Back to Main Real Estate Info Page » Real Estate information 6 » OPM - The Art of Leveraging

OPM - The Art of Leveraging


Article source: http://www.discountedproperties.com/. Used with authors permission.

Equity lender, hard money lender, private investor or what ever term one uses can be a great source of funds to do real estate transactions and the question of how to find them comes up often!

There are numerous ways to do this, and no two investors are exactly alike, so its important to be innovative and customize your proposal to the specific hot buttons for each funding source.

One of the greatest advantages of real estate investing is the power of leveraging other peoples money.

When a property appreciates, it will appreciate on the value not on the original investment. Therefore, if you leverage the property with OPM. You can make an investment even more valuable by having the property rented out. The monthly mortgage payment is being paid by the renter and someone else is paying for your equity growth in the property.

Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant. - P.T. Barnum

The best source of cash for your real estate business is other peoples money.

Perhaps one of the greatest secrets of the richest people in the world is summed up in those three words: Other Peoples Money OPM for short. The majority of most successful people launched their fortunes using OPM.

Your goal is to not use your own cash. The most successful real estate investor tends to use OPM (Other Peoples Money). Keep this in mind as you start to invest. Hold out for the limited money down or no money down deal rather than tying up a ton of money in one property. Leverage, terms and long loans can be great friends. Keep these principals in mind:

*Leverage is simply controlling a lot of real estate with little or none of your own money. The more the better.*You should attempt to get the maximum loan to funding possible with each property.*The best loans have fixed interest rates and are assumable without qualifying.*Keep your equity as low as possible so you can keep more cash available for investing.

You can find OPM by writing to various lenders asking them if they would be interested in your real estate loan. By calling lenders in your area who might be interested in lending on your real estate proposal. By visiting in person lenders whom you think would be willing to help you. By looking on the Internet for real estate lenders who might work with you on the deals you have. By reading the Real Estate Section of your local large-city Sunday newspaper, looking for ads run by lenders in your area.

Find properties that has been sold in the past few months by searching the public records at the county recorders office. Find property that sold to real estate investors by banks, credit unions, HUD, VA, FNMA, or any other major source and if the buyer is not an individual but say a corporation or partnership you have most likely bagged an investor.

The deeds should give the mailing address of the new buyer. Send them out a letter and tell them about your ability to locate real estate or better yet give them a call if listed.

Any one who has money could be a source of funds for your real estate purchases such as Doctors. Another great source is checking your recorders office again looking for individuals who holds mortgages on property. This has provided me a great source for hard money loans.

Retirement plans are a great source of real estate investment funds. Many people dont even know they can use their retirement plans funds to invest in real estate, mortgages and trust deeds. Many, once they stash it away, forget they even have money in a retirement account.

Many investors think that money (or lack of money) is what stops them from closing a deal. This is not true it is a myth that holds some investors back. Understand that money is NEVER an issue - IF the deal is right, the money will come. Simply think creatively, go to the source of funds and simply ask for money. The worst that can happen is you get a NO. Each no only places you closer to a YES.

To your success,
John Michael

Copyright 2005 JMichael Investments

About the Author: John Michael is an activeReal Estate Investor - Author - Speaker - REI CoachVisit my Real Estate Investing Site at: http://jmichaelrei.comFREE REI Club Site at: http://stealth.thecreativeinvestor.com

This article was published on Thursday 10 May, 2007.

Back to main topic: Real-Estate-information
Howard Stern is Hot in Real Estate
Helpful Hints for First-Time Home Buyers
Stopping Home Foreclosure with Bankruptcy
Home Staging: How to Make Your Tract Home Stand Out in the Crowd
Home Hunting and the Internet
Best Places to Retire
Real Estate Investing - Basis Explained
Real Estate Lease Option Danger
Why Use a Property Manager?
Customer Service The Real Estate Revolution
The Real Estate Bubble Fallacy
A Real Estate Investing Primer
Real Estate Bankruptcy
Maintaining Small Town Charm In An Ever-Changing World
How To Negotiate A Higher Price For Your House
A Possible Bargain: Foreclosed Properties
Investing in Real Estate Vehicle for Wealth Building
Getting Raw Land, Not a Raw Deal!
Investing in Real Estate Like a Stock
A Difference Between Appraisal, Assessment, Home Inspection
How Can I Stop Foreclosure on My House?
Dont Sell Your House--Ever!
Buying New Construction...How Do I Begin?
Atlanta Georgia Real Estate - Marietta - East Cobb, Roswell, and
A Singles Game of Real Estate
How to Build Your Dream Home
Residential Real Estate - How to Attract More New Clients
Investment Real Estate Done Right -- Your Quickest and Safest Pa
How To Find Your Dream Home In Belize
Why Canadian Real Estate is Such Good Value
Unravelling The Real Estate Buying Process in Canada
Property in Bulgaria - Huge Investment Potential
Be A Realtor With Curb Appeal
Negotiating the Real Estate Contract
Appraisal vs. Market Value: How to Avoid Pitfalls in the Sale of
Build Your Retirement By Investing In Real Estate
Investment Real Estate -- A New Twist: Be the Bank, Not the Land
Purchasing Land: What To Look For
Is a Vacation Home Right for You?

Search Articles:

Search Text
Real Estate Tips & Information
New Articles (0)
All Articles (280)
Real Estate information 1 (40)
Real Estate information 2 (40)
Real Estate information 3 (40)
Real Estate information 4 (40)
Real Estate information 5 (40)
Real Estate information 6 (40)
Real Estate information 7 (40)