Have you heard about all the bad press about Cash Flow ARMs, Pay Option ARM, Smart Loans and all the other variations of loans with negative amortization? A lot of it is warranted! This loan is a tool and just like any tool, there is a right way to use it and a wrong way!
Most people that get Pay Option ARMs do it simply to get a lower payment on the house that they live in. They couldn’t afford it any other way. They finance the house to the hilt and suddenly they get upside down when that balance starts to increase!
Smart Loans are a good choice when your home is experiencing steady appreciation (5% or more) because this type of mortgage has the ability for negative amortization (the loan balance can actually increase throughout its history). In this situation, the rate of appreciation will simply out pace any increase in the loan balance.
Smart Loans are good for houses that you are financing under 90% of the appraised value or purchase price. In quickly appreciating markets you can get away with a higher amount but leaving 10% equity in the property is bare minimum. Why? Well, ff you get rid of the property through traditional channels, your selling expenses could be anywhere from 9-15% of the sales price! No one likes the possibility of coming out of pocket to sell a house! You want to make money!
Real estate investors may get some of the largest benefits in using Smart Loans. When you buy a property that conforms to a few of the criteria mentioned earlier, using pay options will let you get the following:
1. Payment Flexibility – Just like the name of the loan states, you have different payment options. One, you have the payment based on the start rate of the loan (which could be as low as 1%!). Two, you have the interest only payment. Three, there is an option to make a payment based on a 30 year term. Lastly, the fourth pay option is based on a 15 term. The last 2 pay options allow you to pay down on principle if you choose.
2. Maximize cash flow – Cash flow is the name of the game when dealing with rental property and pay option arms are one of the best ways to maximize it. Used correctly, pay options arms can over DOUBLE the cash flow on your property!
3. Minimize affects of vacancy - Everyone who owns rental property has had vacancies. If you haven’t yet, just wait you will! One month vacancy, depending on the property, can just about destroy the profit for an entire year! Don’t believe me? Go ahead and add up the holding cost for carrying the mortgage, utilites, cleaning, and a little touch up paint and see what you get. If you had a way to reduce the largest expense, the mortgage, by a third, wouldn’t that soften the blow? Again pay option arms are the way to go!
4. Stop worrying about unexpected maintenance costs – In the same line as the vacancy example, you will be better positioned to minimize the effects of an unexpected repair because your revenue has increased two-fold.
5. Give incentives to residents for good "behavior" – You can get very creative here. Credit for paying before the beginning of the month (for example, payment by the 25th). Discounts on longer term leases such as an 18-24 month lease, etc. The extra revenue from using a pay option ARM can smooth out you tenant churn and give you ability to assist you with tenant retention, particularly in a renters market!
6. Use the house to get rid of personal debt – If your cash flow from getting a pay option ARM increases from $250 to $500 a month, you can use that extra money to consolidate your car, credit cards, student loans, whatever.
7. Put aside the extra money to purchase more units! – You will be able to use pay option arms to buy even more property! That way your real estate investing feeds off of itself without you needing to use your the earning from your 9 to 5 to finance it!
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