Investor · Member since 2021 · 26 posts · 20 votes
So I was listening to BP podcast on my way to work yesterday and heard Pace Morby mention Due on Sale clause insurance. Ive searched the web over the last 2 days and cant find any companies that offer this. Has anyone heard of this before or heard of a company that offers it? Im assuming this would protect me from the DOS clause when I transfer an investment prop from my name over to my LLC...
@Sylvia B. That's a good question. How common is it for this clause to be enforced?
It could be that the company offers this insurance because of the low likelihood that the DOS clause will be enforced. Just a thought.
Pace has been doing Subject To for almost two years now from what I can gather. He is in fact advocating a couple of things that are not prudent and I believe are reckless, but that comes from a lack of seasoning.
I think most of his background is fix & flip for iBuyers and in which he seems to have done well in that arena.
I've been doing Subject To for 25 years and in several states. I have never heard of Insurance for Due on Sale and I find it improbable that the insurance would actually be honored in the event it was needed. There are a dozen reasons insuring against Due on Sale is a non-winner for the insurance company.
In 25 years I've had two loans called because of Due on Sale.
One was in 2006 when someone I bought a house from in 2001 (5 years earlier) sued and claimed he never sold the house. Later in court he was proven to be a liar, but the loan was called anyway. I had to pay it off. But, that's a long story for another time & Yes, of course I won the case. You learn all of the weaknesses of Subject To when you've been through a few lawsuits.
The second time was in March 2020 when I did a Subject To on a Reverse Mortgage. The house sat vacant because I was busy with a few other flips and just hadn't gotten to it. A homeless "crowd" broke in and started creating problems in the neighborhood. The bank was notified by the police & I received a letter giving me 30 days to pay off the loan or they would start a foreclosure. I simply paid off the loan and life went on.
In case one, no one is going to have that happen to them. It is an entirely bizarre and psycho event.
In case two, if I had been working on the property or had someone living in it, the squatters would never have been a problem and the bank would never have been called.
So, had I bought Due on Sale Insurance, (which is like unicorns farting rainbows) the clause that says you can't have done something stupid like let squatters overrun your vacant property or let psychos sue you, would negate the insurance company's need to pay the insurance and I'd have to sue the insurance company for specific performance. And 2 years later and lots of legal fees, the courts would decide who is right. And I'm guessing the "insurance" provider would have a pretty strong case that they don't have to pay out.
There is great reward in using Subject To, legally and ethically and correctly. There is great risk in not knowing what you don't know.
Investor · Member since 2021 · 26 posts · 20 votes
4y
@Mike B. I googled them and called yesterday. They said they have never heard of it. Not sure where they were based out of or if there’s more than one company called equity assurance but I’ll check again in the morning
@Jimmy Alexander - I was surprised when I heard Pace say that on the podcast. I’ve never heard of “Due on Sale” insurance either. Please post back once you learn more details. I’m curious to know if it actually exists or not.
Also, I have some properties that I have purchased and/or refinanced under my LLC. Since the lender is a portfolio lender (using their own money) they can be more flexible. They do not care that the loans are in my LLC. Another big benefit is the loans do not reflect on my credit report and, therefore, have no impact on my DTI.
They do charge a slightly higher interest rate (maybe .25 to .50) but I’ve been able to move my Debt Service Coverage Ratio for my portfolio above 1.5 and soon to be above 1.6…so a little more interest is OK by me.
You may want to consider using a portfolio lender.
Investor · Member since 2021 · 26 posts · 20 votes
4y
@Ken Dunn sounds like a good idea, how should I get started finding one? I have 2 financing options right now. A loan in my name would be 3.75% 30yr fixed with 25% down with the risk of a DOS clause if I ever want to transfer it over to my LLC. And a loan directly to my LLC for 4.25% 5/1 ARM with 30% down from a small local bank. Thank you for the advice, I'll be spending the next few days hunting down some portfolio lenders.
@Jimmy Alexander - shoot me a PM and I’ll be happy to give you contact info for my portfolio lender in Dallas, TX. I’m not sure they can do loans outside Texas, but it will not hurt for you to ask. He may be able to refer you to another portfolio lender if he cannot help. Cheers - Ken
Real Estate Professional · West Palm Beach, FL · Member since 2012 · 23k+ posts · 13k+ votes
4y
@Jimmy Alexander Just talk to your lender.....Fannie Mae now allows you to transfer title to a single member llc, after financing personally. Also, worst case scenario if the DOS is instituted, you have 30 days to cure....simply transfer title back to your name.
Rental Property Investor · Douglas County, MO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4y
That kind of insurance makes no sense. If I buy hazard insurance, then set a fire in the house or take a sledge hammer to the pipes, no insurance company is going to pay because I caused the damage intentionally. You aren't going to transfer ownership accidentally, it's always intentional. So why would an insurance company cover a loss that I intentionally caused?
So I was listening to BP podcast on my way to work yesterday and heard Pace Morby mention Due on Sale clause insurance. Ive searched the web over the last 2 days and cant find any companies that offer this. Has anyone heard of this before or heard of a company that offers it? Im assuming this would protect me from the DOS clause when I transfer an investment prop from my name over to my LLC...
I just looked at their site….it doesn’t cover the transfer to an llc. It only covers the Buyer in a wrap mortgage or sub2. The “insurance” is a refi, assuming the buyer is current on everything, you have to use their title company to close the loan, lender’s title insurance and other fees and likely caveats.
Specialist · Winter Springs, FL · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 747 votes
4y
From their web site:
What is Equity Assurance?
Equity Assurance is a Company to help us with almost any Subject 2 transaction which will give you and your seller peace of mind regarding the due on sale clause. This can help you close the sell to a skeptical seller.
If the due on sale clause gets called Equity Assurance is a Company that will utilize its resources in one of three ways.
1) Equity Assurance upon your request, can contact the lending institution and inquire about the desire of the lender to enforce the provision if the payments, insurance and taxes are current. Equity will work to resolve this issue so you can continue working with the Mortgage servicer.
2) Equity Assurance can utilize its capital pool and investor pool to buy the mortgage and have it assigned to Equity Assurance whereas the terms will remain the same.
3) Equity can offer the outstanding mortgage and note on the secondary market.
"If it's "insurance" I suspect they should be regulated.
@Sylvia B. That's a good question. How common is it for this clause to be enforced?
It could be that the company offers this insurance because of the low likelihood that the DOS clause will be enforced. Just a thought.
Pace has been doing Subject To for almost two years now from what I can gather. He is in fact advocating a couple of things that are not prudent and I believe are reckless, but that comes from a lack of seasoning.
I think most of his background is fix & flip for iBuyers and in which he seems to have done well in that arena.
I've been doing Subject To for 25 years and in several states. I have never heard of Insurance for Due on Sale and I find it improbable that the insurance would actually be honored in the event it was needed. There are a dozen reasons insuring against Due on Sale is a non-winner for the insurance company.
In 25 years I've had two loans called because of Due on Sale.
One was in 2006 when someone I bought a house from in 2001 (5 years earlier) sued and claimed he never sold the house. Later in court he was proven to be a liar, but the loan was called anyway. I had to pay it off. But, that's a long story for another time & Yes, of course I won the case. You learn all of the weaknesses of Subject To when you've been through a few lawsuits.
The second time was in March 2020 when I did a Subject To on a Reverse Mortgage. The house sat vacant because I was busy with a few other flips and just hadn't gotten to it. A homeless "crowd" broke in and started creating problems in the neighborhood. The bank was notified by the police & I received a letter giving me 30 days to pay off the loan or they would start a foreclosure. I simply paid off the loan and life went on.
In case one, no one is going to have that happen to them. It is an entirely bizarre and psycho event.
In case two, if I had been working on the property or had someone living in it, the squatters would never have been a problem and the bank would never have been called.
So, had I bought Due on Sale Insurance, (which is like unicorns farting rainbows) the clause that says you can't have done something stupid like let squatters overrun your vacant property or let psychos sue you, would negate the insurance company's need to pay the insurance and I'd have to sue the insurance company for specific performance. And 2 years later and lots of legal fees, the courts would decide who is right. And I'm guessing the "insurance" provider would have a pretty strong case that they don't have to pay out.
There is great reward in using Subject To, legally and ethically and correctly. There is great risk in not knowing what you don't know.
Investor · Flower Mound, TX · Member since 2016 · 245 posts · 192 votes
4y
@Jimmy Alexander - skip the insurance and just get a Fannie Mae conventional loan. See below snip and link to Fannie guidelines regarding Due on Sale exceptions. Just make sure if you get a conventional loan that it's a Fannie Mae loan and not a Freddie Mac loan
Fannie allows a transfer of the property to: a limited liability company (LLC), provided that
- the mortgage loan was purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae on or after June 1, 2016, and
- the LLC is controlled by the original borrower or the original borrower owns a majority interest in the LLC, and if the transfer results in a permitted change of occupancy type to an investment property, such change does not violate the security instrument (for example, the 12 month occupancy requirement for a principal residence).
@Peter Walther thanks for posting this. In reference to each point:
1. They are acting as an agent on your behalf.
2. Acting as a private lender.
3. Selling the loan as any other lender
I don't see where they are actually "insuring" anything. I haven't read their website at all. Only the information posted in this thread
I'd be careful in claiming they're your agent. I believe that may make you their principal and and possibly liable for their action.
I assume they would then need to be licensed as a mortgage lender.
Not sure which loan you're referencing, the loan they bought from the original lender or the loan they arranged to pay the original loan off.
I agree they may not be acting as an insurer but other posts had made reference to EA as offering DOS insurance and I was observing that if they were they offering insurance they would probably need to be licensed to do so. Tellingly their name is Equity Assurance, not Equity Insurance.
I just looked at their site….it doesn’t cover the transfer to an llc. It only covers the Buyer in a wrap mortgage or sub2. The “insurance” is a refi, assuming the buyer is current on everything, you have to use their title company to close the loan, lender’s title insurance and other fees and likely caveats.
EXCATLY Wayne:
Coverage Criteria
In order to obtain coverage protecting the Buyer from exercising of
the Mortgage's "Due On Sale" Clause through Equity Assurance, LLC for
the existing unsatisfied mortgage in the transaction the following must
be met:
Mortgage must be current or brought current at the time of closing.
All property tax (county, city, state, school, MUD, etc.) must be current or brought current at the time of closing.
Property insurance must be current or brought current at the time of closing.
Home Owners Associate (HOA) dues must be current or brought current at the time of closing.
Closing must take place at Paradise Settlement Services, LLC d/b/a PSS Title.
Title Insurance must be purchased from Paradise Settlement Services, LLC d/b/a PSS Title.
From there website.. this is simply a refi and I suspect your paying up front for a refi that may never happen.
nice money making gig.. I would do this for anyone also under those terms and conditions EASY MONEY.