Real Estate Investor · Richmond, VA · Member since 2013 · 22 posts · 0 votes
Hello,
So, I believe these are the three things looked at by a lender.
[1] credit score
[2] debt to income ratio
[3] how much money I make a year
I can control my credit score, but I can't control my job income (to some degree...that's why I'm beginning investing.)
But what about debt to income ratio?. My thought was I could buy more property without it effecting my debt to income ratio if it was seller financed. Is this the wrong way to think about this? Are there some really good resources you could point me to?
**And sorry about the title deb = debt (The editor wouldn't let me edit the title after I submitted the post)
Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes
13y
From your financial standpoint, getting seller financing is no different than getting a bank loan -- it *will* impact your DTI. Now, a seller financed loan may not show up on your credit report like a bank loan will, but you still have an obligation to disclose it when attempting to get credit, and creditors will certainly take it into account the same as they would a bank loan.
Real Estate Investor · Richmond, VA · Member since 2013 · 22 posts · 0 votes
13y
Thanks J Scott
I'm trying to think ahead. I'm approved now for at least $150,000 (my mortgage broker said he could probably go higher) I'm about to buy my first investment house, but I want to keep buying and not held up by my debt to income ratio. I'm not sure whether to buy a cheap house in an okay area or a expensive house in a really nice area. I'm not sure to max out my loan amount or stay conservative in preparation for my next buy. That's when I started thinking about seller financing....which I guess doesn't make a difference.
Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes
13y
The other thing to keep in mind is that your mortgage broker is a lot more likely to care about your DTI than a seller who is providing financing. While a seller providing financing may require a downpayment and will certainly want to see a copy of your credit report and a basic financial history/balance sheet, I imagine most sellers wouldn't calculate your DTI and make a decision based off of that.
I could be wrong though...I don't do any seller financing (on either side)...
Real Estate Investor · Richmond, VA · Member since 2013 · 22 posts · 0 votes
13y
So you are saying with a bad DTI (over 36%?), I could *possibly* still do seller financing since the seller will more than likely only look at my credit report (w/other seller financed houses reported) and won't really care/calculate my DTI?
Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes
13y
Originally posted by Jeri Dilts:
So you are saying with a bad DTI (over 36%?), I could *possibly* still do seller financing since the seller will more than likely only look at my credit report (w/other seller financed houses reported) and won't really care/calculate my DTI?
Again, I'm not a seller financing expert, so if anyone who is says differently, listen to them. But...
I would imagine that most sellers wouldn't ask you to disclose your DTI and most seller financing won't show up on your credit report...
Developer · Santa Clarita, CA · Member since 2008 · 15k+ posts · 10k+ votes
13y
Originally posted by Jeri Dilts:
I'm trying to think ahead. I'm approved now for at least $150,000 (my mortgage broker said he could probably go higher) I'm about to buy my first investment house, but I want to keep buying and not held up by my debt to income ratio. I'm not sure whether to buy a cheap house in an okay area or a expensive house in a really nice area.
J
Keep in mind that if your goal is cash flow, buying more expensive homes typically have less cash flow, this is aside from the DTI conversation, but I thought it was important to mention since you brought it up.
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
13y
Also, as you acquire rentals, they will help your income (hopefully) and reduce your DTI, not increase it. Here's how it works.
First, completely ignore the rentals. Add up your debt payments and your income. That computes your DTI. Now, for existing rentals when you apply for a loan, the lender will look at your tax return and look at the bottom line from the rentals (Schedule E). Positive? It increases the income (denominator) and improves your DTI. Negative? It increase the debt payment (numerator) and hurts your DTI. You'll need two years experience as a landlord to count rental income, which is generally considered to mean rental income has to show up on two tax returns. Once you cross this threshold, a investor friendly lender will then also consider the rental income from the new property you're buying when you apply for a loan. They will take 75% of the rent, less the PITI payment. Negative or positive, that's handled the same as above. Hopefully, these are all positive numbers, so they're helping your DTI, not hurting it.
Real Estate Agent · Realtor - Dallas, TX · Member since 2013 · 342 posts · 55 votes
12y
@Account Closed ...I think what she is asking is: most people are limited by their DTI...so to accumulate more rentals, can seller financing make this happen sooner? We all know that we have an obligation to disclose...and we all know how the banks look at things...blah, blah, blah. But, being creative also involves some risk....so with that said, will seller financing help Jeri to reach her goals? If she has the money to pay the loans (regardless of tax returns, 2 years bank statements, and all the other required nonsense that irresponsible borrowers forces the rest of us to abide by)...let's here some real answers to this question...?