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 "carry back" 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. DJ Note Investing will help the seller find someone willing to buy the payments. That way, 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.