AZREIA Advantage: The Real Estate Investment Specialists
Part 2 – Fix n Flip vs. Buy & Hold (cont’d)
In Part 1 of this article series we discussed some of the pros and cons, along with some commonly overlooked variables and costly mistakes many newcomers make when it comes to fixing and flipping houses. In Part 2, I want to discuss how those who create true wealth, do so by leveraging their assets to ensure long term growth as opposed to trying to make a quick buck flipping houses.
Question? Do you know the rate of return you’re getting right now from your real estate investments? If not, that’s ok. You’re not alone. Most people have no idea. So what I’d like to do is illustrate the type of returns you could and should be getting by using some simple math…
Let’s say you and I came across 2 identical houses. They sit right next door to each other. They are both priced at $200,000, and we’re each going to buy one and rent them out. I decide to pay all cash ($200k) for mine and you put 20% down ($40k) and take out a conventional mortgage for the remaining $160k at 4.5 to 5% interest. We’re now both collecting monthly rents. I have no loan. And you have a loan for $160,000.
So, who has more positive cash flow?
Well, I have $200k negative cash flow from day one, which no amount of rent will ever recover quickly. This brings me to my first point that positive cash flow can be a HUGE misnomer. Granted, this isn’t likely to happen, but to keep the math simple, let’s just say both properties go up in value by 10% or $20k, in the first year. What is the rate of return in year one for each of us? By dividing the return of $20k by the amount invested, we can see that I would generate a 10% return on my investment. However, you would generate five times that amount for a 50% return, because you only paid $40,000 for the property and you have a tenant paying off the other 80%. So, who really has the higher rate of return? Obviously, you do!
The third and final point I’d like to make, is that both houses will double in value over a period of time. It may take up to 15 years or even more, but I’m sure we both agree that at some point, both will double in value. At which point, both houses will be worth $400,000, and I will have made $200k. BUT, you could, and probably would, buy five more houses by leveraging that same $200k, which would produce a combined value of $1 Million or more.
So, the BIG TAKEAWAY is that you want to take the money you have and leverage it as many times as you can.
In Part 3 of this article series, we’ll be using data directly from the Multiple Listing Service to emphasize the true potential of this strategy. We will also further demonstrate that if you’re not making at least a 40% to 60% Annual Return on your real estate investment, you’re probably doing something wrong!
In the meantime, whether you are a fix and flipper or a buy and hold investor, there is no better way to locate and research profitable real estate deals than our Smart Map Comping System. Smart Map is provided as a free service to our clients. Be sure to visit www.TheEquityFinders.com for complete details.
– Laura Leatherdale, The Equity Finders/Realty One Group