Advantages And Disadvantages Of Lease Option Real Estate Investing

Lease option real estate investing is a creative way to get started in real estate investing. The biggest advantage of this investing method is “control”. It basically gives the investor the right to possess– be in control of– and profit from a property without owning it.

A lease option contract is a combination of two documents. The lease part is where the owner agrees to let you lease their property while you pay them rent for a stated period of time. During the lease period the owner can not raise the rent, rent it to anyone else, or sell the property to anyone else.

The option part represents the right you purchased to buy the property in the future for a specific price. If you decide to exercise your option to buy, the owner has to sell it to you at the negotiated price. The option part of the contract obligates the seller to sell to you during the option period- but it does not obligate you to buy. You are only obligated to make rental payments as agreed during the lease period.

When the lease option contract is written and structured properly, it can provide tremendous benefits and advantages to the investor. If the lease option includes the “right to sub-lease” the investor can generate a positive cash flow by renting the property to a tenant for the duration of his lease, or lease option the property to a tenant-buyer for positive cash flow and future profits. If the lease option includes a “right of assignment” the investor could assign the contract to another buyer for a quick profit.

Lease option real estate investing, is a flexible, low risk, highly leveraged method of investing that can be implemented with little to no money.

High Leverage

It is highly leveraged because you are able to gain control of a property and profit from it now–even though you don’t own it yet. The fact that you don’t own it also limits your personal responsibility and liability. Only if you decide to purchase the property by exercising your “option to buy” would you take title to the property.

Little to no money

The investor’s cost to implement a lease option agreement with the owner requires little to no money out of pocket money because it is entirely negotiable between investor and owner. There are a variety of ways the option fee can be structured such as an installment plan, balloon payment or other agreeable arrangement between both parties. The option fee can even be as little as $1.00. In order to secure the property for purchase at a later date, tenant-buyers typically pay a non-refundable option fee of approximately 2%-5% of the negotiated purchase to the seller. Depending on how the lease option agreement is written and structured, the investor could possibly use the tenant-buyer’s option fee money to pay any option fee owed to the owner.

Flexible

It is a flexible method of real estate investing because terms of the agreement like payment amounts, payment dates, installments, interest rate, interest only payment, balloon payments, purchase price and other terms are all negotiated between seller and buyer. Responsibilities of both parties are also negotiable. For instance, if the investor doesn’t want to act in the capacity of a landlord, he could specify in the lease option agreement that tenant-buyer will be responsible for all minor maintenance and repairs and the original seller will remain responsible for any major repairs.

Financially Low Risk

It is low risk financially. If the property fails to go up enough in value to make a profit, you have the purchased the right to change your mind and let the “option to buy” expire. Even if your tenant-buyer decides not to buy the property, you have profited by a positive monthly cash flow from the tenant-buyer’s rent payments and upfront non-refundable option fee.

Let’s look at an example of a lease with option to buy structured in a way that the investor profits in 3 separate phases of the investment.

Profit #1 non-refundable option fee

Future sales price negotiated with the current owner is $125,000 with an option fee of 2% of the sales price. Option Fee you owe the owner is $2,500. The future sales price you set for your tenant-buyer is $155,000 and the option fee is 4% of the sales price. Option fee the tenant-buyer owes you is $6,200. You collect $6,200 from tenant-buyer and pay $2,500 to the owner and your profit = $3,700

Profit #2 cash flow from monthly rental payments

The Monthly rental payment you negotiated with the owner is $1,000. You set the monthly payment at $1,250 per month for your tenant-buyer. Each month you collect $1,250 from your tenant-buyer and pay the owner $1,000 each month. Your profit is $250 monthly positive cash flow during the lease period.

Profit #3 is set up when the lease option contract is initially written

The difference in the negotiated future purchase price with the owner and the future purchase price set for your tenant-buyer. Let’s say the property goes up in value to appraise for at least $155,000. Your tenant-buyer decides to exercise their option to buy. You buy the property from the owner at $125,000 and then sell it to your tenant-buyer for $155,000. $155,000 – the $125,000 you pay to the owner = $30,000 profit.

Of course the key to making lease option real estate investing work, is finding motivated sellers and buyers. Finding these motivated sellers and buyers shouldn’t be difficult. The continuing down turn in the real estate market has created a large number of sellers who can’t sell their property and also buyers who can’t get financing to buy. The seller could possibly get a fair offer to be paid in the future by selling their property to a real estate investor on a lease option basis. A potential tenant-buyer could obtain home ownership without having to qualify through traditional home loan guidelines.

One disadvantage of lease option real estate investing involves the tenant or tenant-buyer possibly defaulting on monthly rental payments. This would make it necessary for the investor to come up with money out of pocket to pay the owner and possibly have to proceed with eviction process. However, there are certain provisions and clauses that can be written into the lease option to deter buyers from defaulting on payments.

If the investor fails to do “due diligence” before entering into a lease option agreement, he could end up with a property that is unmarketable. There could be a number of liens on it, issues involving ownership of the property or it might be in foreclosure. By diligently performing research before entering into a lease option agreement, the investor can avoid these mistakes. A few things the investor could do is– perform background and credit checks on both the seller and buyer, search public records in reference to ownership and property status, or do a title search.

Despite the few disadvantages, lease option real estate investing continues to be an excellent way to invest in real estate with little to no money and low financial risks. It also remains to be an excellent way to gain control of a property you don’t own and create positive cash flow and profits on flexible terms.

Bottom line, the secret to success in today’s challenging real estate investing market is to use only the best creative ideas, proven tools and strategies that have been successfully used by other investors to generate cash flow and profit from today’s real estate market. The more you understand and apply now, the more you will profit from today’s financial crisis.

How Has Chennai’s Real Estate Story Grown Over the Years

Owning a land in Chennai is a wise decision to make. Land asset is always hot property and a city like Chennai devours vacant plots of land to create architectural marvels without compromising on environmental requirements. Development of green buildings is on the rise and the modern buyer/property developers are both aware of the need for it. While the city seems to have engulfed most of the vacant plots, newer and more contemporary buildings are arriving at pivotal pockets of the city like Valasaravakkam, Mount Road and Poonamallee. These projects spell luxury, comfort and contemporary appeal. State-of-the-art buildings, well equipped with modern amenities have emerged as the demand from middle and high income groups of customers.

Epicenter of Real Estate Growth in the city

The peripheral locations that include the city’s suburban and micro-markets, on the other hand, have ample land for sale in Chennai. Also, since most of the multinational organizations including industries such as IT/ITES, automobile, manufacturing and pharmaceutical are based out of these locations, these markets are emerging as hubs of development. With more and more commercial activities increasing in these areas; the government is executing plans of large scale infrastructure development. And as several multinational organizations open doors of employment to large numbers of professionals, the inflow of migrating population has also increased considerably. Thereby, the chain effect has created demand for plots and lands for sale in the micro-markets of the city.

Real Estate Development at North and South of Chennai

South Chennai that includes OMR, ECR, GST Road, Tambaram and Perungudi accounts for more than half the demand for commercial and residential projects. These are also the places that house more than half of Chennai’s IT organizations. Heading towards the other direction, North Chennai is home to renowned automobile and manufacturing organizations. The landscape and skyline of Chengalpet, Sriperumbudur and Oragadam have changed within a very short span of time. Today, the regions are lined by large residential projects, gated communities, villas and luxury apartments, international schools, best-in-class hospitals and medical centers, shopping malls and other destinations for lifestyle living.

Not only is the development focused within the townships but the regions have by themselves undergone tremendous growth owing to large scale infrastructural development. Having a plot for sale in Chennai or a few more especially in these regions is beneficial in the short and long run. Besides infrastructure, these areas are well connected to the city and therefore commuting whenever required is not a problem. Proximity of these locations to other cities like Bangalore, Tindivanam, Pondicherry and many others is a great advantage that Chennai can offer. Besides the resident and migrant population, non-resident Indians are also showing keen interest in Chennai real estate simply because of the healthy prospects the industry has to offer.

Knoxville Reia – Real Estate Investors Association

Across the country big cities are sprouting up their own real estate investors association. Knoxville, Tennessee is no different. Entrepreneurs in East TN have several options for real estate investing education. They can get information from books on the subject, become an apprentice of a seasoned investor or study a course on the topic. The Knoxville Real Estate Investors Association (REIA) is the easiest place to start. It’s like the previous three (book reading, apprenticeship and a course study) ALL ROLLED INTO ONE PLACE. Members learn to use the power of leverage by concentrating their efforts on mentoring, networking and education.

At the Knoxville area REIA (Investors Club Meeting) members discuss topics such as foreclosures, REO’s (bank owned) properties, short sales, wholesale deals, flips, rehab and rentals. Members learn what they all mean and how to use them in their business.

Mentoring –

Club members can become an apprentice to a seasoned investor at the REIA. The mentor can help them decide what is the best strategy for accomplishing their investing goals. A good mentor can shorten the learning curve and greatly accelerate the road to success.

Networking –

Successful property investors at are actively building their business. They are the one’s who are doing deals and making money by investing, because they have a large network of business contacts. REIA members understand the importance of networking and building relationships in the property investing business.

Education –

It doesn’t matter if the members of the REIA are veteran investors or if today is their first day learning how to invest. Real Estate Education is a life long process and it goes without saying that active investors should never stop learning. The Knoxville REIA brings together the best in investing information available in TN to help it’s members earn more in real estate. Their goal is to bring it’s group of investors the most up-to-date education.

Past Speakers –

In the past the Knoxville REIA has been hosted by real estate guru’s such as Lou Brown, and Than Merrill of A&E’s “Flip This House” (just to name a few).

The Knoxville REIA offers education from seasoned investors that are there to speak about their particular area of investing expertise. This is how members learn from their mistakes. It saves them both time and money. Find out how to take the next step. Current meetings are held in west Knoxville on the third Tuesday of every month (subject to change).

The Real Estate Market Of Rohini

After a lot of research Jyoti, 32, and Ramesh Aggarwal, 36, have decided to purchase a two-bedroom, 1,000 sq ft apartment in a society complex in Sector 9, Rohini for Rs 38 lakh. Not only did they compare prices in their research, they also looked at factors that affect general day-to-day living, such as level of congestion, availability of greenery and open spaces, likelihood of water shortages during summers, and travel time to important destinations. Finally, took a decision and bought an apartment in Rohini.

There are many reasons why one would like to purchase a home in Rohini. And one of the main reasons why anyone would feel attracted to purchase a property in Rohini is because of its connectivity with the metro.

After the Metro became operational, prices have risen by 40-60%, according to a property broker of the area.

A property dealer based in Netaji Subhash Place explains the price rise in terms of reduced travel time. He said that till a few years ago, it took one-and-a-half hours to travel from Rohini to central Delhi areas like CP and ITO, so its property was available at a low price. After the coming of metro, the travel time is now only 40-45 minutes, and the commute being far more comfortable than a road journey, Rohinis society apartments now boat of a price of Rs 3,150-4,500 per sq ft. This is at par with prices in areas like Patparganj in East Delhi which are only a 30-minute drive from CP.

Not only metro, of late Rohini has witnessed a lot of commercial development as well, which has led to overall development of north-west Delhi. In fact, entertainment-wise Rohini has given newer options to people residing in the nearby areas.

There are some common factors that have contributed to an increase in prices in Rohini like easy availability of bank loans, high salaries commanded by young professionals, and the massive influx every year of people from other states into Delhi.

Rohini has options for every pocket: If you think you can afford one, go for a society apartment. These kinds of apartment boast of better-quality construction, high-maintenance, comparatively more open areas compared to DDA flats, and of course better security arrangements. The up-market complexes, about a dozen within Rohini, are equipped with lifts and have power backup system.

Such society apartments are mainly located in sectors 7-14 and out of these, sectors 9, 13, 14 and Prashant Vihar are available at a very high price, because of the quality of development and due to proximity to Metro stations (East and West).

Other option is DDA apartments that usually cost less than society apartments. 1 BHK LIG apartment costs around Rs 2,000 per sq ft, and prices of two-bedroom MIG apartments range between Rs 2,350 and Rs 2,900 per sq ft. The construction quality of a DDA apartment is usually inferior as compared to a society apartment, so you may have to spend some amount before you can actually start living in one. DDA flats are located in sectors 2-8, 15-18, and 24.

For people who are looking at low-budget options, they are available in sectors 23, 24, 25 and 28. These sectors are a little far from the Metro line. According to Mr. K.K. Wadhwa of Wadhwa Property, a plot of 32 sq m would cost around Rs 18 lakh in Sector 7; in Sector 28, the same plot-size would cost you just Rs 9-11 lakh in this sector.

A development that is sure to attract people from all over west Delhi to Rohini is Planet Pogo, a theme park, which is being developed in Sector 10. The company that developed Appu Ghar, Unitech Amusement Parks, and Turner International India are partnering this project. It is scheduled to be launched in the last quarter of this year. As far as shopping and entertainment options are concerned, Rohini has M2K Mall in Sector 3, and PVR Complex in Prashant Vihar. There is also a district court at Madhuban Chowk in Rohini.

So, if you are looking to buy or rent a house in west Delhi, you should definitely consider all the options available within Rohini. It undoubtedly has quality housing, good connectivity and all the amenities one expects in a well-developed area.

Walter Allen Contracting Custom Home Builders, Vancouver Island

Walter Allen Contracting Vancouver Island’s population keeps growing yearly with a lot of diversity resulting in increase in buildings, jobs and schools. Builders and Custom builders have become high in demand due to this reason. Some home owners go the extra step to hire the best construction companies to design a custom home for them. Walter Allen Contracting based in Vancouver Island gives an experienced and sleek touch to building and construction. Walter Allen is a custom builder from Vancouver Island Canada who specializes in residential homes, home renovations, building constructions and custom homes. His attention to details gives him an edge and helps him bring customers dreams alive. His construction company comprises of professional employees and specialists who share the same vision and would design according to the customer’s satisfaction. Walter Allen is not just the average construction company but a building contracting company who respects the customers wallet and also utilizes nothing but the best building materials with no compromise. Considering the fact that customers on Vancouver Island and off have desires regarding what they want their custom homes or residential homes to look like with an unequal finance to support what they want to build, Walter Allen building contractor treats all customers the same regardless and designs homes with respect to the customers taste. This master builder also renders renovations services that are flawless. With perfect home designs and quality home building materials, Walter Allen property developers have the necessary experience to give your home a master turn around after being in the residential construction for more than twenty five years on Vancouver Island.

Walter Allen Contracting http://walterallencustomhomes.com/ Tel: 250-468-7105