Was I smart to walk away?

Was I smart to walk away?

New to Real Estate · Gainesville, FL · Member since 2019 · 10 posts · 5 votes

Hello,

I just won a bid on a HUD Home.

Winning bid: $150K

Closing costs: $3.3K

Estimated in repairs: $50K (with margin)

Potential rent: $1,850

Potential resale price: $220K-$240K (at $230K, I'd make $211K after closing costs, according to my realtor)

Rent cashflow: $945.33 or 5.58% Cash on Cash ROI

---

I was going to pull money that's allocated to my retirement, currently in stocks (so supposedly growing 6-8%/year) to put into this property and pay for the whole thing cash.

I have multiple part time jobs instead of one full-time, so according to my lender (broker? I probably should know the difference), I can't really get a loan.

This would've been my first investment property, so you can see that this is a nerve wrecking purchase.

The house needed a ton of work (redo two bathrooms -- including moving walls, redo kitchen, siding, etc), but it's literally 3 minutes walk from my home. I'd have to do most of the work myself to stay within the $50K mentioned above. 4-6 months of work.

I had an inspection done without electricity, water, gas. They noticed that the power line has been literally cut off. There's a big black spot behind the electrical meter. Probably a branch fell on the line, but could've been a lightening (less likely).

An electrician said that I'd spend $1,100 to restore power (based on pictures, he didn't go to the site). $2,000 if the problem was more serious, but he didn't think the wiring at the whole house was shot.

So, $1,100 to restore power + $1,000 earnest deposit to HUD only to make sure there were no other unknown issues. If I decided then to pull out, I'd be out $2,500 (including inspection).

I walked away from the deal in the last minute.

I don't necessarily regret my decision, but I want to know if it was the right call or not. I know we make wrong decisions and that's okay as long as we learn from them.

Now, based on the info above. Does it seem reasonable that I walked away or would've been worth to stick with it?

Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this.

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  • Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    7y

    Hi Danilo,

    Like Kenny Rogers said "You gotta' know when to hold em', and you gotta' know when to fold em'. "

    Good Luck!

  • Anthony GaydenPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Omaha, NE · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Danilo Dias:

    Hello,

    I just won a bid on a HUD Home.

    Winning bid: $150K

    Closing costs: $3.3K

    Estimated in repairs: $50K (with margin)

    Potential rent: $1,850

    Potential resale price: $220K-$240K (at $230K, I'd make $211K after closing costs, according to my realtor)

    Rent cashflow: $945.33 or 5.58% Cash on Cash ROI

    ---

    I was going to pull money that's allocated to my retirement, currently in stocks (so supposedly growing 6-8%/year) to put into this property and pay for the whole thing cash.

    I have multiple part time jobs instead of one full-time, so according to my lender (broker? I probably should know the difference), I can't really get a loan.

    This would've been my first investment property, so you can see that this is a nerve wrecking purchase.

    The house needed a ton of work (redo two bathrooms -- including moving walls, redo kitchen, siding, etc), but it's literally 3 minutes walk from my home. I'd have to do most of the work myself to stay within the $50K mentioned above. 4-6 months of work.

    I had an inspection done without electricity, water, gas. They noticed that the power line has been literally cut off. There's a big black spot behind the electrical meter. Probably a branch fell on the line, but could've been a lightening (less likely).

    An electrician said that I'd spend $1,100 to restore power (based on pictures, he didn't go to the site). $2,000 if the problem was more serious, but he didn't think the wiring at the whole house was shot.

    So, $1,100 to restore power + $1,000 earnest deposit to HUD only to make sure there were no other unknown issues. If I decided then to pull out, I'd be out $2,500 (including inspection).

    I walked away from the deal in the last minute.

    I don't necessarily regret my decision, but I want to know if it was the right call or not. I know we make wrong decisions and that's okay as long as we learn from them.

    Now, based on the info above. Does it seem reasonable that I walked away or would've been worth to stick with it?

    Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this.

    Purchase Price $150,000

    Closing Costs $3300

    Repairs $50,000

    total investment $203,300

    After Repair Value $220,000 (I'm going with your lower ARV number to be conservative)

    That means you really only were getting the property for a $17,000 or 7.7% discount from retail. That isn't exactly a slam dunk deal, especially since you were paying cash and you had to do an extensive rehab. 

    In terms of rent, I personally don't think a 5.5% is very good and I expect more. 

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