Owner financing is a prevalent real estate purchase structure that has come to the forefront of buying and selling in a buyer’s market. So, I decided to give a quick overview of owner financing since most buyers, sellers, and even real estate professionals are usually unfamiliar with the terms and the types of contracts. Structuring owners’ financing deals works for all kinds of real estate transactions, big and small, home or commercial buildings.
Owner Financing Overview:
Owner financing is when the seller holds all or part of the agreed-upon purchase amount. I always tell people to look at it in terms of a bank; the seller has the financing the same way a bank would. The seller receives the monthly payments based on an agreed-upon rate and time with a future balloon date for a full payoff. This type of real estate transaction is prevalent in a buyer’s market like we see now. Even more common now, lenders have tightened their underwriting guidelines and have completely stopped lending. These sets of circumstances have created a smaller buyer pool. However, the amount of property owners still want and need to sell remains. Seller financing can be a great way to bridge the gap between buyers and sellers.
Owner Financing Term Length:
The length of an owner-financed property can differ between the buyer’s and seller’s timelines. Almost all owners-sponsored monthly payments, no matter if they are commercial purchasers or home purchases, are amortized over 30 years. A typical contract balloon term is a minimum of two to three years since 24 months is a key number for most lenders to see that you have been making on-time payments on this property before lending on the buyers’ purchase/refinance of the owner-financed contract. Also, it allows the buyer to clean up any credit or financial issues dragging them down from buying if that is the buyer’s situation. But even more important in this market is allowing the financial lending markets to stabilize and open back up. This has been the major factor for owner financing.
We have been structuring the length of our owner financing contracts out a minimum of three years with three one-year extension options. This brings the full possible balloon payment out to 6 years if needed. This is simply because we need to ensure we give enough time to those financial lending markets to rebound and start lending again. We have also had owners request longer terms because of the huge tax benefits that a longer term brings; we will discuss that Subject in another article.
Down Payment or No Down Payment:
The Subject of providing a down payment on the owner financing contract is always a sticky one. From the seller’s standpoint, they usually want as much down payment as possible; why? Because if the buyer has some “skin in the game,” they are less likely to walk away from the property and contract. From the buyer’s standpoint, they always want to come in with as little a down payment as possible, thus limiting their risk.
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From my experience and many others, most sellers should accept a smaller down payment, if one at all. I know… I know what you are thinking… WTF, why would I take the risk? My point of view comes from the simple fact that if a buyer has circumstances that they can no longer make payments on the property, they will still walk away if needed, regardless of having a down payment. Yes…yes… I know having a down payment would at least be some compensation to the seller. However, from my standpoint, I would rather receive a few thousand dollars from the buyer and allow them to keep any additional monies for reserves and repairs on the property because they do and will come up. From my experience, if someone runs into a tough financial spot, I would rather them have reserves that can float the payment until they get back on their feet vs. being tapped out of funds on day one after buying a property.
This goes for both residential and commercial real estate. Maybe even more so for commercial real estate since there is a high volume of repairs, maintenance, and normal unit turns, and having a reserve account is a must-have to be successful. And the best thing is that you can always have to compensate factors for low to no down payments, such as higher interest rates and or higher balloon payoff.
Interest Rate:
This is one of the reasons I love owner financing. It allows sellers to charge higher interest rates, thus possibly receiving monthly cash flow from the property. If there is a mortgage on the property, it is very normal, depending on the type of real estate, to charge an interest rate to the higher seller than what is currently being charged by the bank. We have seen rates all over the board, including interest-only payments, staggered payments, and payments equal to the bank’s current underlying mortgage payment. The key is at least to cover the current mortgage payment on the property, if there is one.
Expenses:
Ensure that it is written into the contract stating who covers what expenses and repairs. Normally, since the buyer is purchasing the building, they cover all costs related to the property just like an owner would. However, I have seen contracts where the seller has to cover major repairs and OK any property remodeling. This is because the seller still has an ownership interest in the property and cannot let it go into disrepair or remodeled to the point that it does not do the property any good. I always prefer to have the buyer pay for everything and notify me when upgrades or remodeling will be done.
Variations of Owner Financing Contracts:
Contracts vary depending on your state, the end goal, and the mortgage on the property. Most lenders commonly have a “due on sales” clause in the mortgage documents the owner signed when originally purchasing the property. What this means is that the lender has the option to, if they choose to, call the mortgage note due if the property is sold. Many sellers get hung up on the fear that if the original lender finds out they sold the property using owner financing, they will request full mortgage payment.
After doing some research, I have found several cases in which the lender has found out and tried to call the note due, but with little success. Why? Because the mortgage and property are still attached to the seller’s name and with payments being made. If you look at it from a common-sense standpoint, why would a lender call due to a mortgage being paid on time as agreed upon? They do not; they are in the business of making money, not going after folks who are technically within the original guidelines of the mortgage. Besides, very few lenders ever find out because there is no need to inform them. However, if you as a seller are uncomfortable with it, there are ways to structure a contract that does not trigger the option to call the mortgage due, which I will go into.
Types of owner financing contracts:
o Land Contracts/Contract For Deed:
Depending on your state, it is one or the other. Land contracts/contract for deed gives the buyer equitable title. This is usually used if there is no existing mortgage on the property. It allows the buyer to have some ownership in the property, and when the balloon term nears, the buyer can usually get a refinance loan rather than a purchase loan. Why is that? Because the lender sees that you have the equitable title on the property and have successfully made the payments during that term. The refinance process is usually always easier since the buyer has a successful history with the property.
o Promissory Notes:
Promissory notes are when a seller can carry the mortgage 1st or 2nd for the full purchase price balance, called an “all-inclusive mortgage” or “all-inclusive trust deed” if the seller receives an interest override on the underlying mortgage.
o Subject Too:
The buyer takes over the current mortgage subject to the existing monthly payments and pays no override of interest to the seller. This is a great way to sell if you are in financial straits and must get out fast.
o Lease Options/Lease to Purchase/Master Lease Options.
The name says it all. The buyer and seller sign a purchase agreement, option to purchase agreement, and often a rental agreement. The buyer is leasing the property with an opportunity to buy it. Using lease options is normally used to get around the above-stated “due on sales” clause; since the buyer is simply leasing the property, it does not trigger the clause.
