When it comes to trust deed investing in Arizona don’t be tempted by deals that offer the possible highest returns. You can risk less while still earning a steady return by going small, in terms of interest rate and total loan amount. Using this strategy you can avoid the main risk when it comes to this type of investment: bankruptcy and foreclosure.

While it might be tempting to invest in deeds of trust offering the highest returns (i.e., trust deeds charging borrowers the highest possible interest payments),  such investments are incredibly risky. One way to mitigate the risk of borrower default is to invest in smaller loans. The larger the loan, the larger the interest payments the borrower is obligated to make and the higher the chance of default.

Therefore, investing in smaller loans is always a good risk management strategy in the case of deeds of trust.

All this talk about default might make you wonder ‘why should I care if the borrower defaults? Cant I simply foreclose on the property and resell it for its fair market value?’

Not exactly.

Going small with Arizona Trust Deed Investing can help you avoid the risk of bankruptcy

Promised returns are not actual returns when it comes to investments.

So while a deed of trust may promise a greater return because it charges borrowers a higher interest rate, in most cases you may never actually achieve any return on these “high-yield” investments.

Even though trust deeds have fewer regulations, foreclosure is never a clean cut process. If a borrower defaults bankruptcy is the likely outcome. The legal complications of the bankruptcy process will hinder your ability to repossess and resell the property.

While the court sits on its hands and various lawyers argue over the details of the borrower’s case, your loan is still in default.  So while the bankruptcy proceedings slowly make their way through the court, you as an investor, are getting nothing. You cant foreclose, repossess or resell the property until the bankruptcy goes through and your deed of trust is essentially becomes a worthless piece of paper.

Even after borrowers bankruptcy clears the courts, and you manage to foreclose, you are not out of the woods yet.

With trust deed investing, going small helps you avoid the risk of foreclosure

In almost all cases foreclosure on deeds of trust results in a loss.  Foreclosed properties are rarely sold for their full market value because buyers always expect steep discounts. 

Unlike you, an individual private investor, banks (the ones who most often carry out foreclosures) are under heavy regulatory pressure to quickly offload foreclosed properties.  Due to this fact there is a prevailing assumption on the part of buyers that any foreclosed property should sell at a steep discount. Therefore, it’s basically impossible to get full resale value on a foreclosed property.

So with deeds of trust, you never want your borrower to default. Bankruptcy part of the borrower means you will make no return on your investment as the bankruptcy proceedings make their way through the courts. Foreclosure in almost all cases will result in a substantial loss.