Am I moving to fast on my 1st property?

Am I moving to fast on my 1st property?

Rental Property Investor · Boston, MA · Member since 2018 · 99 posts · 33 votes

Hello BP friends and community, 

Hope everyone is well. I have a question that may be a bit cliché. 

I understand most HM lenders look for some kind of experience for an investor to determine the loan amount. Some do 90% if your background can speak for itself. 

My issue is I am looking to skip the 1-4 unit properties for my 1st investment and go straight to 16 units minimum. The main issue is I do not have the full 20%-30%  down payment. I also do not own any real estate yet. I know it sounds crazy or maybe not. 

I have off market deals come to me from areas I want to buy real estate from building relationships with brokers for future deals. I learned this strategy from real estate books and other experienced investors I met. I have most T's crossed and I's dotted besides having the downpayment and real estate. 

I had deals under contract and all, but investors did not keep their word or got cold feet. I offered them 10% return for 24 months. Meaning, they provide the down payment for the property and receive 10% ROI (Monthly or quarterly payments) for 2 yrs then we pull initial down payment out to return to the investor. The property will then be mine to deal with in a down or up market. The investor is safe to say.

I don't want to have a longer thread, sorry this. Question is, am I moving too fast? I honestly feel confident with the areas, numbers and myself to start above 1-4 units. I was told to get at least my 1st 4 unit alone,that will get me some credentials with a HM lender.

If I left out any key factors to help answer my question I would be happy to answer anything. Thanks for your time and good energy to you all. 

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  • Rental Property Investor · Springfield, MO · Member since 2019 · 462 posts · 365 votes
    5y

    If you are hard set on starting with a 16+ unit apartment complex but don't have the cash for the down payment, plus the additional cash to keep in reserves for that size of complex, then you need to find yourself a partner. I hate partnerships but going big on your first complex without having the capital... that really is the best option. If you don't want to use a partner then you will need to strap in to pay A LOT more than 10% interest on a HM loan for the down payment. 

    I have been in Real Estate for over 10 years now and I still pay my private money lenders 10-12% even though it is a relatively low risk investment given our track record. If I didn't know you personally and you came to me with this idea I would tell you no in a heart beat.... it would just be too risky. However, if I personally knew you for years and believed in you I would still want at least a 20% return on my investment for taking a big risk on a person who has no past experience. 

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