keep in mind.

There Are Always Options…

If you want to get into the business bad enough, but don’t want to sell your soul to get approved for any Hard Money Loans in California, there are options out there. You just have to look for them and be open to the possibility.

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Things To Consider Before Approaching Private Money Lenders in California

Private Money Lenders in California can you get you the money you need and get it to you quickly, but are you fully aware of what you could be getting into by using one of them?

It’s a sad fact in business, but a fact nonetheless. Sometimes, there are going to be things that come up that you can’t plan for and can’t ignore. You are going to have to deal with them. But if you are a young, up-and-coming business, chances are good you are not going to have a lot of capital just laying around waiting for you to put it to work.

So—you are going to need money and depending on the severity of the issue that arose, you are going to need it quick. Private Money Lenders in California are generally quick to approve loans for cases such as yours, so you decide to hit one up.

However, before doing so, there are things you should keep in mind.

Do You Really Know What You Are Getting Into With Private Money Lenders in California?

Before you get into business with a private money lender, it is good to have an understanding of what you are getting into.

They are not going to give you a 30-year loan. They don’t do long-term loans. Private money lenders are into short-term loans; stuff more in the three to 18-month range. Before you know it, you are going to have payment to make, and since the term of the loan is short, they are going to be bigger. It’s great to be able to get the money in a few days rather than weeks or months (like through other channels). But they are going to want their money back quickly as well.

So, be sure you can handle the payments before entering into any kind of deal. With the high-interest rate that you’ll get charged and the fewer number of payments, your monthly note can be high depending on how much your loan is. Yes, you may need the money and don’t have any other choice, but there is always another way.

No sense in trading one problem for another.

Will it Really Help?

At the time, it may feel like the cash you can get from Private Money Lenders in California is the only viable option. But sometimes you need to figure out how to take a step back and look objectively at your situation to figure out if it will really help.

Will it help you generate revenue? The loan is money you are going to have to pay back so will whatever you need it for help you make more money? Or are you trying to cover expenses because you didn’t make enough? If so, then you may have a larger issue on your hands.

If this loan is not going to help your cash flow, then maybe it is time to come up with an alternative solution—or an alternative form of revenue.

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Beretta Only

Monday, March 27, 2017

Glenford’s Spec Home Story—Are Spec Homes Right for You?

“Get with someone you trust to help you

with your lending and your business.”

Violin Soloist and Attorney Share Success via Level 4 Funding

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

FIVE TIPS FOR FINANCING INVESTMENT PROPERTIES

How to Find Financing

Alternative Lending Private Hard Money In California

Seller Carrybacks

Low Capital? Pursue a FHA 203K Loan

Private Hard Money Lending Solutions

Private Hard Money Pools

Putting Your Retirement Funds to Work

Monday, March 20, 2017

How To Spot A Shark Among Hard Money Lenders In California

Hard Money Loans in California Just One Way To Get Your Pot Business Started

Things To Consider Before Approaching Private Money Lenders in California

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