The American Dream; what does it mean to you? People have
different jobs or hobbies or passions in life, but one constant
remains the same among all of us, and this common thread that
unites our dreams is that of Home Ownership! Unfortunately, in
this current economy, achieving the dream of home ownership is
becoming more difficult than any time in recent history. Too many
Americans are following the unwritten rule of home ownership that
tells us to ‘Find a Realtor and Get a Bank Loan’. In past
economies, with thriving job markets, lower inflation, and less
credit restraint, that ‘rule’ may have made sense to follow.But
our current economic system is making it difficult for the
average person to achieve the American Dream of Home Ownership.
In times of unstable job markets, with double digit unemployment
forcing people to become self-employed to make a living, the
banks are requiring a W-2 stable job history in order to issue
loans. In times of a great credit crisis, the banks are requiring
stricter credit scores than most people are able to achieve.
Fewer and fewer honest, hard working Americans who are used to
following the ‘traditional rules’ for owning a home are having
the opportunity to own their own homes.What if you could achieve
the American Dream of Home Ownership without the assistance of a
bank?The purpose of this document is to allow motivated home
seekers an opportunity to write a New Rule of Home Ownership that
allows you to declare your freedom from the services of a Bank in
order to partake in your piece of the American Dream of Home
Ownership!In order to understand the New Rule of Home Ownership,
let’s take a closer look at the existing rules of purchasing a
house with Traditional Bank Financing.The first part of the
Traditional Bank Financing focuses on Qualifying for a Loan.
While many different loan packages exist, the most common loan
written in today’s market is an FHA Loan, and therefore, we shall
use their guidelines as an example. The following are guidelines
for an FHA Loan:o FHA Loans require a minimum credit score of 620
to be eligible for a loan
o FHA will require 3.5% down on the home. This down payment MUST
come from your account. You are not allowed to borrow from
friends, family or anyone else. You must document where the funds
for the down payment came from. Specifically, the source of the
down payment must be from your personal checking, savings or
retirement account and CAN NOT be borrowed!In order to work with
most Realtors, you must first get pre-approved for a bank. Many
Realtors won’t even show you a house unless you can prove that
you are able to afford and receive financing for the property.
This painful process of pre-approval from a bank can take 2-3
days and involve the following steps:o Proof of Creditworthinesso
You must provide 2-4 years worth of tax returns!
o You must provide your last 4 pay check stubs if you are an
employee or an updated Profit and Loss statement if you are
self-employed, a business owner, an independent contractor or
entrepreneur. However, if you cannot show a consistent pay stub
as proof of income, then you may want to skip ahead to the part
of this document where ‘Owner Financing’ is discussed, as you
will find it increasingly difficult to qualify for a
mortgage.
o Your bank may require you pay off other debit to help improve
your credit score to qualify for the loan
o And the worst part… this proof of creditworthiness is done
throughout the entire home buying process! Even once you qualify
and pick out the home of your dreams; underwriters at the bank
will have you go through the same process to make sure you still
qualify.Now that you are pre-qualified for the home of your
dreams, you may finally begin the process of working with a
Realtor to find your new home.Once you’ve found your home, the
Traditional Banks will want an inspection performed on the home
and may require the seller to fix EVERYTHING for the bank to
finance your loan. Some people just want a small discount on the
house and they will do their own repairs however, many times a
traditional bank will not allow you to do this! These small fixes
may add to the total price of the house.Also, expect to pay
Realtor fees, bank fees, filling fees, “point buy down” fees,
loan origination fees, closing costs, title fees, surveys,
appraisal fees, and anything else imaginable for which to be
charged. Though many of these fees can be rolled into your loan,
over the long term, you may be paying an extra 10% in unnecessary
Financing Fees that are loaded into your loan!What if there was a
quicker, easier, and less intrusive way to take your share of the
American Dream? What if you could look at homes without having to
pay a Realtor fee, pre-qualify for a loan, and go through a 3
month home buying process? After all, we ARE in a BUYER’S market
in Real Estate, so why shouldn’t we be able to buy?Consider the
possibility of declaring a New Rule. Instead of working with (and
paying for) a Realtor, why not work with the Seller directly?
Especially if that seller is a Professional Real Estate Investor
who is not only willing to sell the house in a quick and simple
matter, but is also will to FINANCE the sale of the house on a
short-term basis!Earlier in this eBook, we went over the process
of the Tradition Bank Financing. Now, we shall detail the 7 Easy
Steps of Purchasing Your Home with Owner Financing:
* Contact the Seller of the Home without having to pre-qualify
for a loan and look at the home to decide if you want to
purchase.
* Settle on a price
* Agree to a down-payment and interest rate
* Once you’ve agreed to a price, down payment, and interest rate,
complete a Deposit to Hold form and pay this 1% fee applicable to
the sales price of the property. This fee will take the property
off the market while you are closing on the home.
* Fill out credit application; provide 2 most recent paycheck
stubs and bank statements as proof that you can afford the
monthly payment.
* (Optional) If you chose, you can order your own home inspection
to review the condition of the home
* Close in 2-5 business daysBuying a home from a Professional
Real Estate Investor is quick and easy. Once you have settled on
the price and monthly payments, you have minimal paperwork to
complete and can close on the transaction within one week! The
following is a summary of some of the benefits of Owner Financing
compared with Traditional Bank Financing:
* In many cases, there is no minimum credit score required
* Instead of 10% Traditional Bank Finance Fees / Closing Costs,
your Owner Finance Fee averages to 5% of the transaction.
* Unlike Traditional Bank Financing, your down payment for Owner
Financing may come from almost anywhere (as long as it is a legal
way to raise the funds). You can borrow the money from family,
friends, others. There are also some tax incentives for you to
use part of your retirement savings. Either way, with Owner
Financing, you are allowed to raise your own down payment as you
see fit!
* You and the Owner Finance Seller will agree on a time to
“close” on the home and may close within 5 business days!
* Your Owner Finance loan is dependent on your down payment and
ability to pay the monthly payment and NOT on your credit or
having a W-2 Job. Therefore, Business Owners, Entrepreneurs,
Independent Contractors, and the Self-Employed may qualify for
Owner Financed Homes!
* You are not required to provide extensive documentation to
obtain your loanDue to the efficiency, simplicity, and cost
effectiveness, you can see why buying directly from an investor
with Owner Financing is the New Rule for Buying Homes. Owner
Financing interest rates may be a little higher than market price
when you initially purchase your home, however, this higher rate,
along with a sizeable down payment, will actually help you obtain
conventional financing at a lower rate down the road when you
decide to refinance!A good way to look at Owner Financing is that
is a solution to buying a home with short-term financing. Once
you have paid your Owner Financed note on time for say 12-24
months, it’s easier to refinance your existing note with a
traditional bank loan at a lower interest. It’s much quicker,
easier, and less intrusive to refinance a home into traditional
financing then it is to purchase a home with traditional
financing!The following example will detail the process and the
costs of owner financing:o John chooses to purchase a beautiful
home for $150,000 with a traditional bank loan. John’s credit
score is 590 and the bank will not loan him any money until his
credit score is at least 620. John understands the importance of
owning a home and wants to buy something now.
o John finds a home that is being offered for $150,000 with Owner
Financing. John has $15,000 to put down and wants to close in 5
business days. John’s new loan is at an 8.5% rate for 30 years
and the sellers would like John to refinance his loan in 24-36
months. John’s monthly payment is $1,350 and it includes
Principle, Interest, Insurance, and HOA fees. John is happy
because he can afford $1,350 per month and is able to take his
part of the American Dream!
o As John pays on time for, say, 24 months, John has an excellent
payment history with his current lender. John will also need to
be working on his credit in those 24 months to raise his score to
the current minimum of 620.
o When John approaches a traditional bank John will be able to
demonstrate the following:o John’s $15,000 down payment shows
that he has ‘skin in the game’ and is not just going to bail on
his house paymentso John CAN afford and has been paying $1,350 a
month at a 8.5% rate for his loano John’s credit score is now
above the minimum required 620o If John can afford $1,350 a month
at 8.5% interest, John can easily afford a $1,100 a month payment
at 6.5%!It is much easier to refinance a loan rather than trying
to get a loan for the original financing! Since you are already
in the house, there is no inspection required, no lengthily
closing procedures and there is no longer all that extra red tape
that is associated with buying a home with traditional
financing!As you can see, purchasing with Owner Financing can be
easily done and quickly closed for those who cannot use a
traditional bank loan but deserve to own a home now.SummaryIn
today’s market, due to tough economic times, there are many
people selling their properties. Yet, despite the fact that this
is a ‘buyer’s market’, it is tougher to buy a home with
Traditional Bank Financing than ever before. Following the old,
unwritten rules will lead you to a long and unhappy life in an
apartment complex. Motivated home seekers looking for their piece
of the American Dream are unable to achieve this great promise by
traditional and conventional means due to stringent lending
requirements initiated by the very same financial institutions
that gladly took over 1 billion of our tax dollars to bail them
out! Banks tightening up on their lending practices is causing a
shortage of homebuyers in the market. This is one of the biggest
reasons that real estate values continue to free fall because
there are not enough people who can qualify for available homes
while following the unwritten rules.Inspired home seekers,
looking to break away from the old rules and ready to write his
or her own New Rules to Home Ownership will be able to take
advantage of this buyer’s market, and with Owner Financing, you
will see more and more people purchasing homes. If you are in the
market to buy a home however, you cannot qualify for a
traditional loan, I strongly recommend you contact a company that
specializes in Owner Finance Homes.Stop drowning in the current
economy and create your own American Dream!
By: Tom
BukacekAbout the Author:
Tom Bukacek is currently one of the managing members and
founders of Endurable Property Solutions, a Real Estate
Investing Company with properties located in Arizona, Illinois,
and Texas. The focus of Endurable Property Solutions is mainly
pre-foreclosures, focusing on subject – to transactions, fix n
flips, and short sales, with over 100 short sales currently
being negotiated nationwide. For a list of properties available
in Austin, TX and surrounding areas, please visit
http://www.atxwesellhouses.com.
Tom also coaches clients and oversees the marketing and
operational functions for The Entrepreneurs-Incubator
([http://www.entrepreneurs-incubator.com]) (E-I). E-I
combines real estate investing, mentoring, all of the
marketing disciplines, advertising, creative design,
technical and web-based resources, and capital coaching to
build a custom-tailored, results-driven solution for its
clients.
Tom has his BSBA from the University of Nebraska (Omaha) and
his MBA from the University of Phoenix, as well as over two
years of training from one of the premier distressed asset
training organizations in the country. Tom’s first book on
real estate investing, tentatively titled “The Millionaire
Blueprint” is due out this summer.