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[F205]Finance And Investment Dictionary

by Casey Yew, Cas

Most people, when they first begin their endeavor with property investing, find that financing is their only means of purchasing property. The following is some information regarding real estate financing and investment strategy that may be beneficial to you.

When you hear the term "leverage" applied to real estate financing and investment, you will find that this term simply means to use borrowed money for financing your property investment. Your initial investment will be the money that you use for a down payment.

In order for this leverage to be beneficial in your real estate finance and investment strategy, you will want to secure the borrowed money at a low-interest rate and make sure the term of the loan is over the longest period of time that is possible. This is to avoid yourself from being tied up in the property and having least money for your own or other investment usage.

You do have to remember, however, that the risk of your investment is tied in directly with leverage. If you place a small down payment on the property, the leverage is high and the ratio of the amount owed to the value of the property is high, making the property a high risk. The more money you put as a down payment on the property, the lower the leverage and the lower the risk.

Many, in their real estate financing and investment strategy, use pyramiding to acquire more properties. What this simply means is that you are using the equity on one property to help you purchase another.

For example, you purchase a property for $100,000 by making a down payment of $20,000 and borrowing $80,000. The properties value at the time of the purchase is $110,000. Six months later, you have a positive cash flow of $1,000 a month on the property and its value has increased by $40,000 due to your renovations. You now have equity of approximately $70,000 or more in the property.

You take out a home equity loan of $30,000 and this is used for the down payment of another investment property. This is also known as pyramiding and is a real estate finance and investment strategy used by many.

Pyramiding through sale is also another real estate finance and investment strategy used by many, as well. In this method, when your property's value has increased, you sell instead of taking out a home equity loan.

In the example above, if the same property was sold for its value of $150,000, you would use the money to pay off the initial loan of $80,000, deduct your initial investment of $20,000, what you have paid in interest and principal, as well as the cost of renovations, to discover you've made a profit of approximately $25,000 to $30,000 in a matter of a six-month period. This money can then be used as a down payment on another property.

Before you begin investing in property, it is crucial to understand what real estate finance and investment strategy you plan to use. However, it is also important to understand that property investment comes with risk. Research the facts and figures before you make any decision with your real estate finance and investment strategy.

Are you looking to get your feet wet in real estate but don't know how to begin. If you ask the more creative and experienced of investors, they would suggest that you look for financial institutions that finance investment property. That is, the golden rule of real estate is to use other people's money to leverage your investments.

Seasoned investors advise against investing scads of money on a single real estate asset, even if you have the funds to do it – simply because it is too risky a proposition. Moreover, you forego the benefits of leveraging.

Nowadays, several reputable lenders offer finance for up to 95% of the purchase price of the property. The most alluring feature of such schemes is that they cut back on your out of pocket costs when acquiring an investment property. Moreover, the finance is typically available in the shape of a single loan, which can be used to invest further in other properties.

The benefits of financing can be better understood with an example. Let's assume that you purchase an investment property, without financing, for $150,000. If your expected yield from the property is 10%, then you would get returns of $15,000, which is a 10% return on your investment. On the other hand, if you get your property financed up to 95%, then you would effectively make the same profit on a mere investment of $7,500, which amounts to be an overwhelming 200% return on your investment.

Lenders that finance investment property up to 95% normally offer loans with a 15-year or 30-year term. These loans may either be fixed-rate or adjustable-rate. Lenders verify your credentials, such as your income source, savings and credit score, prior to offering finance. Though low credit scores are permissible by many financial institutions, a healthy credit score does help acquire finance at low interest rates.

While choosing a financial institution that will finance investment property, ensure that you are thorough with the terms of the finance agreement. Although financing your investment property seems like a profitable option, you may not be able to acquire finance for just about any property you desire. Reputable lenders offer finance for no more than 5 investment properties. And this too can be rather tough to accomplish. You need to be eloquent enough to persuade the lender into offering finance.

All in all, it is prudent to seek lenders that finance investment property. Financing empowers you to leap ahead in your real estate career at a rapid pace. It helps you augment your investment portfolio, which leads to significant profits in the long run.

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Both Casey Yew & Joel Teo are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

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