Commercial property with 2 apartments upstairs.

Commercial property with 2 apartments upstairs.

East Amherst, NY · Member since 2013 · 15 posts · 0 votes

Hey guys. I was wondering if I can get your advice on a possible deal. I was speaking to one of my customers today (I sell cars) and I mentioned that I'm Interested in buying a rental property (like a multi family home). He said, "I've got one for you!" He's thinking about selling a 4,000 sq ft house (in an area that I've been looking), but it's zoned commercial. He's getting a little older and is getting sick of being a landlord. The first level is roughly 2,000 sq ft with a business renting it and the second floor has 2 apartments that are each about 900 sq ft with 2 bedrooms each. 3 furnaces, 3 kitchens, new roof and vinyl siding.

My question is this, should I be worried about the fact that its zoned commercial?? What should I be thinking about with this property? Any tax implications or anything? All 3 units are occupied and he's bringing in about 1,800 per month (which is definitely a little lower than what he could get). He wants $135,000 for the property and he's willing to offer seller financing.

I'm hoping some of you can chime in and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Scott

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Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator · Springfield, MO · Member since 2009 · 21k+ posts · 12k+ votes
13y

Sounds like it might be a good property. The fact that it is a mixed use property has some pluses, residential is easier to lease and help carry the place if your commercial tenant leaves. Financing will always be a commercial, but I'd suggest you seek the seller financing and paly to the sellers benefits and finance it long enough to get 30/40% equity. Good luck!

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  • Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator · Springfield, MO · Member since 2009 · 21k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    13y

    Sounds like it might be a good property. The fact that it is a mixed use property has some pluses, residential is easier to lease and help carry the place if your commercial tenant leaves. Financing will always be a commercial, but I'd suggest you seek the seller financing and paly to the sellers benefits and finance it long enough to get 30/40% equity. Good luck!

  • East Amherst, NY · Member since 2013 · 15 posts · 0 votes
    13y

    Thanks Bill. I appreciate your advice. I'm not too familiar wi seller financing, but I've read some of your posts. He wants $25k down, which I can do. Can I ask your advice on how I would structure the arrangement? Let's say we agree on $125k as a price. Is it possible to do a conventional refinance on a commercial property after say 5 years or so?

  • Karen MargraveBusiness Member
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    Realtor, General Contractor, and Developer · Redding, CA · Member since 2009 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    13y

    Scott SanFilippo Here in southern California there's areas that have a lot of mixed use properties like that. They're called 'live/work' units. They have commercial on lower level and residential on upper. In fact, I was just scouting a town we were in looking to see if any of the buildings there were for sale for such a use. The town has a lot of older buildings and houses that have been kept up so nicely, it just oozes charm... anyway, I digress.. Good luck! Sounds like you have a promising deal.

  • East Amherst, NY · Member since 2013 · 15 posts · 0 votes
    13y

    Thanks Karen! I'm glad to hear your thoughts. This is a little over my target budget, but I can swing it and I think it's a good investment with solid cash flow potential.

  • Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator · Springfield, MO · Member since 2009 · 21k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    13y

    At that you'll have 20% down, a good start.

    Structuring is not complicated, it's a note, there should only be standard provisions along with a deed of trust. It is an equity loan rather than a cash loan and there is no deficiency judgment after any foreclosure, which is about the only difference than a cash loan. You should have an attorney assist, I'd suggest a better note than what is usually found at title companies, but they work as well. The closing agent should ensure that you have a state specific or what is knwn as a standard deed of trust.

    Read here as I mentioned. Any specific question, just chime in....Good Luck. :)

  • Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    13y

    Just be careful with the balloon & your LTV @ the anniversary.
    We have financed some commercial properties in your area because they couldn't get
    financing after the balloon came due & were short of the 30% equity requirement.
    Talk to a couple of mortgage brokers in your area regarding the ease of commercial financing if & when your owner financing needs to be RE-financed. Also ask them about the going rate as it can be double digits for commercial properties & that may affect your expected cash flow significantly.
    Good luck

  • San Jose, CA · Member since 2013 · 39 posts · 5 votes
    13y

    If your considering a loan look into an FHA 203k loan for owner occupied units 3.5% minimum down.

    It requires that the commercial space be <50% of total square footage.

  • East Amherst, NY · Member since 2013 · 15 posts · 0 votes
    13y

    Thanks guys! I'm starting to stress a little bit about the owner financing. I think I'd much rather lock in conventional financing while the rates are low. However, this would most likely be a commercial loan because it's a mixed use property. What are you guys seeing for commercial rates right now and what percent down do they typically want?? My credit score is over 800 so I am very credit worthy. I can probably do 25% down, but not much more than that. Thanks again!

  • Lender · Woodland Hills, CA · Member since 2013 · 362 posts · 115 votes
    13y

    I cant really add any more to the sage wisdom of the heavy hitters all, and especially Bill Gulley and Karen Margrave. . . they have nailed a great many points.

    What I am not seeing yet in the discussion. . .

    Before you split hairs over the financing. . . what are the numbers on the property? Does the math work with the 50% rule? cap rate for area and property, Internal Rate of Return, Rent Roll, Cash on Cash. . .

    How do you know a buck 35 is a good deal?

    WHY is he so eager to gift you/bestow you with/git rid of/dump this property on you?

    Fifthendarily, what about deferred maintenance? how long has the commercial tenant been there, what is the viability of her business?

    you have a whole alot of due diligence still to accomplish, before settling on a financing modality. . .

    Much good luck with this,

    Tevis

  • East Amherst, NY · Member since 2013 · 15 posts · 0 votes
    13y

    Tevis, thanks for being devil's advocate with this. You're absolutely right, I still have a lot of information to gather. I haven't even seen the place yet; that will happen this week. I'm calculating the cash roi on this deal to be around 29% and the total roi about 31%. That's a hell of a lot better than anything else I'm seeing in my area. I'm not sure if $135k is good but it certainly cash flows well.

    The commercial tenant definitely scares me a little and I want to find out more about the company. I apologize if I'm putting the cart before the horse regarding financing questions, but if I'm having trouble obtaining financing due to its commercial zoning, I don't even know if I should consider the property. Hence, me getting advice from you guys beforehand.

    It's tough trying to run the spreadsheet, but lacking some key variables, ie. rates, terms, cash down, etc... on commercial loans.

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