While you will need some money to get started, the amount is surprisingly small. Once you find a property that you like, you’ll be able to secure hard money loans from a variety of sources, including conventional and private lenders. Most people remember how much trouble they had securing their mortgage for their primary residence; private lenders who are investing in a flip property often require far less information and the process is streamlined.
When you secure financing for a flip property, the investors you use are more concerned about the profitability and potential of the property itself and less concerned about digging through a decade’s worth of your bank statements. While you will need to provide information about the deal and about your financial health, the process is much faster and far simpler than securing a home mortgage.
The money you’ll need will be for putting the property under contract and for closing costs; you may well be able to finance the rest, so you don’t have to delay your dream of flipping homes until you save the full purchase price. Your first project is usually the biggest hurdle – once you have a history of successfully flipping properties, financing will become even easier to secure.
If you are already a contractor or have a specific skill set, then doing some of the work needed to flip a home yourself can help you save. If you are only available on the weekends, are unsure of your skills or only have a limited time, then going the DIY route may not work as well.
The faster you get a property ready to sell, the better in most cases, so carefully consider both the timing and the true cost of doing things yourself before you decide to DIY. If you want to be involved, then taking on the role of project manager may be better – you can still oversee the work, but you can let a pro get into the home and do what they do best.
Wholesaling, or working to find potential investment properties for others, can be a way to get started or to earn extra capital, but it is not the only way to get started. Wholesaling is low risk, allows you to get to know the investors and hard money lenders in your area, but there are some significant drawbacks.
Depending on where you live, wholesaling may be considered brokering – and you won’t be able to do it legally unless you are a real estate professional. You’ll also be missing out on some amazing potential deals if you are simply playing the middle-man.
Jumping in with both feet does have a learning curve, but there is no better way to learn the ins and outs of flipping a home than by doing it. There is nothing wrong with wholesaling (provided it is legal in your area) but it does not really develop your skills or lead to a long term investment – you find properties, connect buyer and seller and move on.
Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC Private Hard Money Lender
Arizona Tel: (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel: (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com NMLS 1057378 | AZMB 0923961 | MLO 1057378
22601 N 19th Ave Suite 112 | Phoenix | AZ | 85027
111 Congress Ave |Austin | Texas | 78701
About the Author: Dennis has been working in the real estate industry in some capacity for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the amazing investment opportunities provided by trust deed investing and hard money loans. His desire to help others make money in real estate investing led him to specialize in alternative funding for real estate investors who may have trouble getting a traditional bank loan. Dennis is passionate about alternative funding sources and sharing his knowledge with others to help make their dreams come true. Dennis has been married to his wonderful wife for 42 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.