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Showing posts with label florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label florida. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Florida's Mortgage Components

The components that make up a Florida Mortgage

I was surprised to find out most people, who are home owners or my students, do not know what their mortgage consists of! Biggest financial transaction of your life and you can’t recall the interest rate that you are paying? As the sports analysts say – "C'Mon Man!"

One of the questions I ask my Real Estate Mentoring Students or Clients, what are the three parts of a Florida Mortgage? Most say the mortgage and stop with blank stare? So today I am going to discuss the three parts that make up your Mortgage in Florida. They Are:

  1. Note
  2. Mortgage
  3. Deed

That is why you have so many papers to sign at closing!

Note or Promissory Note

A note or Promissory Note can be drawn up using a template you bought in Office Depot! It is real simple! A note is contract or document signed by the people who agree to pay the debt. It doesn't have to be you! It is anyone willing to pay back, usually with interest and terms, a debt that has been incurred.

In real estate, it is typically a borrower or buyer agreeing to make monthly payments of principal and interest over 15 - 30 years to a lender, usually a bank but it could be an individual. (Good Cash Flow Strategy!) If the borrower doesn’t pay, the LENDER can sue "under the note" for breaking the contract. Usually in Real Estate, the property serves as collateral if there is a breach of contract.

Mortgage

A mortgage is document that transfers interest in property. While a mortgage is tied to the debt created by the note, it is not a promise to pay the debt. It contains language which gives the lender the right to take back the property if the borrower/buyer goes into default and doesn’t pay under the terms of the note signed. In other words, what will happen if you breech the Promissory Note.

Deed

A deed is the document that passes the TITLE from the grantor (Seller/Owner) to the grantee (Buyer/Future Owner). There are two basic types of deeds.

  • Quitclaim Deed - passes whatever title or rights the grantor (Seller/Owner) has in the property to the grantee (Buyer/Future Owner) without any warranty.
  • Warranty Deed - contains promises made by the grantor (Seller/Owner) about the title or rights conveyed. In other words, he is warranting a "Clear and Marketable Title."

A deed must contain legal description of the property and must be signed in front of a notary public in the State of Florida.

A title is the bundle of legal rights the owner has in real property or asset. In other words, the title is the ownership of the property.

P.S. Make sure you sign all documents in Blue Ink and the mortgage is recorded at the Clerk of Court office.

Written by +Bob Burns.
 

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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Homestead Housing Authority Miami-Dade County Florida New Section 8 Offices

Homestead no longer Strawberry Fields!

The Homestead Housing Authority in Miami-Dade County Florida has undergone some major changes since the real estate market began heating up several years ago. The City of Homestead enjoyed a good 10 years of expansion. Work force housing communities began springing up where strawberry fields, nurseries, orchards and farm land once occupied a majority of the acreage now developed. Major retailers like Wal-Mart, Nike and Home Depot, discovered that Homestead was the last stop for travelers and tourists before they entered the Florida Keys.

I discovered the Homestead Housing Authority back in 1998 when it was just a small office. I found the agency was very willing to work with Landlords and Real Estate Investors by making the Section 8 processing cycle very easy for owners and tenants. What I didn't find was a lot of investors or Land Lords using Section 8 or Plan Ocho as an additional marketing channel for finding tenants to occupy their investment properties in South Miami-Dade.

That was Then, This is NOW!

The Homestead Housing Authority has just completed a new building and road modifications to their facilities. HHA and the rest of Homestead has grown and caught up with the rest of Miami-Dade county.

During the recent real estate bust, investors have picked up bargin properties in Southern Dade County. If you are a Landlord or a property owner looking for tenants, the Homestead Housing Authority HHA is one source for potential tenants in Southern Miami-Dade County.

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Written by Blog posting Author +Bob Burns.
 
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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Section 8 Waiting List Openings in other Regions. Uh?

Should we cover Section 8 waiting list openings Nationwide?

We have been wrestling with this question for a while now! REIC is pretty connected to Section 8 Wait List openings in the Southeastern region, since a majority of our clients / readers are from South Florida. Should we care about other regions of the US concerning Section 8 Wait List Openings? YES! We should cover the whole US, Section 8 office by Section 8 office.

Here is our Justification!

Why is this important to our investors, blog readers and tenants? Miami Florida is the gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean. As a result, we have every nationality from these regions calling Miami, Florida their home. This does not mean they don't have relatives living in other parts of the United States.

Look at my background! I was born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but I am calling Miami, Florida my current home. The rest of my family lives in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, California, etc.

A Section 8 or Plan 8 Wait List opening in New Jersey may not be important to the folks living in Miami but maybe their relatives in New Jersey could act on this information. Word of Mouth, Baby!

Here are several other reasons we feel we should cover all the Section 8 or Plan 8 Wait list Openings:

  • Section 8 Vouchers are Portable.
  • People don't like South Florida and want to move to another state or region.
  • Family Issues like death, health, divorce, empty nest, etc.
  • Better Jobs and Salaries.
  • Economic Hardship.
  • The Weather in South Florida! Hurricanes, Heat, Humidity…
  • Competition for the available Section 8 Vouchers and Wait List Openings.
We are sure you can add several other reasons why you want to move away or to South Florida.

So in the future we will be announcing Section 8 Waiting List Openings throughout the United States.

If you hear about any Section 8 Waiting List Openings please contact us at our email address below. We could use your help!

Oh by the way, below is a Section 8 Wait list Opening:

So starting today, we will TRY to cover all the Section 8 Wait List openings Nationwide.

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Written by +Bob Burns.
 
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Sunday, March 4, 2012

Florida's Hurricane Season and FEMA's Hurricane Preparedness Widget

Florida's Hurricane Season


One of the biggest pains being a real estate investor in Florida is getting prepared for Hurricane Season. Due to the amount of work, we wait to the last minute before placing the hurricane shutters onto our rental property's windows.

As a result of waiting, problems are going to arise like:

 

  • Going to Home Depot.
  • Gathering Supplies, if available like:
    • Make sure you buy gloves PLEASE. I can't count the times we have been hurt just because we don't have gloves on.
    • Sun Block, Hats, Sunglasses, etc. Florida SUN is brutal. I find that the weather is beautiful just before the storm arrives. Sort of like "The calm before the storm."
    • Buy Wasp spray! As you are installing shutters on the second floor of your investment property you will find out why you need the spray! The EASY way or the HARD way.
    • A SPEED tool that allows you to secure the screws or wing nuts onto the shutter. You will thank me later!
    • Ladders of various sizes. Buy at least one that adjusts to 40 feet made out of fiberglass, NOT ALUMINUM. Why? Hint: High tension electrical cables.
    • Chain Saw and gas for cutting tree branches away from the property and for use after the storm.
  • Waiting in long checkout lines.
  • Loading tools and supplies onto your vehicle. Like getting your ladders onto the truck.
  • Driving to the property! OK for local properties but what if the asset is in another county? At one point I had several properties in Sarasota, Broward, Miami Beach and Miami-Dade.
  • Traffic – People getting out of the storm's path.
  • Finding HELP! Try installing these shutters alone! Now try it on 15 other properties. See what I mean.

You are going to work harder than you ever did before. You' ll be so tired that you want the storm to blow away your portfolio of rental properties so you won't have to ever do this again.

At last the second, the storm veer's and never arrives.

You see how crazy it can get?

Oh, by the way, if for some reason you didn't get the shutters up on time and there is damage as a result of the storm, the insurance company will not pay. Just thought I would mention that!

FEMA Hurricane Preparedness Widget

One of the reason I was inspired to write this post, I found a little widget from FEMA that provides you information about getting prepared for the hurricane season or any other disaster. I have installed this widget on all my sites to help my readers make informed decisions. See the widget sample below.

Related Links, Blog Postings, Presentations or Articles:
  • See our new Section 8 or Plan 8 Miami Florida Blog. A Section 8 or Plan 8 blog for real estate investors and tenants in Miami Florida. This blog is designed to provide content for real estate investors, landlords and potential tenants who wish to participate in the HUD program.

Written by +Bob Burns.
 
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email: sec8@planocho.com
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Determining Your Investment Property Value

A good Real Estate Investor is constantly looking for motivated sellers that are offering deals they can make a substantial profit on. Investors have to determine what they are willing to pay for this asset without losing money in the process. There are several problems that can occur with this investment objective :

  • Finding Motivated Sellers. In order to make a substantial profit, investors must offer a purchase price substantially lower than the Seller is willing to accept. If the Seller doesn't negotiate with you on price or terms you are wasting your time. Move On!
  • Determining the Maximum Allowable Offer MAO. This formula allows real estate investors to determine the MAXIMUM price they can offer the seller and still make a profit.
  • Determining the Property's Repairs Costs. Sellers are usually motivated to sell their property because the asset or themselves are in a state of distress. As investors purchase multiple properties they get pretty good at determining the cost to bring the property back online.
  • What is the After Repair Value APR? What will be the property's value be after cleanup and repairs are done? You need comparables to assess the property's value. The Multiple Listing Service MLS is a fantastic source for retrieving sale and property information but:
    • MLS is only available to Realtor Associations.
    • You have to be a Realtor Association Member.
    • Costs money to be a member:
      • Realtor License Fee.
      • Association Membership Fees.
      • Continuing Education Fees.

What if you don't have access to the MLS to determine property comparables or COMPS? How are you going to determine a property's value if you don't have access to information about the neighborhood?

Don't Worry!

There is plenty of information on the internet. Most counties in the United States provide free data concerning all the properties they currently have on their tax rolls. We provide a page on our web site that lists Property Information and Clerk of the Court data for each of Florida's counties.

Once you have determined the following items:

  • Repair Costs.
  • If you are financing the deal, Principle and Interest or P&I and closing costs.
  • Monthly Fees like:
    • Electricity and Water Access.
    • Insurance.
    • Taxes.
  • Determine the After Repair Value APR.
you will need to plug in these numbers into the MAO formula to determine your MAXIMUM Offer Price.

YOU MUST never, never, never, ever go beyond that price or you will lose money and the MAO price is only good for 90 days! It is based on a three month window.

Related Links, Blog Postings, Presentations or Articles:

  • In the very near future we will provided a short video below this blog posting that will help determine a property's After Repair Value APR in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Written by +Bob Burns.
 
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The caricature of Bob BurnsNever Quit!
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Real Estate Investor
about.me/RobertKBurns
Telephone #: 305-586-5280
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Did You Know a Section 8 or Plan Ocho
Voucher is Portable?

While interviewing April Johnson from Miami-Dade Public Housing Agency MDPHA I heard the term "Portability" being used in our conversation. I was familiar with transferring vouchers but I never heard the term portability being used. I decided to ask her what exactly did this term mean.

April mentioned that any tenant that had a Section 8 Voucher in good standing, could live in the jurisdiction of a housing authority anywhere in the United States that is administering a tenant-based (Section 8 Voucher) program including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

But there are certain guidelines and facts that you must be aware of:

  • Don't take for granted that the rules are the same for each housing authority. Each PHA has its own rules, regulations and deadlines that you must follow.
  • Fair Market Rent limits or payment standards may be different for each Public Housing Office PHA. Remember they are calculated by Zip codes.
  • The utility allowance may be different and may affect the rent amount you pay. Florida utility bills are much higher than Puerto Rico. I know because I lived in both places.
  • Rental subsidy standards may be different. I can recall the differences in subsidy payments from Miami-Dade to Homestead Offices. These offices are in the same county.
  • The new housing authority will issue you a different voucher, which may change the size (number of bedrooms) that you maybe eligible for. I can't tell you how many times this issue would come up while discussing voucher transfers.
  • If you decided to transfer you have to re-verify your income and do a background check. One of my tenants was kick out of the program because her son, not her, was caught dealing drugs. You may open a can of worms for yourself.
  • If you are new to the Housing Choice Voucher Program, you may have a waiting period before you can transfer to another jurisdiction of a housing authority.
  • If you decide to use the portability option of your voucher, make sure you contact your home office to start the paper work. This may take a while so give yourself some time.
  • Oh yeah, you better have an idea of where you want to go! Your home office can't do much if you can't tell them where you are going. You may want to visit the new housing offices so you can get an idea what will be involved and GET contact information to present to your current HOME jurisdiction.
  • By moving you are going to incur changes in your cash flows; security deposit, rental down payment, different tax structure, cost of living changes, insurances, education, transportation...on and on and on.

What does "Portability" have to do with real estate investing you ask? Miami-Dade Florida is a popular destination for voucher transfers and can be another channel in your marketing efforts to get tenants into your rental properties.

Do you have any experience with Section 8 voucher transfers? If so, tell us about it in the comments area below!

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Written by +Bob Burns.
 
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The caricature of Bob BurnsNo Fear Baby!
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Real Estate Investor
about.me/RobertKBurns
Telephone #: 305-586-5280
email: rkburns@investmentpropertiesmiamiflorida.com
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