Return on investment (ROI) is a term you hear frequently, usually in relation to business and finance. The goal is to maximize return on the money you invest. Return on investment is a popular metric because it is versatile and simple to use. If an investment does not have a positive ROI or if there are alternative investment opportunities with a higher ROI, the investment should not be undertaken. Return on investment is used in our situation to describe the monetary gain made by investing in some type of investment property. There are a variety of properties that can be used to gain a reasonable return on investment.

Return on investment isn’t necessarily the same as profit. ROI deals with the money you invest in the property and the return you realize on that money based on the net profit coming from the rent.

Real estate Investing is a serious endeavor. In a market climate that favors buyers, it’s tempting to jump in the wagon of real estate investors and join in the hunt for the best property. Potential investors must realize that the search will probably be long and hard to acquire the property most suited to their investment needs. To generate positive ROI, numerous offers will be made to sellers with most being objected, but the goal is to buy the investment property at a wholesale price, not asking.

Real estate markets around the world are experiencing challenges related to a property cycle slump. But with these challenges come the opportunities of a lifetime for investors who have clear understanding of finding the proverbial “diamonds in the rough”.

Selling a property will likely be a taxable event, so it’s important to be prepared with a strategy for this. Do you have an accountant, financial planner, and/or lawyer in place? Sellers expect to be negotiated down a little and they add that to the asking price in most cases, so smart investors should know to set their first offer BELOW what they are hoping to pay.

Return on a secure investment can be determined, but to do so, one must get the big picture and then drill down to the minutest detail. Remember, owning property will usually involve investing a large chunk of money, so best to check everything up front to avoid problems in the future. A simple example of ROI is say we invest 100 dollars in stock and we would be happy with a 15% ROI in the following year we would have $115, meaning the ROI was $15.

Costs and ROI present three effective calculations: the benefit-cost ratio, the ROI percentage, and the payback period. Costs and ROI include all the challenges and concerns regarding the use of ROI. Costs divided by monthly benefits yield the number of months to the initial payback.

Capital gains taxes become lower, if you hold an investment for more than one year. So if you are in the 35% tax bracket, you pay the same percentage tax on an investment, if you hold it less than a year, but if you hold it for more than a year, your capital gains tax is only 15%. Capital recovery horizon is the time that a project will need to generate enough benefits to recover the original investment. This is an often forgot cost in calculating the ROI of an investment property, so attention to detail must be maintained even until the property is sold.

In these days and times, there are many instances of people taking loans to buy property and being unable to pay back the mortgage. This is where the lenders are left with properties that they have to re-possess from the defaulting buyers and then sell it through a loss mitigation department. These repossessed properties are known as REO properties and cannot be auctioned openly on account of which these are sold at rates much lower than market rates. Given the vast selection and choice available, investors can have a gala time looking at acquiring such investment property.

While REO properties could be rather cheap, they are not for everyone as they are not sold in the open market through auctions. By definition, REO properties lack equity and also come with some built-in risks especially when one is buying a investment property in ‘as-is’ condition. Most lenders who are stuck with re-possessed property would be interested in getting rid of the property as soon as possible in order to recover part of the costs that remains sunk in the property. Similarly, lenders are not interested in paying management costs which means that they are willing to sell the properties at prices that are way below market rates.

REO properties are sent to the bank and generally do not carry a mortgage on them any longer. They are foreclosed in nature, but cannot be sold at an auction. These do not have any disclosure purposes that make them sticky as also the fact that they do not have liability releases too. While these are listed for sale with real estate agents, in most cases the fact that the lender has no clue about the home releases the person from all liability. The recession has hammered away at the prices of these properties and ensured that these are being sold at very reasonable and sometimes unbelievably low rates.

Banks have a responsibility of the upkeep of REO properties and are a drain on the finances of the back. This is one of the main reasons as to why banks are willing to sell them in as ‘as-is’ condition with the requirement that one thoroughly inspect the property to know the rehabilitation costs. It is true that for every single day that a property lies vacant, the bank has to spend on it, not to mention the opportunity costs involved.

Lenders are willing to set up special agreements for a buyer’s interest to purchase a ‘package’ of REO’s rather than a single property. Lenders have no interest in owning property, and thus usually opt to list their REO properties with a local real estate broker in hopes of a retail sale. Yet with increasing frequency, REO properties are being sold for pennies or dimes on the dollar.

Buyers attempting to buy foreclosed properties will need to understand a few basic principals, because the competition on a well-priced REO can be intense. A well-priced REO will draw multiple offers and your competition may well include professional investors. Buyers can either opt for direct loans or guaranteed loans here. Direct loans are funded directly by the government under its rural housing plan. Buyers are required to pay in cash at the auction and they have little chance to inspect the investment property before purchase, so REO becomes a better option. However the public auction presents the opportunity of some of the best bargains and saves you the trouble of dealing directly with the lender, jumping through their hoops.

The concept of seller financing has caught on quite fast and is very beneficial to those who are planning to buy their first Dallas investment property. It also helps those people who are unable to get a loan from the normal or traditional route. One does not have to deal with financial institutions and since the interest rates are low, you would find that it facilitates investment property purchase. It is possible to even refinance and sell as well as build credit while refinancing for lower payment. Sellers are able to take the 30 year rate and put a spread on it. Given the current real estate market sellers have made seller financing widespread and regular so the process has become quite standardized too.

Sellers want a fast closing with little hassle. Sellers also want to pay as little taxes as possible on the gains incurred. Sellers are anxious to sell; and in a sluggish real estate market, owner-financing is an attractive alternative to losing money while properties sit vacant. Otherwise, homes can remain on the market for years with owners either making mortgage payments out of pocket or renting. Sellers may consider 100% owner financing (also called rent to own home listings) or partnering with the right buyer of Dallas investment property for a win/win outcome.

When sellers offer seller financing to buyers, they in effect make it easier for buyers to purchase the property thus enhancing buyer interest. In these times, sellers should be helping buyers buy the property which is in sharp contrast to the opinion expressed by some sellers that financing shouldn’t be a seller’s concern. There are cases where sellers help in contributing 6% of the sales price which facilitates first time buyers’ completion on the sale of their first investment property.

One of the key advantages of seller financing is that sellers and buyers are spared the rigors of dealing with a financial institution and hence there are hardly any problems in facilitating the sale. In the normal course, buyers can get as much as 50-60% financing, with a lower interest rate and a much longer amortization period. But the sellers must be aware of various rules and regulations like by-laws, insurance policies and budgets and also rules and regulations which could be reviewed by lending underwriters. There has to also be a knowledge that the property’s master association should allow a sale in the first place, or else the sale cannot occur.

Seller financing is a loan in which the buyer assumes the seller’s mortgage while the loan stays in the seller’s name. The buyer becomes the owner of the Dallas investment property when the seller signs the grant bargain, sale deed, or other specific device to transfer the property. Sellers that have built up equity in their home usually don’t feel like waiting around 30 years to see a return on their money come out of the investment property. For these situations the interest is often set up on a balloon payment. Sellers also want to pay as little taxes as possible on the gains incurred. In numerous cases, the seller can have most of his needs satisfied by an installment sale rather than a conventional cash sale.