First ever BRRRR - Refinanced and got the property for "free"

First ever BRRRR - Refinanced and got the property for "free"

Real Estate Agent 路 Brentwood, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 285 posts 路 225 votes

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Florissant.

Purchase price: $72,000
Cash invested: $15,420
Sale price: $70,000

Bought for $72k
Closing Costs $14,300
Rehab Cost $16,100
Appraised for $121,000
Loan Amount $ 86,300
Rent $1300
Cash Flow $372.72
Refi'd and pulled $15,420 back out.

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

We wanted to be able to pull our initial investment out

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

I found it on MLS listed as coming soon. We knew it would go quick so we offered a bit above asking price and wrote a letter to the homeowners stating who we were and our intentions with the property.

How did you finance this deal?

We used traditional financing through a bank. A construction loan, and once the rehab was complete, converting the loan into a traditional 30 yr mortgage

How did you add value to the deal?

We updated the interior. New floors, paint, updated kitchen and bathrooms, as well as fixing stuck windows, stubborn doors, certain appliances.

What was the outcome?

We successfully closed, rehabbed, placed a renter, & refinanced. A tenant is now placed and we are cash flowing. Since we were able to refinance and recover our initial investment it's essentially like we acquired the property for free.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

This was our first one so there was a lot to learn. The correct people to talk to in order to get things done. The correct verbiage to use when speaking to people. How to communicate with the agent and indirectly with the homeowners who were selling. We had a hazy idea about the process, but once we were in it it became clear that this was repeatable. The biggest challenge for us was waiting. With so many parties involved in a real estate transaction, the waiting is the hardest part.

4Reply
42 views

Most Popular Reply

Jaron WallingPro Member
Rental Property Investor 路 Indianapolis, IN 路 Member since 2018 路 4k+ posts 路 4k+ votes
7y

Was the property purchased with cash or a loan? I'm confused as to why you pulled $15,420 back out, and not the $86k. 

See this reply in the discussion

25 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Member since 2018 路 14 posts 路 10 votes
    7y

    Nice find... Do you plan to use the 15k to do it again>?

  • Real Estate Professional 路 Brentwood CA / Dallas, TX 路 Member since 2016 路 185 posts 路 146 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards well done man! 

  • Jaron WallingPro Member
    Rental Property Investor 路 Indianapolis, IN 路 Member since 2018 路 4k+ posts 路 4k+ votes
    7y

    Was the property purchased with cash or a loan? I'm confused as to why you pulled $15,420 back out, and not the $86k. 

  • Real Estate Agent 路 Brentwood, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 285 posts 路 225 votes
    7y

    @Mike Zahniser Yes sir.  We have done it again and again.  We currently have 6 properties and are always looking for more.  Sometimes we run into we have to use more cash out of our pocket for the short term as it does take a while to refi a property.  So we may have more money tied up than $15k, but eventually it all gets put back where it came from.

  • Real Estate Agent 路 Brentwood, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 285 posts 路 225 votes
    7y

    @Andrew Neal Thanks man!  Still looking forward to meeting up sometime.

    @Jaron Walling The properties we are purchasing are with a loan from a bank.  We only pulled out what we initially invested which was $15,420 in closing costs.  The rehab costs were lumped into the loan with the cost of the mortgage.  The rehab was paid for by us, then reimbursed through the bank while it was taking place.  So for example if we had a floor installed, we would pay $1k out of our pocket to a contractor and get reimbursed by the bank the following week.  Once the rehab was complete, the total cost of the rehab was added onto the mortgage.  

  • Rental Property Investor 路 St. Petersburg, FL 路 Member since 2017 路 3k+ posts 路 4k+ votes
    7y
    @Blake Edwards that's the dream! Nice job
  • Real Estate Agent 路 Brentwood, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 285 posts 路 225 votes
    7y

    @Jason D. Thanks man.  Honestly it was pretty intimidating at first.  Once I kind of saw how things worked and how different industries related to each other and their main point of business it kind of clicked.  Not saying I have it all figured out, I never will.  Just nice to grasp the basic idea and understand a seemingly complicated subject and process.

  • Rental Property Investor 路 Douglas County, MO 路 Member since 2014 路 1k+ posts 路 1k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Blake Edwards:

    Investment Info:

    Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Florissant.

    Purchase price: $72,000

    Cash invested: $15,420

    Sale price: $70,000

    Bought for $72k
    Closing Costs $14,300
    Rehab Cost $16,100
    Appraised for $121,000
    Loan Amount $ 86,300
    Rent $1300
    Cash Flow $372.72
    Refi'd and pulled $15,420 back out.

    One  question - why are closing costs so high? We have bought quite a few houses in that price range, and closing costs have never been over $1000. We always pay cash. Is that the difference? 

  • Realtor 路 Los Angeles, CA 路 Member since 2016 路 100 posts 路 38 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards That's awesome. 

    I have a few questions if you don't mind  - 

    1) Is this Florissant, Missouri? Is this a town you have previously lived or have family? (I see you are based in Brentwood, CA). Curious on how you narrowed it to Florrisant and if there are any specific criteria you used? What other areas (cities) did you consider?  

    2) How did you find a list of contractors in the area? 

    3) How did you go about finding tenants? 

    4) How do you currently remotely manage the property? 

    5) Do you also invest in LA? 

    Thanks and congratulations.

    Cheers

    Vinay

  • Real Estate Agent 路 Brentwood, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 285 posts 路 225 votes
    7y

    @Sylvia B. I included down payment in closing costs.  Thats down payment, closing costs, title fees, etc.  Everything.  I see how that could be confusing.  $15k in strictly closing costs is outrageous! Hahahaha

    @Vinay C. 

    1)Yes it's Florissant Mo.  I have a brother in the area which helps a lot.  I narrowed it down based on price and what we were comfortable paying as well as projected cash flow.  St. Louis is a city we have properties in, and same thing. Based our property search on price.  There are quite a few homes for sale for $2500 in downtown St. Louis which you do not want to own.  Crime rate and condition of the neighborhoods as well as condition of the houses for $2500 steer us away from most parts of downtown.  The outskirts of St. Louis have better opportunities for us.  

    2) I called, called and called some more.  Some I spoke to within 20 seconds I could tell they weren't a right fit.  Some promised the world then fell off.  Some were too busy.  Some were recommended.  But you just have to call.  Ask for references, past examples of work, insurance etc. and you can weed out a lot very quickly.

    3) I advertised through Zillow rental manager.  It publishes it on Zillow, Hot Pads, and another site I forget the name of.  Very user friendly which helps.

    4) The only thing I have to do as far as managing remotely is if something needs attention or needs to be fixed, I call our contractor and he takes care of it.  I am quick to respond to our tenants and very open with them.  I don't have them move in and thats it.  I am constantly in communication with them to show not only I care about them and their situation but the property

    5) I don't invest in LA.  Im in the Nor Cal Brentwood, not the O.J. Brentwood :)

  • Real Estate Professional 路 Brentwood CA / Dallas, TX 路 Member since 2016 路 185 posts 路 146 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards Absolutely! We need to link up in the new year for sure.

  • Real Estate Professional 路 Brentwood CA / Dallas, TX 路 Member since 2016 路 185 posts 路 146 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards haha at your #5. I used to have to explain that ALL the time when I lived in LA. My license still said "Brentwood" and I would get some weird looks and/or people thought I was loaded haha.

  • Realtor 路 Los Angeles, CA 路 Member since 2016 路 100 posts 路 38 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards Thanks a lot for answering my questions. Helps a lot. It makes sense that you had a brother up there and knew the area well. 

    I thought you lived in Brentwood in LA, so wanted to ask you if you would be interested in meeting up. Might be a little challenging if you are in North Cal. 

    Thanks again. 

    Cheers

    Vinay

  • St. Petersburg, FL 路 Member since 2015 路 317 posts 路 71 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards I'm interested in doing just this but my realtor and lender are advising me against it.  They say it is not worth refinancing as I will only get back $18K - closing costs AND will jump to higher interest rate. They are both saying to explore HELOCs or buy another with my own cash until I can afford to pull out enough equity to buy homes in cash.

    I don't mean to hijack your success thread but this is my 1st deal and trying to figure out how to pull out my cash for the next. I want to BRRRR and don't want to keep pulling out of pocket.

    Purchase Price: $ 163,000

    Downpayment: $8,150

    Rehab : $18K

    Current Loan AMT: $152,000

    Soft Appraisal: $210-240k

    Would still cashflow but obviously not as much.

    Lender says he can only go up to 70% LTV as it is a 2-4 unit property. Is that normal for multi or should I shop around?

    Just wondering if you would think it is worth pulling out cash to invest in another property or listen to agent/lender. 

  • Real Estate Agent 路 Brentwood, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 285 posts 路 225 votes
    7y

    Hey @Tim Kaminski I just sent you a pm. Let鈥檚 chat

  • Specialist 路 Saint Louis 路 Member since 2016 路 93 posts 路 28 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards

    Good stuff. We wholesale properties in St. Louis and see deals like these all the time. Good cash flow or rehabs.

  • Cape Coral, FL 路 Member since 2018 路 38 posts 路 9 votes
    7y

    @Tim Kaminski Wish u guys chatted here lol. I was interested in the response. Any way u can sum up what u got from your convo? Thanx. 馃檪

  • Lake Elsinore, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 235 posts 路 300 votes
    7y

    Great job! It sounds like the changes were mainly cosmetic? Hoping to do some out of state rehab myself as well, great to read stories like this!

  • St. Petersburg, FL 路 Member since 2015 路 317 posts 路 71 votes
    7y

    @Joan-Marie Pagan Find a small local bank to refinance/look for 2nd deal with. Bank that understands the process of BRRRR. 70% LTV is normal. If looking to expand then this is normal and your best bet to get properties without continually using your own $$.

  • Rental Property Investor 路 Brentwood, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 18 posts 路 8 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards  awesome job my friend!!  First one is definitely the hardest and it looks like you took off from there. I am also in the NorCal Brentwood. Ever want to get together and talk strategies let me know. I鈥檝e done 10 brrrrs in the Cleveland market. Curious how much time you put into self managing from a distance?

  • Rental Property Investor 路 Brentwood, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 32 posts 路 6 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards Awesome job!  Great to see some success stories for the investors out of Brentwood.

  • Member since 2018 路 103 posts 路 48 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards great job! how long ago did you buy this property?

  • Real Estate Agent 路 Brentwood, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 285 posts 路 225 votes
    7y

    @Charles Mitchell Back in June.  We have since bought 5 more I will be detailing soon.  Exciting times!

  • Member since 2018 路 103 posts 路 48 votes
    7y

    @Blake Edwards Hell yeah! good for you! keep up the good work!

  • Investor 路 Folsom, CA 路 Member since 2018 路 20 posts 路 12 votes
    7y

    Great job man and very inspiring. Im looking in the St. Louis area for BRRRR deals as we speak. I like Multi family but your single family stories are inspiring. I work in the East bay so to to far from you!

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.