Great Tudor Charm

This energy-efficient home is located in the heart of South Park Hill, close to either Downtown Denver or the Anschutz Medical Campus at Fitzsimmons.

The kitchen has refinished 42" cabinets, new counter tops, and plenty of room in the pantry.  There is a breakfast nook and a formal dining room, with access to a quaint balcony that is perfect for enjoying your morning coffee.

Set within a well established neighborhood and on a tree lined street, this truly is your next home.

* this home is For Sale By Owner but you can schedule a showing by contacting John Keene, 303-547-7578.

View the virtual tour here.

Investing in Real Estate 9 - Scrapes, Pops and New Construction

This blog will discuss a type of real estate investment, scrapes, pops and new construction, in the South Park Hill area in Denver.

What this investment is:  Purchasing a small home in an expensive neighborhood that may or may not need work.  The home is bulldozed and a new home or duplex is put on the lot.  Alternatively, the existing home is renovated and more square footage is added on.  A pop-top is adding a second story to an existing home to add more square footage (commonly, a master bedroom suite).

Equity needed:  Being able to document your income and your assets will be critical.  For a commercial loan, your net worth should generally be at least as much as the loan you are seeking.  The good news is that the commercial loan usually does not show up on your credit report, so it doesn't count towards the "four investment home limitation" from Fannie / Freddie.

Importance of credit:  Essential.  A 720 FICO is a must.  A 740 would be better.

Importance of experience with contractors:  Critical.  If you have never done it before, start with an easier "paint and carpet" project to build your skills.  The more sophisticated the project, the better your contractor management skills must be to make money.  Not surprisingly, the simpler projects have lower profit margins than the complicated projects.  Make sure you can take the time to really focus on the project.  We run classes on how to do this from time to time.  Go to http://www.yourcastle.org/events.cfm to see when the next session is.

Important of experience with property managers:  Generally not important for this type of investment.

Investing in Real Estate 8 - Condo Conversions

This blog will discuss a type of real estate investment, fix and flips, in the South Park Hill area in Denver.

What this investment is:  A synthesis of the fix and flip and rental operations - purchasing an apartment building in a neighborhood dominated by owner occupants, then converting the building from apartment building to condominium.  Often requires renovation of the units to meet the expectations of owner-occupant buyers in that area.  Complex and time consuming, but has wonderful tax advantages compares to fix and flips and often has superior returns to all other asset classes.  Ideally suited for the sophisticated investor with extensive experience. 

Equity needed:  Being able to document your income and your assets will be critical.  For a commercial loan, your net worth should generally be at least as much as the loan you are seeking.  The good news is that the commercial loan usually does not show up on your credit report, so it doesn't count towards the "four investment home limitation" from Fannie / Freddie.

Importance of credit:  Essential.  A 720 FICO is a must.  A 740 would be better.

Importance of experience with contractors:  Critical.  If you have never done it before, start with an easier "paint and carpet" project to build your skills.  The more sophisticated the project, the better your contractor management skills must be to make money.  Not surprisingly, the simpler projects have lower profit margins than the complicated projects.  Make sure you can take the time to really focus on the project.  We run classes on how to do this from time to time.  Go to http://www.yourcastle.org/events.cfm to see when the next session is.

Important of experience with property managers:  Not important; the majority of our clients manage their own rentals when they get started.  Ideally you will have started with some smaller investment rentals and built property management experience.  Now, when you have to finally manage a property manager, it will be easy since you have done the job yourself in the past.

Investing in Real Estate 7 - Fix and Flips

This blog will discuss a type of real estate investment, fix and flips, in the South Park Hill area in Denver.

What this investment is:  Purchasing a home that needs work.  The scope can range from the basic "paint and carpet" to extensive overhauls to scraping a decrepit property and completely starting over.  Usually does not involve tenants, and the objective is to get in and out of the property as quickly as possible.  Great for beginners with the right skill sets or the willingness to learn.

Equity needed:  With hard money loans (defined in next paragraph), potentially 0% and they'll finance the construction costs, too.  Expect a LOT of strings to be attached.  A small local lender might give you 75% of the purchase price and the renovation budget, and the terms will be a lot more pleasant than the hard money option.  Or you can do 20% down and get a convention, non-owner occupied loan and pay for the renovation with cash or your Home Depot credit card.

Importance of credit:  If you get a hard money loan, your credit will not matter as much.  These are harder to find than they were last year.  If you get a traditional loan, it'll be a non-owner occupant loan, credit score will be very important.  A 720 FICO score would help a lot.  Being able to document your income and your assets will be critical.  A hard money lender will lend you money based on the value of the property you are purchasing.  If the property is worth $200,000 and you are able to purchase it for $150,000, a Hard Money Lender will probably give you a loan regardless of your down payment or credit score.  However, the fees and the interest rate will be much less desirable than more conventional forms of financing.  Hard Money Lenders can usually close very quickly, and from the Sellers' point of view, you are purchasing with Cash.

Importance of experience with contractors:  Critical.  If you have never done it before, start with an easier "paint and carpet" project to build your skills.  The more sophisticated the project, the better your contractor management skills must be to make money.  Not surprisingly, the simpler projects have lower profit margins than the complicated projects.  Make sure you can take the time to really focus on the project.  We run classes on how to do this from time to time.  Go to http://www.yourcastle.org/events.cfm to see when the next session is.

Important of experience with property managers:  Not important. 

Investing in Real Estate 6 - Lease Options

This blog will discuss a type of real estate investment, lease options, in the South Park Hill area in Denver.

What this investment is:  A lease option (L/O) is Acquiring control of a property (though not necessarily ownership), then leasing the property to a tenant.  The lease is bundled with an option, so the tenant can (but does not have to) purchase the property for a given price within a given time frame.  Again you are seeking a tenant for a property, but usually for a slightly longer term (12-18 months) and frequently (though not always) with the goal that the tenant purchase the property from you at the end of the lease.  If you purchase the property, then it's an easier process; if you find a highly motivated seller to let you re-lease the property to another tenant, it can be a lot of work to set up.  However, the re-lease method doesn't require any cash out of pocket and does not rely on your credit score, so it is appealing to many investors.  Great for beginners with the right skills and attitude.

Equity needed:  If you get seller financing, potentially just a few thousand dollars for your operating account.  If you purchase the property, 10% down (best case); more likely 20% down.

Importance of credit:  If you leverage seller carry, not important at all.  If you purchase the property, credit is important.  A 720 FICO score would help a lot.  Being able to document your income and your assets will be critical.

Importance of experience with contractors:  Some exposure would be helpful, but you are not likely to encounter construction projects any more difficult than you have maintaining your own personal residence.

Important of experience with property managers:  Not important; the majority of our clients manage their own rentals when they get started.  We run classes on how to do this from time to time.  Go to http://www.yourcastle.org/events.cfm to see when the next session is.

Investing in Real Estate 5 - Large (5+ unit) Apartment Building

This blog will discuss a type of real estate investment, large apartment buildings, in the South Park Hill area in Denver.

What this investment is:  Still targeting tenants for 6-12 months at a time, buildings with more than five units are considered "commercial" property.  The loans are more difficult to qualify for, and usually a larger down payment is needed.  Uncommon for the new investor; this is usually what landlords with several years of experience "trade up" to.  Cash flows on larger buildings are more stable than for smaller buildings, and the economies of scale make it practical (and desirable) to hire a property manager to take over most the work for you.  This takes reduces the hassle factor of the landlord process. 

Equity needed:  Being able to document your income and your assets will be critical.  For a commercial loan, your net worth should generally be at least as much as the loan you are seeking.  The good news is that the commercial loan usually does not show up on your credit report, so it doesn't count towards the "four investment home limitation" from Fannie / Freddie.

Importance of credit:  Essential.  A 720 FICO is a must.  A 740 would be better.

Importance of experience with contractors:  Some exposure would be helpful, but you are not likely to encounter construction projects any more difficult than you have maintaining your own personal residence.  We run classes on how to do this from time to time.  Go to http://www.yourcastle.org/events.cfm to see when the next session is.

Important of experience with property managers:  Not important; the majority of our clients manage their own rentals when they get started.  Ideally you will have started with some smaller investment rentals and built property management experience.  Now, when you have to finally manage a property manager, it will be easy since you have done the job yourself in the past.

Investing in Real Estate 4 - Small (2-4 units) Apartment Building

This blog will discuss a type of real estate investment, small apartment buildings, in the South Park Hill area in Denver.

What this investment is:  Purchase of duplex, triplex or quadplex to be rented to tenants, usually for 6-12 month terms.  Usually what the rental home / condo landlords graduate to.  In most markets they cost a little more than a rental home, but are much more likely to cash flow on the average month.  Less cash flow risk; if one unit is empty you have other tenants that still help you with the mortgage payment so it doesn't all come out of your pocket.  Many owners will start to delegate some of the property management tasks to an on-site assistant (typically the most responsible tenant), such as yard maintenance and showing empty units.  The financing process is only slightly more involved than a residential loan.  Relatively small down payment requirements make it affordable.  The purchase process is also very similar to purchasing a home.  It's a good way for beginners to get started.

Equity needed:  20% - 30% down would be typical.

Importance of credit: Very important.  A 720 FICO score would help a lot.  Being able to document your income and your assets will be critical.

Importance of experience with contractors:  Some exposure would be helpful, but you are not likely to encounter construction projects any more difficult than you have maintaining your own personal residence.

Important of experience with property managers:  Not important; the majority of our clients manage their own rentals when they get started.  If you get a property manager, you'll be able to figure it out easily on this small of a scale.  We run classes on how to do this from time to time.  Go to http://www.yourcastle.org/events.cfm to see when the next session is.