Where to Buy Rental Homes in the United States

November 27, 2017 Adiel Gorel

We have discussed, in a previous article, why investing in Single Family Homes is a superior investment, especially for the busy professional (which most of us are).

We discussed the benefits of buying single-family homes using the unique 30-year fixed rate financing available ONLY in the United States (foreigners are amazed that we can get loans where nothing keeps up with inflation for as long as 30 years, meaning inflation keeps eroding the real value of our debt while the tenant is gradually paying it off for us). The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is only available on 1-4 residential units, making single-family home rental investments even more attractive.

We also discussed how owning a portfolio of single-family rental homes can change everyone’s financial future. It can facilitate sending your kids to a great university, it can retire you sooner and more powerfully, and overall it can create a financial safety net for your future.

Single-family homes are easier to manage than other property and are usually occupied by families with kids, who go to local schools and serve as an anchor of stability to keep the family renting for a longer time. Single Family Homes are also possibly the most liquid real estate since when you put it up for sale your potential buyer pool is essentially everyone in the marketplace. It is still considered the “American Dream”, a dream which is attainable in many markets in the United States.

Where should we buy our single-family home rentals? To begin with, we can focus on large metropolitan areas. Large metropolitan areas are usually comprised of a number of cities (for example the Phoenix metro area includes cities such as Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Avondale, Peoria, Glendale, and others). A large metropolitan area usually has good economic and employment diversity and a large pool of industries and employers. This is likely to create employment opportunities and economic stability. A large metro area also is likely to have a diversity of education, culture, culinary and many other facets of life, which can be attractive to a larger pool of residents and create a stable place in which to live.

Next, it is always instructive to study the demographic trends in the United States. Even before we had the World Wide Web and search engines to facilitate research, demographic information was available through multiple sources, including the US Census. It is evident that as far as overall demographic movements, the Sun Belt States are the states which usually experience net growth in population on an ongoing basis (those states in the sunny, southern part of the US, such as Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Colorado, Florida, and other southern states.) Not all Sunbelt states keep growing on a net basis, but many of the big ones do, and that would be one criterion on which to base our geographic choice.

We will continue on “Where to Buy Rental Homes” in part 2 of 4 of this article. We will also discuss these subjects and much more during our ICG Quarterly 1-Day Expo on Saturday, December 2nd, 2017 near SFO. We will have experts discuss Asset Protection, Tax planning for year-end, 1031 Exchanges, special loans for investors (including foreign investors and investors who own over 10 properties), and a lot more. To register, please email us at info@icgre.com and mention this blog. You can attend for free with a guest.

Historic Decline in HomeOwnership affects Economy, Bodes well For Investors

April 27, 2017 Adiel Gorel

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In a Wall Street Journal article from March 27, 2017, by Laura Kusisto, as well as in a few blog entries on WSJ, the point is made that homeownership in the US is at a historic low. At 63.7% homeownership, it is the lowest such number for the past 48 years!

The reasons given for it include more strict lending practices following the recession. Perhaps another issue is that the recession is still fresh enough to have taken the belief away that your home will “always appreciate “ in value and will serve not only as a residence but as a major lifelong investment. Some people may no longer think so.

Add to that the natural desire of people to be free to move at will, and we have only 63.7% of homeowners in the US as of the 4^th quarter of 2016.

As investors, of course, we are quite familiar with the powerful financial effect owning houses can have on our future, especially if we finance them with the incomprehensible 30-year fixed loans still available, and at still super low rates.

Having 63.7% homeownership percentage means, of course, that a full 36.3% of the population are renters! That is about 117,000,000 people!

Those of us who know the value and power of investing in houses and holding them as rentals can only look at this statistic as a positive – obviously, these renters need a place to rent and we will have a larger renter pool available for our homes. Sure some single people may want to rent an apartment, but families usually prefer renting a single-family home.

Coupling this data regarding the highest number of renters available to us in nearly 50 years, with the still-low interest rates available on 30-year fixed rate loans, means this is an excellent time to stock up on single-family homes as investments.

Interest rates are on the way up. The fed keeps reminding us they will continue to raise rates. Having a period of such low rates (despite the small “Trump Bump” we experienced recently), makes it a special time to buy and hold.

If you are under the FNMA allotted 10 loans per person (20 per married couple if they buy separately), it is high time for you to go out there and purchase brand-new single-family homes in good areas, finance them using these great 30-year fixed rate loans, which will never ever keep up with inflation (thus they will get eroded by inflation as to their real dollar value). The homes will be managed by local property managers we use ourselves in the various cities in which we invest.

We will discuss this as well as many other important topics for investors, at our quarterly ICG 1-Day Expo near the San Francisco Airport on Saturday, May 20^th. We will have experts lecturing on important topics, lenders, market teams from the best markets in the U.S., and lots of Q&A, networking, and learning. Just send us an email at info@icgre.com. Just put in in the subject line, “Saw your blog on homeownership” and list your name and those of your guests. We will confirm! See you on May 20th.

2016 and the Real Estate Investor

January 1, 2016 Adiel Gorel

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The year is off to a decent start–the fears many investors had that mortgage rates will go up very quickly due to the Fed’s raising the short-term rates recently have not only not materialized, but actually, mortgage rates have gone down twice. I will address it in a separate blog entry but as you can see there is no immediate correlation. Needless to say, mortgage interest rates WILL go up at some point which in part serves to frame the most important aspect of 2016.

During 2016 mortgage interest rates are likely to remain quite low for the entire (or most of the ) year. As single-family homes investors, those of you with decent credit and not a huge portfolio can still qualify and get these coveted 30-year fixed rate loans that you can only get on Single Family Homes (technically 1-4 residential units).

This is the year to focus and be effective in buying solid homes financed by these 30-year fixed rate loans at these incredible interest rates and lock them forever. You will feel like a genius later on after rates have climbed and here you are with an under-5% loan fixed forever, and never changing with the cost of inflation. In a continuous manner, inflation erodes your fixed loan, and the tenant is paying it off one little month at a time.

Do this in 2016. Do this several times. You will be setting up your financial future.

As far as markets, there may not be large appreciation swings in most markets during 2016. In a funny way, the ever-solid Texas is appreciating decently now, but people have some questions about its overall economy.

Oklahoma City with brand-new homes (under 50% of the property tax bite of Texas; it is poised to provide better cash flow on similar rents and home prices – which it has) is a very serious candidate for solid investments.

Jacksonville, Florida is the market least appreciated in the state so far and carries the best appreciation potential. Also in 2016, the Panama Canal project is slated to be finished, potentially generating major large-ship traffic into the Jacksonville port. Will they finish this gargantuan project on time? Will it drift over to 2017? Regardless, it is a dominant event.

Get those good single-family homes and finance them with low 30-year fixed-rate loans. Rinse and repeat. You will very likely be quite happy in the future when you look back at what you have done. We will be discussing this in detail, along with market teams and incredible experts, during our next quarterly 1-Day Expo near SFO on Saturday, March 5^th. Everyone citing this blog can attend for free with guests. Just email us at info@icgre.com or call us at 415-927-7504.

Happy New Year!:

Can We See Real Estate Trends by Media Headlines?

November 27, 2015 Adiel Gorel

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Announcement

Media headlines have been a pretty good gauge on the overall mood and trends in the real estate industry. During the big boom of 2005 and 2006, the headlines were screaming, “When is the bubble going to burst?” (A sage point to ponder as it turned out.) During the dark ages of 2008 – 2010, the media headlines took pains to emphasize just how much prices were down in so many markets – a good tip for the savvy buyer.

What does it look like these days?

Within the past couple of months here are a few headlines: October 20th in the Wall Street Journal, the headline to an article by Jeffrey Sparshott says, “Builder Optimism Hits 10-Year High.” I believe you can guess what the article is about. In any case due to the blessed internet – you can just look it up. Another headline, again from the Wall Street Journal, by Anna Louise Sussman and Laura Kusisto, says, “Home Sales Head for Best Year Since 2007.” Again pretty self-explanatory.

The above two articles convey good optimism and strong home sales. For real estate investors this may not always be the best news, as naturally, they hunt for bargains. Nevertheless having a strong real estate market in many cities lends itself to strong occupancy, builder (built) homes (always an attractive investor buy due to builder incentives, and new homes bode well for a long hold with minimal potential repairs, and usually the best financing). Having solid real estate markets is a strong backdrop for our tried-and-true-buy-and-hold-with-a-30-year-fixed-mortgage strategy. Add this to low rates still existing today and you have some very good opportunities to expand your portfolio, lock in super low rates forever and change your financial future.

And about those rates – isn’t the Fed just about to raise rates? Let’s look at this headline from November 24, 2015, San Francisco Chronicle article by Kathleen Pender, “Rate Hike Won’t Hit Too Hard – At First.” I concur—rate hikes will most likely begin by ¼ of a point for short term debt. In addition, this anticipation may already be baked in the current mortgage rates. It will most likely be a while before the needle moves on mortgage rates in a significant manner.

With that being said the Fed’s intention highlight yet again that we operate within a “golden window” of super-low mortgage rates. For new investors, this seems like the norm. For veteran investors, we recognize these rates as the lowest in decades. If anyone has the ability to fix these rates forever in a loan that never keeps up with inflation – now may be the time.

During our quarterly 1-Day Expo THIS SATURDAY – December 5, 2015, we will have a sophisticated asset protection attorney—back by popular demand—Brett Lytle, who will speak on asset protection. Brett always has the most cutting-edge information on protecting our assets and the pros and cons of the type of entities we form. Ron Stempek, MS-Tax, CPA, will speak on optimizing your taxes for reporting 2015—important must-know information for optimizing tax dollars, and actions to take going into the new year. Christopher Orr, Director of Institutional Products at PENSCO will be speaking on retirement savings goals by using self-directed IRAs, buying properties from a self-directed IRA, and using this vehicle to further your wealth. As always, we have cutting edge market teams, lenders, networking and lots of Q&A time.

Anyone contacting us and mentioning this blog can attend free (email to info@icgre.com or call us at 415-927-7504). If you email us, put in the subject “I read your blog on Blogger” and give us your name and phone number so we can confirm with you.

Looking forward to seeing you, and Happy Holidays!

Price Gains Slowing; Markets May Stabilize

January 27, 2015 Adiel Gorel

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Announcement

In a Wall Street Journal article from December 31, 2014, by Kathleen Madigan, it is mentioned that overall in the United States (as per the Case-Shiller 20 City Index) prices were up 4.6% from the previous year by the end of October 2014. The pace of growth has slowed from 4.8% in September and 10% in the first quarter. The article goes on to say this could indicate the markets are moving toward stabilization.

Understandably, in Florida, there is likely to be more price appreciation, as the state as a whole reflects the recession effect due to the ultra-slow judicial foreclosure periods. All in all, however, it’s definitely time to look to the stable markets with great economies and low unemployment. It is time for the classic long term hold of houses, where the tenant pays off the (very low) fixed-rate mortgage while inflation keeps eroding it.

No doubt newer homes will figure more prominently in 2015. The classic investment thesis holds strong in 2015 with an extra HUGE bonus: super low interest rates are still here – but many think they will vanish in the coming years.

Happy New Year!

Below is the article in its entirety for your review:

SLOWING PRICE GAINS SUGGEST STABLER MARKET

By Kathleen Madigan (WSJ)
Updated Dec. 31, 2014 12:41 a.m. ET

Yearly growth in home prices across the U.S. continued to moderate early in the fourth quarter, suggesting the housing market may be settling into a more sustainable recovery.

Prices nationwide increased 4.6% in the year ended in October, according to the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home-price report released Tuesday. That was down from 4.8% in September and a far cry from the 10%-plus gains in the first quarter. A 20-city measure more closely followed by economists increased 4.5% over the year in October, also down sharply from double-digit gains earlier in the year.

Demand for housing has slowed significantly in recent months despite stronger job growth, a rebound in consumer confidence and falling gasoline prices, which puts more money into consumers’ pockets. Sales of both new and existing homes fell in November. Yet the slowing trend is a positive for the 2015 housing outlook, say economists who follow the industry.

Price appreciation of about 5% is close to a sweet spot where more buyers are able to purchase a home and current owners accumulate housing wealth, but the market avoids a price bubble that could trigger a financial crisis, as happened in 2007.

“It’s a healthier market because first-time buyers feel more comfortable about coming in,” said Bill Banfield, vice president of capital markets at mortgage lender Quicken Loans, adding that the industry needs more first-time buyers to buy smaller homes that allow existing owners to move up into new construction or to an existing house that better suits their needs.

For 2014, however, first-time buyers accounted for only 29% of existing-home sales, according to data from the National Association of Realtors, much less than the historical norm of 40% for sales of primary residences.

Economists at IHS Global Insight agree slower price appreciation is positive for the housing outlook. “Home appreciation at a reasonable pace makes homeownership an attainable dream,” said Stephanie Karol, a U.S. economist at IHS Global. A repeat of the double-digit growth seen in early 2014 “would risk producing a bubble,” she said.

But just as each real-estate market is local, she pointed out the Case-Shiller price index of 20 cities masks the individual pricing experience going on across the country.

“Prices are rising fastest in cities such as San Francisco where geographic or legal constraints limit new construction,” Ms. Karol said. Cities with fewer zoning laws and more space—such as Charlotte, N.C., and Phoenix—are seeing smaller price gains.

Still, the average home-price gain of about 5% is good, she said, and IHS Global is upbeat about home demand and prices in 2015. The forecasting firm projects home prices, as measured by an index compiled by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, will increase 5% over the course of next year and sales of new and existing homes will average 5.92 million, up from 2014’s current pace of about 5.3 million.

Here is a link to the Wall Street Journal U.S. Housing Market Tracker:

http://graphics.wsj.com/us-housing-market/

New Markets Join the Fray as Pricing Changes

June 27, 2014 Adiel Gorel

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Up until the beginning of 2012 there were some states that lead the way as far as investor interest: California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. That interest on the part of investors was justified, as these four states were the most clearly noticeable examples of recession housing prices. These four states were the “poster children” for extreme housing price collapse.

During 2012 and 2013 all four states exhibited strong housing price appreciation. Phoenix led everyone with a 70% jump. Las Vegas wasn’t far behind and California process improved rapidly. Florida prices went up but the uptick was tempered by far slower judicial foreclosure processes in Florida, as opposed to the quick and efficient trustee sale in the other three states.

Now, in the middle of 2014, Florida prices have improved quite a bit and yet, due to the slow foreclosure process, which creates a steady trickle of supply into the marketplace, Florida is still a place where investors look to buy. However buying in Arizona, Nevada and California has slowed significantly for now.Other states, which have not experienced such extreme price swings, are now becoming attractive investor destinations.

A prime example is Oklahoma City, with low unemployment and the benefit of the oil & gas industries. Rents are high and property taxes are low. Similarly, other “middle of the country” markets in states like Kansas and Missouri are starting to attract more buyers, as is the state of Texas (with a strong economy, high rents, but also very high property taxes and insurance rates) and states like Ohio.Overall it is possible that soon the effects of the recession will no longer be dominant and marketplace demand by investor will revert to parameters before 2008.

Some of these new markets will be present at our Real Estate 1-Day Expo this Saturday near the San Francisco Airport (see details at www.icgre.com). Call us (415-927-7504) or email us (info@icgre.com) and mention this blog entry and receive my book, for free, with registration at www.icgre.com.

How to Create Multiple Income Steams to Secure a Strong Financial Future

June 10, 2014 Adiel Gorel

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Exploring this and other avenues for finding financial real estate success during our 1-Day Expo.

As many of you know, we are holding our 1-Day Expo on Saturday, June 14th from 10:00-6:30 p.m. Even though we have been holding these events for over 20 years, I am always excited before we hold them. I know I will learn so much from the expert lecturers, the market teams who bring information straight “from the trenches” and from all of YOU who attend.

Just the Q&A sessions are so informative, I have yet to partake in one of our events and not learn a tremendous amount of valuable information during these sessions.

The networking is also so valuable, bringing new connections and new synergy.

This time we have three expert lecturers:

Attorney Brett Lytle on Asset Preservation & Protection. Brett always sees the smallest details, which stay hidden from most observers. He has led countless people to create a safer, more secure way to hold assets and will teach all of us how to do this.

Lucian Ioja uses his vast experience and knowledge to show us how we can create multiple streams of income and plan our financial life in a proactive, fruitful way. He also teaches us to utilize many different avenues to create these income streams; from using insurance in a sophisticated manner to real estate and other vehicles that we will explore.

Roger St. Pierre will teach us about getting non-recourse mortgages to buy real estate, with financing, from our IRA accounts. A lot goes into this and that is why we invited Roger to instruct us.

There will be lenders with new types of investor (and homeowners) loans to tell us about.

We are bringing in three new markets with exciting deals at attractive price points, including brand new homes, as well as low-cost turn-key homes with tenants AND easy special financing even to investors who had been spurned by the banks.

Updates from the existing markets are always so fascinating. The work and preparation that goes into these refresher points from the markets always amaze me. There is so much to learn and so much to feel the pulse of what goes on nationally.

I’ve been asked to do something special for the blog readers, and we will give everyone who registers and mentions this blog, a free copy of my book Remote Controlled Real Estate Investing which goes into the details of buying properties far from home. So, register today to secure your spot and as an added bonus receive my book. For free.

I am excited and very much looking forward to seeing you at our event. The 1-Day Expo will take place near the San Francisco Airport, at the South San Francisco Conference Center. We set the Expo time so people can fly in and fly out on the same day if they are not from the San Francisco Bay Area – the day starts at 10:00 AM and ends at 6:30 PM, providing attendees from Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix and wherever it is that you call home to arrive and leave on the same day.

Of course, for Bay Area residents it is an easy drive and everyone appreciates the ample free parking at the conference center.

To register online through Eventbrite: http://bit.ly/1kk2she and use the code: BLOGBOOK

or

Email us at info@icgre.com or call us at 415-927-7504 and mention you read about the expo on my blog.

Best,

Adiel

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