Friday, July 20, 2007

Fixer uppers and flipping homes

So you are thinking of buying a fixer upper, fixing it and reselling it. The key is in planning, good estimating. The oft heard phrase "Buyer Beware" is never more appropriate than when considering the purchase of a fixer-upper. You must know exactly what you*re getting into before buying.
It*s commonly believed that fixer-upper properties represent easy money that is ripe for the taking - that you can buy it, do a little work on it in your spare time, then flip it (sell it) and make lots of money. This isn't the case most of the time. Although, with proper planning and thought, money can be made by buying *fixer uppers*. And for many first time buyers who intend to live in the house while working on it, buying a fixer-upper can be a great option. By buying a fixer upper you get sweat equity. You will gain equity in the home by bringing it up to normal standards. The key is to buy a home below market price and to be able to put less money into it than a comparable good home. If you can buy a ready to move in home (in top shape) for $200,000 and you want to buy a fixer upper for $150,000. Then you should not have to spend more than $25,000 to fix it up to make it a deal. It*s also less risky buying a fixer-upper when you can live in the house while fixing it. And of course, by living in the house for at least 24 months you should qualify for the IRS exemption of no capital gains. The most important thing to know before making a decision on such a purchase is what needs to be fixed. Do a spreadsheet. Jot down all the costs. Give yourself a cushion for unseen expenses. Any time you are spending money on improving a home with the notion of selling it later, strive to spend your money on things that buyers can easily see. Things like new paint and removing trash from the property cost little but have instant impact on curb appeal. Simple landscaping is the best. Landscaping does not bring a large return. Houses that have only cosmetic problems like peeling paint, an overgrown yard, shag or worn carpet or lots of wallpaper are the best bet. Fixing and cleaning cosmetic issues is fairly easy and inexpensive. It virtually always gives a good return on investment, particularly when you can do the work yourself. Kitchen and bathroom remodeling usually pays a nice return. Don*t be afraid of buying a fixer-upper in need of this kind of repair. Again the key is don*t go over the top. Do a good job, a nice job. But if it is a $100,000 house you don*t want to put in Granite counter tops and a jetted tub. Properties with structural damage, or a floor plan that requires major work to remedy, may not be "fixed up" at a profit. If you do not have construction experience or done a fixer upper before. Have an inspection for hidden damage performed by a home inspector, a friend that has experience, or construction professional before buying a fixer-upper. Michigan purchase agreements have inspections clauses in them; make sure you use that clause when doing a fixer upper. Then be sure to negotiate to try and get the seller to pay for all or part of the cost of needed repairs uncovered by the inspection (that were unseen). Often, sellers will be willing to lower the sales price to sell the home "as is" instead of paying for the repairs. Give the seller three choices, fix it themselves, hire a contractor to fix it, or reduce the sales price so you can fix it. Be careful that you don*t over pay. Especially if you plan to resell quickly, paying too much up front can doom your plans for quick profit. Research the market for reselling and have an exit plan for selling the house in place before making an offer. Remember when buying a fixer upper to put in the cost of paying a realtor to re sell it. Many people forget this. They have figured a $6,000 profit but forgot about the selling commission.
What about the cost of the mortgage and interest? If you aren*t living in the home, the mortgage payment is a cost! If it is going to take 4 months to fix it up then figure the payment as an expense. A $1500 payment adds up. In four months it is $6000 of profit eaten up. What happens if the house doesn*t sell right away? What happens if you have to sit on the house for 10 months? At $1500 a month then $15,000 of your profit is gone.If you are not going to live in the home there is one last thing item to remember is that if it is a second home, or investment property (in Michigan) you do not get the homestead exemption. Your taxes are going to be much higher. Approximately 40% higher. You have to figure that in as a cost also.
Good luck and happy house hunting.

For more tips on buying and selling Michigan homes or any home go to www.russravary.com

Search Michigan Real estate

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Appraisal Myths and facts

Myth: An appraisal determines your sales price. Did you know that one appraiser can appraise a Wayne county home and come up with one price and another different appraiser can appraise the same Wayne county home and come up with a totally different price. A third one can come up with a third price. They may never come up with the same price with they all appraise one Michigan house for sale. The appraisal process is very subjective. That is why it is better not to pay for an appraisal and use a CMA, comparative market analysis.
Myth: An appraisal is a guarantee of what my house is worth. My lender used the appraisal three years ago and the house was worth more than you are saying it is worth now. If your appraiser said your Oakland county home was worth $300,000 two years ago it was because there were homes similar to your that were selling for that price. Unfortunately Michigan house prices have fallen in 2006 and 2007. So many Michigan houses for sale were over priced when they went on the market in 2007.

Fact: An appraisal is a tool that lenders use to find out if the value of the home is there to give a loan out. Appraisers are licensed by the state and take continuing education classes. In Michigan appraisers have over 2000 hours of schooling and internship under another appraiser. The lender does not ask for a guarantee of value they are looking for a professional opinion.

Fact: Sometimes appraisals are rejected by the bank. Banks have other appraisers that double check the appraisal. If that appraiser feels the value is not there then they give a different value and the original appraisal may not be used.

So when you are ready to price your Michigan Home whether it is a Livingston county home, a Wayne county, a Washtenaw county home, or Wayne county home call me(russ ravary) to get you a CMA of your home. That way you will have the necessary information to price your home. It will give you what is for sale locally, what homes that are similar in size, style, and condition have sold for recently. That will give you the information to make a sound decision.

To get more information on selling your home go to my website http://www.russravary.com/ or search Michigan homes for sale

Thursday, July 5, 2007

appraisals

When to order an appraisal

You have completed the loan application, put in a purchase offer. When do you order an appraisal? You order an appraisal after the home inspection. You don't want to order and pay for an appraisal until the house passes inspection. If the house fails inspection you don't order the appraisal until you have a signed addendum stating the the seller will do the repairs, give you a lower price, or you accept the house as is. Then you order the appraisal

Appraisals are performed for the benefit of the lender. They are trying to justify the loan amount based on the appraised value. The appraiser will have a copy of the Purchase agreement. (contract). The typical cost of an appraisal is $275 - $350 and is normally paid to the lender upfront by the borrower. Appraisers charge more for rental properties, FHA appraisals, and multi family properties. Commercial appraisals start at $1500 and go up to $5000

An appraisal is subjective. One appraiser may come up with one value and another may come up with a totally different value. An appraisal is not what the house should sell for, it is a educated estimate of value using different value approachs.The most common way an appraisal is done is that the subject house ( the house being bought) is compared to 3-5 homes that are similar in style, size, and location that have sold in the last 6 months. So your appraisal is based on homes that have sold recently that are like yours and near yours!

STYLE By style I mean they compare ranches with ranches. They will not compare a ranch to a colonial. ( or 2 story)

SIZE, AGE By size I mean they compare square footage, number of bedrooms, bath rooms, age, garage, ammenities. Your home may be 1200 sq ft 2 bedroom,1.5 bath, built in 1999, with a 2 car garage. One of the ones that sold may be 1200 sq ft, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, built in 1952, with a 1 car garage. The appraiser has a general formula that he uses to give value to a 3 bedroom versus a 2 bedroom, A home built in 1999 is worth more than one built in 1952 so more value is given to the 1999 home. This gets very complex. What the lender is looking for from the appraiser is that he is not giving some ridiculous value to say the garage or the age. Remember very little value is given to updates. Bigger value would be given to an addition or a garage.

Location If it is in the city lenders like to see the comparable sold homes that the appraiser is using to be within a half a mile. Without crossing main roads or railroad tracks. This common sense, because if you cross a main road the houses can be totally different. The lender wants the appraiser to use the houses closest to the subject property. So if a similar house sold on the same street the appraiser is supposed to use it.That is how many times appraisals are different. Appraisers may be using different comparables (sold houses) and may be using a little different adjustments for the value of a three bedroom home versus a two bedroom home. It gets even more difficult when homes are not selling, or there are very few comparables close by. They sometimes have to go further away and futher back in time. Up to a year ago.

Appraisals are reviewed by the bank. Sometimes the bank has a review department in house or they pay another appraiser to review the appraisal. So there are checks and balances in the system.

What happens is your house does not appraise for the sales price ? Most houses do but every once in a great while one won't.Either the appraiser appraised it for less than the sales price or sometimes the bank rejects the value of the appraisal and will come back with a lower value of the house. What the means to you the buyer is that the sales price must be reduced or you have to bring more money to the table. For example you bought a home for $200,000 and you are borrowing 100%. The bank or the appraiser says it is only worth $190,000. The bank is only going to loan $190,000. You either have to go back to the seller and renegotiate the price or you have to come up with $10,000.

VA Appraisals: If you are getting either of these government mortgages, the appraiser will not only look at valuation but will also look at the condition. If defects are noted, they may require that they be fixed prior to closing. Since the borrower has such a low downpayment, Lenders want to make sure that Borrowers are not hit with any up-front maintenance expenses. The Seller is not obligated to make the repairs; consequently, they will have to be negotiated.


Appraisals are not a guarantee of value. Most lenders will have a disclaimer to that effect. Remember, the appraiser has a copy of your fully negotiated contract BEFORE establishing the appraisal value. It is more of a confirmation of value.

If you want more information on mortgages and the mortgage process go to my website www.russravary.com