Other than deferring capital gains taxes, are there any other major advantages for a seller to owner finance? Am trying to develop my “sales pitch” to potential owner financiers and need to know all of the perks so that I can present them to the sellers.
You’re doing this right by looking to meet objections in advance.
There’s lots of benefits, but you won’t know which one tickles the seller’s ‘fancy’ until you ask some questions first, even if you know all the benefits yourself. Not all benefits make an impact on the seller. So, we ask and listen for which ones that will work, and tailor our pitch accordingly.
On these types of deals, I would ask a number of questions of the seller as a matter of course. It takes a while for some sellers to actually tell the truth about why they’re selling. Some will come out immediately. Even then, I like to dig a little to confirm what they say. I assume all sellers are lying to me …since all sellers always lie to me… :beer
Back to the answer(s) to your question…
The seller can sell at a higher price…
The seller doesn’t have to depend on an appraisal…
The seller doesn’t have to wait for a closing…
The seller doesn’t have to pay off the loan…
The seller can sell ‘as is’…
The seller can receive more net proceeds from the sale by accepting interest payments over time, instead of a lump sum of cash…
The seller can get out of payment obligations today, rather than waiting…
The seller can bypass the normal costs of marketing, open houses, and current days on market to sell a similar house.
The seller can save the real estate commission…
Now, it’s time to figure out which benefits suits the seller in this case (or discover another one by asking questions…)
Think about this… If the seller agrees to carry back financing for say five years, might he not think after a few months, that it would be nice to get paid off early…? And wouldn’t that be just the greatest time to offer him an early payoff…? And wouldn’t it be great if the seller was in a jam, and ready to take 50% or ??? less than he was owed to get the money now, instead of later…? Crap happens, K…!
Back to motivations… If you can, it’s better to ask the seller enough questions to figure out what might create some motivation to finance you, that he hadn’t thought of.
I’m negotiating right now with a 90-year old man whose wife passed away 2 years ago. He spent a gob of money in upgrades on his house; insulated windows, tile, extra space, new hvac,etc.
He’s firm on a price that is at least 10% over market. The rents are .5 of the retail value, so the cash flow isn’t obvious here. The seller already knows that to get this price, he’s going to have to offer seller financing.
When I started asking questions about how he arrived at his price, he told me that’s what he’s got into the house, and if he can’t get it, he’ll just rent it. Well, I know that the rents on this house are $700/mo. I also know he’s not going to get his ridiculously over-retail price without knowing how to market like I know how to market.
So, he’s firm on price, but will consider financing, and his fall back position is getting 700/mo. That means he’ll net about $200/mo after taxes and ongoing repairs, since it costs an average of $2K a year to maintain a rental where I’m at. So, he’s gonna net $200/mo?
So, what’s my angle?
I go through the costs of renting with him. I go through the days on the market (180 days average in this area), I go through the comps (which he knows, but when I present them on paper, it makes more impact), I outline what he’ll net in rents after all is said and done, and the liabilities to renters…
So, what’s my offer?
I’ll offer him $700/mo seller financing, no down, no liabilities, no repairs, no responsibilities, I pay all the taxes, insurance, maintenance, management, no headaches, estate planning (and I failed to mention he’s already willing to finance the buyer for 20 years!).
So, if $700/mo and full price works… that means in six months, when he’s dead, I’ll be paying his daughter $700/mo. Well, of course, I’m gonna offer her $50k for cash right then, instead of her waiting until …2031 to get paid off.
It’s a beautiful thing. All because I took the time to listen, and then take the seller’s information and present him with some options and feedback, based on what he told me he would/wouldn’t do.
Now, what’s $700/mo in interest…? 3.7%, 30-years, fully amortized. Uh, not bad. No cash flow on rents. Nope. Down? None. Upside?
I can sell the house for exactly what I paid (10% over retail) charge 5.9% and make $200/mo just by selling on easy terms. Or I could ask for $10k “assumption fee.” Why not?
If I asked for the fee, it would mean $10k in pocket and $2400/year for as many years as I want to collect $2400. Hey, it pays for my gas on one car with no unnecessary risk or conventional nonsense.
Imagine how valuable my offer would be with a 10 years balloon, instead of a five year balloon. Imagine how much more valuable my offer would be, and the extra money I could get, if I didn’t require a balloon payment?
I hope this helps…
You’re on the right track here…!
:beer
Incredible Post, Jay! If you wrote an e-book or developed an owner financing course on how to acquire and flip owner-financed property, I would buy it, as that is my niche! I have yet to find a course that does a good job!