The Seller Finance Solution

Seller financing can be a great way to get a house sold without slashing the price. By recognizing the millions of people who can't get traditional financing as potential buyers, resourceful property sellers (and their real estate agents) can minimize their time investment in getting a property sold. Even better, sellers who offer financing can usually get a higher asking price for their property, even in the slowest markets. Clearly this is a win-win situation.

Most home sellers never consider financing the buyer directly because they are not aware of the benefits or don't fully understand how creating a note works. Let's take a closer look at the advantages of owner finance.

Three Advantages

Seller financing is very powerful when the market is slow or when there are many similar houses on the market. Just listing the house as "OWC" - Owner Will Carry - will make the house stand out and attract more buyers. Because many individuals cannot get funding from a bank, offering financing will open the doors to these prospective customers as well, essentially significantly increasing the pool of potential buyers. So, advantage #1 is MORE BUYERS.

Seller financing also brings the property seller another critical advantage . the likelihood of selling for a higher price. Offering to carry back a note will not only greatly increase the number of potential buyers, but also bring a unique demographic of buyers who are willing to pay more for a given property than the general population. Advantage #2: MORE MONEY.

Additionally, when the property seller finances the buyer, they get to act as "the bank". That means they could structure the deal to collect interest. Over time, if the seller holds on to their note, this can add up to tens of thousands of dollars in additional income. Advantage #3: LONG TERM PROFIT.

The Seller's Strategy

Even when these benefits to "carryback" lending are made clear, many sellers are still hesitant to offer financing because they are entering unfamiliar territory. It's a natural, human response -- everyone is uncomfortable with new things.

For many property sellers, considering owner financing when they've only dealt with buyers via traditional funding is definitely "thinking outside the box". But once sellers understand the process, they are likely to choose seller financing instead of the unattractive option of cutting the listed price or waiting indefinitely for the "right buyer".

A seller-financed real estate sale is simply a real estate transaction where the seller acts as "the bank" or lending institution. The seller sets the sales price, determines and accepts a down payment, and then finances the remaining balance. The final step is the part that may scare some sellers, but in actuality, it can be very simple. Here is an example.

If the sales price is $100,000.00, and the buyer gives the seller $10,000.00 cash (the agent's fee will be deducted from this down payment), the seller will finance the balance of $90,000.00. The buyer and seller would then agree to the terms, such as the interest rate and the total term, and use an attorney to create the mortgage document and close the deal. From that point on, the buyer sends the seller monthly payments for the house he/she has just purchased.

Special Circumstances (and a Solution)

The whole process can really be that simple. But, there are some substantial differences between a seller-financed deal and one that relies on traditional bank funding.

First of all, the seller in this example does not receive a large, one-time payment at the time of the sale. In fact, they will only receive the down payment, and in some situations, most of that will go towards paying the real estate agent's fee. On the other hand, the seller will be receiving monthly payments at a decent interest rate, but this income stream can't be used as a down payment for a new house.

Since many home sellers are also looking to buy another property, the seller will need to get enough at closing to pay their own down payment. Without this payment, the seller's hands will be tied when they look to purchase another house and need to have a substantial amount of funds available. There is a common solution to this issue, however.

The Solution

In order to get the money the seller needs from the loan they just created, the seller could sell the monthly note payments to a specialist buyer for a lump sum of cash. If the seller finds someone willing to buy the payments, now they can "have their cake and eat it too".

In summary..............

Step one: Use the seller finance option to find unique customers willing to buy the house at a higher price than would have been possible otherwise and complete the real estate transaction quickly.

Step two: Decide on the terms of the deal and create the note.

Step three: If the property seller needs immediate cash to buy another house or for any other reason, their new incoming payment stream can be resold. The person who buys the future payments from the seller will provide the funding to act as a down payment on a new house, and every party involved in the deal comes out smiling.

Future Payments or Cash Now...

Creative home sellers who offer seller financing to potential buyers can often sell their houses more quickly (and at a higher price) in a slow market.

While applying seller financing techniques isn't more difficult than traditional real estate sales, it is important to recognize that the buyers looking for seller financing represent a different target market than typical bank-financed customers.

Similarly, the process for obtaining a large cash payment for the seller after a note is created varies from the conventional real estate closing technique as well.

Fulfilling a Seller's Need for Cash

In some seller-financed real estate situations, the property owner may have an immediate need for more cash than is available from the scheduled principal and interest payments. This situation often comes about when the seller needs to have enough money to use as a down payment for their next real estate purchase.

In order to quickly obtain a large proportion of the money due from the loan they just created, the seller could sell the monthly note payments to a buyer for a lump sum of cash. By locating someone willing to buy the note payments, the seller will have ready cash for a down payment or any other pressing financial need.

In order to streamline the seller finance sale situation, it is advisable to have potential buyers for the newly-created cash flow at the ready. A seller can start looking for buyers before the note is created, or even before a seller-financed buyer is "lined up". This way, the property seller could have a buyer for the payment stream ready to make the purchase as soon as the new private mortgage is created.

Locating the Right Note Buyer

But what is the best method to find these note buyers? In stark contrast to locating seller-finance buyers for the real estate itself, a classified ad in the paper is not the best option. Most people looking to purchase a stream of monthly payments do not look in the newspaper for potential cash flows to add to their portfolios. An alternate marketing strategy is required for finding note buyers.

In recent years, the Internet has become the best place to find cash flow purchasers. Using keywords such as "buy monthly payments" or "buy mortgage payments" at a popular search engine website should lead to many interested buyers.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

1. What is a note?

1. A written document that states a promise to pay, and the terms which include the amount, interest rate and length of time in which to fulfill this promise.

2. What if I want cash now instead of waiting 30 years to get paid back?

1. That's where I come in. I work with investors who are interested in purchasing your note (or your client's note) from you so you can have the money you need. This way, you don't have to worry about late payments or non-payment any longer!

3. How much is this going to cost me?

1. There is no charge to you, the note holder.

4. How long will it take before I get my money?

1. All deals vary, but normal closing time is 2 to 3 weeks once we have lined up a buyer.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us. Either I or my staff will be happy to help you.