Are Home Flippers Get Burned by US Housing Market's Sudden Slump?

After an abrupt end to the US housing boom, home flippers who were winning big just months ago are now racing to stem losses.

Since January, the doubling of mortgage rates has crushed buyer demand and depressed values in investors' most favored locations, from Phoenix and Las Vegas to Jacksonville, Florida. It's a swift turnabout for flippers such as those stuck with homes to sell and loans to pay.

Investors say, "It's a high-risk, high-reward business — and now we're facing the high risk, and I'm just praying for break even."

Flippers with loans must repay them, and rising interest rates make carrying costs even more significant. Their troubles can reverberate across the market: Just as investors bid prices higher on the way up, they can accelerate the move downward.

For most fix and flippers, the focus will be on selling, and the faster, the better. A small number will keep buying even though finding truly undervalued homes is near impossible and a guessing game of how far the market will drop.

Home-flipping activity reached a record at the start of the year, making up one in 10 transactions, surpassing the levels in the last bubble, according to Attom, an Irvine, California-based data provider, which tracked sales of properties that previously sold within the last 12 months. While the share remains elevated, it fell to 8.2% in the second quarter of 2023.

Conditions have deteriorated more since then, with mortgage rates near the highest level in 20 years. Demand has cooled particularly fast in Sun Belt markets such as Phoenix, Jacksonville, and Atlanta, pandemic boom areas where affordability has been strained. Fix and Flippers made up about 14% of transactions in those regions in the second quarter, but those shares sank in July and August, according to more recent monthly data provided by Attom.

Phoenix property investors have had to slash prices after the slowdown caught investors. A lot of investors are getting hammered.

Losses will grow, but even thin margins are a big problem when you're a full-time flipper.

We have hard-money loans with 10% to 14% interest rates. It's a constant dance — do I wait it out, or does the price drop? Both cost money.

For the most part, investors are paying back their loans, said Matt Prosory RI/Broker at Level 4 Funding, a hard-money lender in Phoenix, Colorado, and Texas. The default rate was 1.25%, which has climbed to 2.5% in the past two months. But it remains below pre-pandemic norms.

Matt said fix and flippers with nicely renovated turn-key properties will stand out in this market. But it will be painful for those who overpaid, counting on rapid appreciation to make them money, he said.

"Lots of them, in hindsight, were making bad buys. Anybody fix and flipping right now must look closely at the property pricing: Price it to sell. Today is not the time to get greedy.

 

Phoenix flippers are trying to put things in perspective. Flippers have purchased much more over the last two years than they will likely lose. Fix and Flippers are giving back the money they made.

I ask my flippers if flipping is dead or at least dying. Here in the Phoenix, Arizona, metro area, I have watched the margin on deals become slimmer and slimmer. During the past few years, television shows and seminars have flooded the flipping market with people who believe flipping homes is an easy way to riches. Trustee auction prices are near MLS prices (retail), and I cannot believe what people are paying.

I recommend that flippers take an extended vacation and return later to see how the market is going.

 

Matt Prosory RI/MLO/Broker

NCO Enterprises LLC
Dba Setabay Private Hard Money
26731 N 90th Drive
Peoria AZ 85383
Telephone: 623-582-4444
NMLS 2062278 NMLS 1118493
 

Equal Housing Opportunity. This is not a Good Faith Estimate nor a Guarantee to lend and should not be considered as such. Costs, rates, estimates, and terms can only be determined after completing an application. Actual payments will vary based on your situation and current rates. APR for loans ranges from 7.99 - 29.5% and is based on Credit Score, Down Payment, LTV, and Income. Mortgage rates could change daily. For more accurate and personalized results, please call 623 582 4444 to talk to a licensed mortgage expert. Terms and conditions of all loan programs are subject to change without notice. NCO Enterprises LLC Dba Setabay Private Hard Money 26731 N 90th Drive Peoria AZ 85383 Telephone: 623-582-4444 NMLS 2062278 NMLS 1118493 This email is for the exclusive use of the intended recipients and may contain privileged and confidential information. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender, delete the email from your computer, and do not copy or disclose it to anyone else. Your receipt of this message is not intended to waive any applicable privilege. Neither this email nor any attachments establish a client relationship, constitute an electronic signature, or provide consent to contract electronically unless expressed by Matt Prosory RI/CEO, in this email or an attachment. To the extent, this message includes any tax or legal advice. This message is not intended or written by the sender to be used, and cannot be used, for legal or tax purposes or advice. This email is an advertisement.

Are you making moola flipping homes? ✅💯🔆

See how this person is mackling a boat load of money flipping homes..😃

SouthCreek Flips Shows Us How to Fix-and-Flip Like a Boss As you may know, Level 4 Funding is a hard money lender, and we help many people realize their dreams, especially those who focus on fixes and flips or rehabs. Occasionally, we come across someone whose story and work are just too inspirational not to share. Pam Bauer and Marsha Burton of SouthCreek Fix and Flips are two such people. Marsha was kind enough to talk briefly about their recent flips and what keeps them in the business. Pam's Been a General Contractor for 25 Years A background in the industry makes the transition to flipping houses much more accessible. Pam's 25 years of work as a general contractor gave her an excellent background for fix-and-flips. With nine years of direct fix-and-flip experience and Marsha as a partner, SouthCreek Flips has completed 18 properties in 3 years. The Pair Follows the Motto, "The Uglier, the Better" While those just getting into the fix-and-flip business will likely want to select modest projects, the expertise these ladies bring to the table means they can tackle homes that others might shy away from. "Hoarder houses," as Marsha calls them, are a favorite. The pair explicitly targets homes that might appear beyond help to others due to trash and debris, filth, or shoddy upkeep, and often networks with realtors and other real estate investors to help ensure the suitable projects land with the right rehabbers. Carving Out a Family Paradise is its Reward Even though fix-and-flips can be lucrative if you know what you're doing, Marsha says they're driven by more altruistic means. The pair works primarily in low-income areas, restoring 2-3-bedroom homes for people who want a nice place to stay near family but can't find quality housing. Her favorite project to date involved rehabbing a hoarder house with mold problems. The house sold before it even listed for more than the asking price because the buyer was so excited to have the opportunity to purchase a lovely home near his mother. Check out the stunning photos of it below!    After All These Years, Some Homes Still Come with Surprises Those who do fix-and-flips for a living have expert eyes and know how to size up a property well, but even the pros find ugly surprises from time to time. We asked Marsha what their biggest surprise was thus far. "We noticed some plumbing was a little corroded when replacing a fixture," she explained. "You can rig a house to death and put it on the market and Pam, and just I can't do that." So, they did what they always do: address the corroded plumbing. Unfortunately, this led to an unsavory discovery: a former owner created his sewer system with cinder blocks. The pair were forced to drill it all out, remove it, and replace it to code. Watch for More to Come from SouthCreek Flips The dynamic duo has been focused purely on their projects thus far and doesn't have a digital footprint yet, so be on the lookout for a website in the future. You may also catch their current project on Garfield, which will be hitting the listings any day now. If you liked hearing Pam and Marsha's story, come back here as we continue to highlight more of the great things Level 4 Funding clients are doing with their hard money loans or contact us directly if you think you've got what it takes to become a home rehabber and need funding for your project.       Matt Prosory RI/MLO/Broker NCO Enterprises LLC Dba Setabay Private Hard Money 26731 N 90th Drive Peoria AZ 85383 Telephone: 623-582-4444 NMLS 2062278 NMLS 1118493   Equal Housing Opportunity. This is not a Good Faith Estimate nor a Guarantee to lend and should not be considered as such. Costs, rates, estimates, and terms can only be determined after completing an application. Actual payments will vary based on your situation and current rates. APR for loans ranges from 7.99 - 29.5% and is based on Credit Score, Down Payment, LTV, and Income. Mortgage rates could change daily. For more accurate and personalized results, please call 623 582 4444 to talk to a licensed mortgage expert. Terms and conditions of all loan programs are subject to change without notice. NCO Enterprises LLC Dba Setabay Private Hard Money 26731 N 90th Drive Peoria AZ 85383 Telephone: 623-582-4444 NMLS 2062278 NMLS 1118493 This email is for the exclusive use of the intended recipients and may contain privileged and confidential information. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender, delete the email from your computer, and do not copy or disclose it to anyone else. Your receipt of this message is not intended to waive any applicable privilege. Neither this email nor any attachments establish a client relationship, constitute an electronic signature, or provide consent to contract electronically unless expressed by Matt Prosory RI/CEO, in this email or an attachment. To the extent, this message includes any tax or legal advice. This message is not intended or written by the sender to be used, and cannot be used, for legal or tax purposes or advice. This email is an advertisement.   Copyright © 2023 Setabay Private Hard Money, All rights reserved. 3 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

Are You Considered Using A Hard Money Lender?

One of the most common hurdles for new investors is finding money to fund their deals. While this can be a struggle at times, finding the capital you are looking for is currently more accessible than ever. Between lines of credit, private lenders, retirement funds, credit cards, and traditional bank loans, numerous options are available to those who know where to look. The key is to find a funding source that works for you. Often, that source will be a hard money lender. The hard money lender in phoenix has gotten a bad rap over the years but has proven a reliable way to fund deals. If you don't have a hard money lender in Arizona outlet or have yet to use one, now may be the time to find as much information on them as possible.

A hard money lender is an individual or group of individuals that lend money on their own terms. They put stock in the property and the real financials of the borrower more than anything else. With traditional lender financing, if your credit score falls below a certain threshold you may have trouble getting approved regardless of other factors. However, Phoenix hard money lenders have their own set of criteria. For this flexibility, there are more fees and higher interest rates to deal with. Some investors will balk at those opting for lower rates that banks offer. This can work on certain properties and deals, but you need to be able to act quickly on those that are time-sensitive, and that's exactly what hard money allows you to do. Here are just a few of the benefits of using a hard money lender:

1. Speed: In today's real estate landscape, how quickly you can close is often more important than the amount you offer. Too many lenders have been burned in the past waiting for deals to close that never do. Even if they do close, the average length of a financed transaction approaches 45 days. Most sellers would rather take a slight discount with the assurance they can close in a week than risk closing in 45 days. This speed gives you the ability to make offers with five or seven-day closings. On borderline deals, you can bet that your offer will be the one that is accepted.

2. Volume: Instead of waiting 45 days to start working on the property, you can cut the time down to just a few weeks. Shaving a few weeks off every rehab project you start gives you the opportunity to close more deals over the course of a year. Adding just one or two deals to your portfolio will increase your bottom line exponentially. Often, you may be able to close two or three times the volume you closed the previous year. When the number of deals, you complete starts to creep upward, so will the number of contacts you make. The people you meet are just as important as the deals themselves, if not more so. Remember, real estate is a people business. The more deals you do, the more contacts you can make. In turn, those contacts may even lead to more deals.

3. Quality: Having capital to close is only part of the benefits that coincide with Arizona hard money. With hard money in your corner, you could do whatever needs to be done for the property. Instead of cutting corners to save money, you can do the work that you know needs to be done. This will help you maximize your bottom line and improve your reputation in the industry. Realtors and fellow investors who see your finished products may want to work with you down the road. Quality will also help get your property sold to end buyers much faster. Instead of hoping that an offer comes in, you will have your choice of deals to choose from.

4. Bigger Projects: Increased capital allows you to slowly build your way up to bigger projects. Instead of looking solely at single-family properties, you can start to look at multifamily and commercial deals. Furthermore, closing more deals will increase your personal capital and give you a larger share of bigger deals. There is nothing wrong with sticking to condos and single-family properties, but having hard money behind you gives you the opportunity to explore other options that come your way.

Aligning yourself with a hard money lender doesn't mean you have to use them on every deal. A property that you want to buy, and hold may be better served with a long-term interest rate of around four percent. However, most rehab projects need the efficiency that hard money brings. The goal should be to save some capital from every deal until you have enough saved to fund them yourself. Until you get to that point, you may have to make a little less per deal to increase your bottom line.

The biggest knocks on hard money are the high fees and points. These accrue from the time of settlement until you can sell the property. In some cases, it can span several months. However, it is a small price to pay for what you get. The annual interest over just a few months is a relatively small factor compared to all the other expenses you will incur. Additionally, you only pay these on deals you close. If you can't close, you can't earn, and hard money helps you close more deals. It is not for everyone in every deal, but should be a part of your financing options.

Dennis Dahlberg
Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC 
Hard Money Lender
Hard Money Loans
Hard Money Loan
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:      (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO

NMLS 1057378 | AZMB 0923961 | MLO 1057378
22601 N 19th Ave Suite 112 | Phoenix | AZ | 85027
111 Congress Ave | Austin | Texas | 78701  

About the Author:  Dennis has worked in the real estate industry for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the excellent investment opportunities trust deed investing and hard money loans provided. 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 43 years. They have two beautiful daughters and five amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 45 years.

Check in in to see if you are making money in real estate? 🐭

Here are some of the deals we closed last week. Do you have a deal that needs quick and easy funding? We are Private Hard Money Lenders with over $200,000,000 funded for real estate investors. Fix and Flip in Buckeye Arizona Purchased for $55,000 Loan Amount $85,000 Sold for $156,000 Fix and Flip in Scottsdale Arizona Purchased for $62,500 Loan Amount $94,000 Sold for $155,000 Matt Prosory RI/MLO/Broker NCO Enterprises LLC Dba Setabay Private Hard Money 26731 N 90th Drive Peoria AZ 85383 Telephone: 623-582-4444 NMLS 2062278 NMLS 1118493 Equal Housing Opportunity. This is not a Good Faith Estimate nor a Guarantee to lend and should not be considered as such. Costs, rates, estimates, and terms can only be determined after completing an application. Actual payments will vary based on your situation and current rates. APR for loans ranges from 7.99 - 29.5% and is based on Credit Score, Down Payment, LTV, and Income. Mortgage rates could change daily. For more accurate and personalized results, please call 623 582 4444 to talk to a licensed mortgage expert. Terms and conditions of all loan programs are subject to change without notice. NCO Enterprises LLC Dba Setabay Private Hard Money 26731 N 90th Drive Peoria AZ 85383 Telephone: 623-582-4444 NMLS 2062278 NMLS 1118493 This email is for the exclusive use of the intended recipients and may contain privileged and confidential information. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender, delete the email from your computer, and do not copy or disclose it to anyone else. Your receipt of this message is not intended to waive any applicable privilege. Neither this email nor any attachments establish a client relationship, constitute an electronic signature, or provide consent to contract electronically unless expressed by Matt Prosory RI/CEO, in this email or an attachment. To the extent, this message includes any tax or legal advice. This message is not intended or written by the sender to be used, and cannot be used, for legal or tax purposes or advice. This email is an advertisement. Copyright © 2023 Setabay Private Hard Money, All rights reserved. 2 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Thanks for Signing Up for The Fall Challenge

Get ready to Beat Diabetes

Dear Friend,   You are IN the Fall Challenge! Many times, people worry whether they have truly been registered, but if you're getting this email, you can be sure that you are registered and good to go. However, if you find in September that you are not receiving weekly emails from me in your inbox, definitely check your spam folder.   I look forward to communicating with you regularly and hearing from you about your progress in lowering your glucose levels. 4 months is not a long time, but for most it is long enough!   I will be sending you dietary recommendations, links to fantastic recipes, and of course links to my videos (and those of others) encouraging you that you can and must and will "Beat Diabetes." May God bless you on this journey, and give you the grace, the motivation, and the wisdom to experience a major victory in your life in these final months of 2023.   I am convinced that this great experiment/adventure will prove to be a turning point in your life. As your blood sugar levels improve, and your insulin levels normalize, you will probably find that your blood pressure improves as well, and if you have arthritis pain, most likely that will also improve. You will be amazed at how many aspects of your health normalize once you tame this monster of runaway blood sugar and hyperinsulinemia.   So buckle your seat belt, my friend. Be encouraged. Your life is about to change for the better!   God bless you,   Dennis Pollock Copyright © Dennis Pollock, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

Thanks for Signing Up for The Fall Challenge

Get ready to Beat Diabetes

Dear Friend,   You are IN the Fall Challenge! Many times, people worry whether they have truly been registered, but if you're getting this email, you can be sure that you are registered and good to go. However, if you find in September that you are not receiving weekly emails from me in your inbox, definitely check your spam folder.   I look forward to communicating with you regularly and hearing from you about your progress in lowering your glucose levels. 4 months is not a long time, but for most it is long enough!   I will be sending you dietary recommendations, links to fantastic recipes, and of course links to my videos (and those of others) encouraging you that you can and must and will "Beat Diabetes." May God bless you on this journey, and give you the grace, the motivation, and the wisdom to experience a major victory in your life in these final months of 2023.   I am convinced that this great experiment/adventure will prove to be a turning point in your life. As your blood sugar levels improve, and your insulin levels normalize, you will probably find that your blood pressure improves as well, and if you have arthritis pain, most likely that will also improve. You will be amazed at how many aspects of your health normalize once you tame this monster of runaway blood sugar and hyperinsulinemia.   So buckle your seat belt, my friend. Be encouraged. Your life is about to change for the better!   God bless you,   Dennis Pollock Copyright © Dennis Pollock, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

The 8 Things you need to do to be a Fix and Flipper

Want to make money be a fix and flipper?

To Be a Successful Home Flipper  Download Your Free Guide. DownLoad Report Here Call me at 623-582-4444    Matt Prosory RI/MLO/Broker NCO Enterprises LLC Dba Setabay Private Hard Money 26731 N 90th Drive Peoria AZ 85383 Telephone: 623-582-4444 NMLS 2062278 NMLS 1118493   Copyright © 2023 Setabay Private Hard Money, All rights reserved. 1 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list