Aug 28
adminFinancing Financing, Home, Owner, Right, Sell

How To Owner Finance Your Home
You’ve seen the real estate ads in the classifieds section of the newspaper: “Owner Financing Available” or “Owner Will Carry”. An owner financed real estate transaction enables the buyer of the property to make payments directly to the seller.
This allows the buyer to purchase the real estate without having to apply for a mortgage from a bank or financial institution. The seller also has the option of selling the loan to an investor for cash.
Of course, there are lots of variables that work into a price offer including type of property, location, age of house, equity, is the buyer making the monthly payments, etc. These are just some of the things an investor likes to see. Investors buy all sorts of real estate notes and deeds of trust. Every house is different, every loan is different and every deal is different. Use the above list to make the loan more attractive to an investor.
ADVANTAGES OF OWNER FINANCING THE SALE
Sell Your Property For Your Desired Asking Price
A buyer may be perfectly happy to pay market value (and maybe more) for a house that requires a smaller down payment and that a bank won\’t help them finance.
Charge a Higher Interest Rate Than a Bank Would Give
By charging a higher interest rate than a bank (say 7.5 – 8.5%) you are, in effect, increasing the overall sales price of the property, and making the note more attractive for an investor.
Faster Sell
You can sell a home with owner financing a lot quicker than with bank financing and there can be tax advantages in spreading the buyer’s payments out over time (talk with an accountant about that).
Great Monthly Cash Flow Investment
Many owners simply like the idea that they can receive a monthly income and a high interest rate from a property even after they have sold it – and no longer have to worry about repairing leaky roofs or replacing dead water heaters.
Sell The Note To An Investor
A seller who owner financed the deal also has the option of selling that note to an investor for cash either right after closing or after waiting a number of months or years (give me a call or email and I can get you more information about selling your note).
DISADVANTAGES OF OWNER FINANCING THE SALE
Cash At Sale = Small Down Payment
Seller receives only a small or even no down payment.
Buyer Won’t Pay
The seller takes the risk that the buyer will not make payments and will have to be foreclosed on. (Forte Properties uses a loan sevicing company to act as an intermediary when selling Owner Financed homes in Austin Texas.)
Due-On-Sale Clause
If I owner finance my house won’t I activate the Due-On-Sale Clause in my mortgage and if I’m only getting a small down payment and monthly installments how will I pay the bank loan back?
The Due-on-Sale Clause is a provision in a mortgage or deed of trust that allows the lender to demand immediate payment of the balance of the mortgage if the mortgage holder sells the home. It is probably the most talked about, feared and misunderstood topic in real estate.
You can also do a simultaneous closing, where a few days after the close of the house with the buyer you receive a check for the note from an investor.
If you’re going to owner finance your home and you know you want to sell the note this is a great way of doing it because the investor is there for the whole process and you don\’t have to start over again 6 months later with another appraisal, inspection, credit check, etc.
REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS – Providing owner financing could mean the difference in having your client sell their house quickly or having it sit on the market for months, years or not selling it at all.
Asking a seller to offer owner financing to buy their home can be a tricky proposition. Sellers often reject the suggestion of owner financing because nobody has explained the benefits or proposed owner financing as a way to sell the home. Most sellers’ knowledge is limited to traditional bank mortgages.
http://www.GreatHomesTexas.com – Austin Owner Finance Specialists
Aug 20
adminFinancing Business, Capital, Finance, Help, Loans, Small, Working

The Working Capital Journal is one of several commercial financing resources which should be reviewed regularly by small business owners to assist in keeping up with the imposing difficulties posed by rapid changes in the business finance funding climate. As noted below, there have been some surprising actions taken by lenders as a direct result of recent financial uncertainties. The increasingly complex and confusing environment for working capital finance is likely to produce several unexpected challenges for commercial borrowers.
The working capital finance industry has primarily been operating on a regional and local basis for many years. In response to cost-cutting that has permeated many industries, there has been a consolidation that has resulted in fewer effective commercial lenders throughout the United States. Most business owners have been understandably confused about what this might mean for the future of their commercial financing efforts, especially because this has happened in a relatively short period of time.
Of course, for some time there have been ongoing complex problems for commercial borrowers to avoid when seeking commercial loans. But what has produced a new set of business finance funding problems is that we appear to be entering a period which will be characterized by even more uncertainties in the economy. With little advance notice by lenders, previous standards and rules for working capital finance and commercial financing are likely to increasingly change.
With the current realization that substantial changes are likely in the near future for commercial finance funding throughout the United States, business owners should make an extended effort to understand what is happening and what to do about it. At the forefront of these efforts should be a review of what actions commercial lenders have already taken in recent months. The Working Capital Journal is one prominent example of a free public resource that will facilitate a better understanding of the responses by business lenders to recent economic circumstances.
By publicizing actions taken by commercial lenders, this will contribute to these two goals, both of which are likely to be helpful to typical business owners: (1) To assist in eliminating or reducing questionable lending practices by highlighting controversial lending tactics. (2) To help business owners prepare for commercial finance funding changes. Sources that currently include The Working Capital Journal are actively encouraging business owners to describe and report their financing experiences so that they can be shared with a broader audience to assist in this effort. Some of the most significant commercial financing changes reported so far by commercial borrowers involve working capital loans, commercial construction financing and credit card financing. A notable situation of concern is that predatory lending practices by credit card issuers have been reported by many business owners. Because they have been excluded from obtaining any new business financing by many banks, some specific businesses such as restaurants are having an especially difficult time recently.
One of the few recent bright spots in business finance funding, as noted in The Working Capital Journal, has been the continuing ability of business owners to obtain working capital quickly by business cash advance programs. For most businesses accepting credit cards, this commercial financing approach should be actively considered. Business cash advances are literally saving the day for many small business owners because most banks appear to be doing a terrible job of providing commercial loans and other working capital finance help in the midst of recent financial and economic uncertainties. For example, as noted above, restaurants are virtually unable to currently obtain commercial finance funding from most banks. Fortunately, restaurants accepting credit cards are in a good position to obtain needed cash from credit card receivables financing and merchant cash advances.
Aug 12
adminFinancing Business, Financing, Small

If there were only two reasons for a business to fail they would be poor financing and poor management or planning. You can’t over-emphasize the importance of financing your business. Financing the business is not a one time activity as some might think. It is necessary whenever the need arises such as when expanding, modernizing etc. At this stage you need to understand the importance of exercising extreme caution and plan the utilization of capital. A wrong decision here can haunt your for the life of your business.
Are You Sure You Want To Raise External Funds?
For start-ups, it’s understandable that you need to raise capital through loans. But what about expansions and upgrades? Make sure that external financing is an absolute must before you apply. It is critical that you organize your finances at transitional stages but only after you make sure that you can’t do it yourself, either permanently or for some time. Equally important are the criteria of risk, the cost of not financing and how well it contributes to specific and overall goals of the company.
FINANCING TYPES
Equity Financing: Equity financing involves selling off of your shares (mostly partially) in return for cash and giving away that portion of ownership and rights to profits. Equity financing can be sought from private investors or venture capitalists. This brings about proper capitalization opening access to debt financing. Equity finance doesn’t need to be returned like loans unless your partner wants to withdraw.
Debt Financing: Debt financing is loan financing against some kind of guarantee of repayment. The guarantee can be collateral, a personal guarantee or a promise. Lenders restrict the use of debt finance to inventory, equipment or real estate. You need to properly structure the debt and the rule of thumb for doing so is giving long term debt for fixed asset loans and short term for working capital. The reason is that fixed assets generate cash flow over their lifetimes and have the benefit of lower interest rates as opposed to working capital loans.
Sources of Finance:
You can choose finance sources depending on your circumstances and the amount required.
1. Family and Friends: Small and short-term working capital requirements can be financed quickly through your own resources or through family and friends. The benefit here is the absence of the interest component (mostly.) This method of raising finances is handy even in early stages of business. You should be mindful, though, that disputes over money are the main reason that close relationships turn sour.
2. US Small Business Administration: This is the most prominent source for debt financing. The SBA doesn’t lend money directly but organizes and guarantees loans through various lenders and sources under its umbrella. Local governments, banks, private lenders, etc. disburse loans immediately to businesses approved by the SBA. SBA loans are available for various business purposes and at the lowest interest rates available.
3. Venture capital: Raising venture capital is organizing financing through selling shares whose value equals the finance you require. Essentially this means selling a portion of the ownership and control rights. It is essential that a proper valuation of your business’s worth is made before the deal is done.
Financing a business shouldn’t be hard provided you have established your credentials as a good manager, have collateral/assets, a convincing cash flow statement, genuine need, a proven track record, good credit history and a robust plan. This should not just save your business from collapsing but also allows it to grow and succeed.
Jul 27
adminFinancing Avoid, Business, Financing, investment, Mistakes, Opportunity

By devoting extra caution and time, commercial borrowers can avoid serious business opportunity investment financing mistakes. The most obvious benefit will be to reduce the potential for critical commercial loan problems, both now and throughout the life of the business financing terms arranged.
A key factor that distinguishes business opportunity financing from other forms of business financing is the lack of commercial property ownership. Although the transaction will usually involve a long-term lease agreement, the buyer is acquiring a business that does not include real estate in the purchase price.
The two mistakes described in this article are more typical than expected by most commercial borrowers. While we will not be addressing all possible business opportunity financing problems in this article, we will include two of the most severe issues to anticipate and avoid.
Length of Business Financing -
A common mistake when acquiring a business opportunity is to finance the acquisition with business financing that expires within two to five years. One reason for this occurring is the failure to negotiate a longer-term lease, since it is typical for financing terms to expire with the lease.
A viable solution is to insist on a lease that is at least ten years long. This will facilitate business finance terms that can typically be for a ten-year period. One key factor that limits business opportunity financing to a ten-year period is due to the absence of commercial real estate collateral.
Use of Excessive Seller Financing -
Although nominal seller financing (such as 10-20%) can be helpful to a business financing transaction, attempts to finance either entirely or primarily with seller financing are generally inadvisable. There are several different issues which can result in this being a serious mistake.
If a seller is providing most or all of the business acquisition financing, a formal appraisal might not be obtained. While this appears to offer the advantage of saving the cost of such an appraisal, it also eliminates an important method of determining if the purchase price is appropriate. It is also not uncommon for a seller to have acquired a business appraisal that is used to substantiate the purchase price for the business they are selling. An appraisal financed by the seller is not likely to be an independent business value estimate.
An additional restriction when using excessive seller financing is that it typically will cover a period of three years or less. This will necessitate refinancing within a period that is not always practical to do so. A loan history up to 48 months will be required by some lenders prior to refinancing a business opportunity loan.
Solutions and Strategies for Avoiding Business Opportunity Investment Loan Mistakes -
Business borrowers should thoroughly discuss options with a business financing expert before proceeding with investing and financing programs. These efforts will be worthwhile since the potential business finance mistakes described above can be overcome successfully. Borrowers should seek out advisors capable of providing candid solutions in their efforts to obtain a better picture of complicated business opportunity financing possibilities.
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