Ten Reasons Why Your Real Estate Deal Fails at the Closing Table!

Having bought and sold many properties I can tell you that deals can blow up right at the closing table.

When I decided to buy my first home in Miami, Florida due to my wife's pregnancy the deal blew up in less than 45 minutes into the closing. I was going to sell my 1 bedroom condo on Brickell Avenue and purchase a 3/2 home in Coconut Grove on the same day! What could go wrong?

Mistake!

The Buyer of my apartment came to the closing but could not close the deal due to late arrival of the bank funds. The Tile Company refused to close that afternoon and wanted to do it the next morning.

Well needless to say, I was MAD!

I was going to use the excess monies from that Brickell Avenue deal as a down payment on the Coconut Grove purchase.

The current owner of the Grove House threatened to take my $12K deposit since we couldn’t close on the contracted date.

Thank God I had an attorney draw up the contract. There was a "subject to funding" clause in the contract

Note: Always have a Real Estate Attorney review your contract template. Check our Service Providers List for our preferred real estate attorney in South Florida.

The next day we closed but I couldn't sleep that night.

Soooooo….just because you have a contract doesn't mean you're going to close!

Below is a list I put together with help from Joseph F. Suarez that provides Ten Reasons Why Your Deal Fails at the Closing Table! (Sellers Beware):

1. You Contract is not Correct – Too many mistakes can occur right here like wrong Platt numbers, improper property description, wrong dates, etc.

2. No Financial Commitment By the Buyer
   1. No Money in Escrow

3. Title Problems
   1. More/Different Sellers on Title
   2. Seller Not on Title
   3. Illegal Title Transfer

4. Buyer has Collections & Judgments
   1. Check out the Buyer

5. Deteriorating Market – Current Real Estate Market
   1. Deteriorating Market Value
   2. Deteriorating LTV Ratio .
   3. Deteriorating Interest Rates

6. Open Permits and Liens – Hurricane Andrew caused a lot of problems with Open permits in Southern Dade County. I can’t tell you how many times I have been nailed on this item!

7. Fraud/Foreclosure/Google – Again, Buyer Beware!

8. Water & Waste Lien – This problem appears a lot with commercial properties that only have one water meter.

9. Property Doesn't Qualify for Financing – Tax rolls list it as a 2/1 one but you think you are buying a 3/2 Uh?!

10. Uninsurable Property – Property in a Flood zone, property not up to current code, etc.

Related Links, Blog Postings, Presentations or Articles:

• Can't Find a Good Real Estate Attorney? Check out this list of Real Estate Service Providers.

Written by +Bob Burns.

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Yeah Baby! Real Estate Investor about.me/RobertKBurns Telephone #: 305-586-5280 email: rkburns@investmentpropertiesmiamiflorida.com

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Top 20 Most Common Reasons Why Units Fail Section 8 Inspections.

One of your hats that you wear as a real estate investor is being a landlord. As a landlord, your job is to maintain the properties and keep them rented.

Keeping your properties fully occupied throughout the year increases your cash flow and provides a better return on your investment ROI but can be a difficult task! The longer a Unit remains unoccupied the less ROI landlords are going to have.

Below are several channels available to landlords to find qualified tenants:

• Retail Market - Newspapers, Word of Mouth, Church, For Rent Signs on property, internet, etc...
• Multiple Listing Service MLS - Database Realtors use to find rental properties for their clients
• Section 8, Plan Ocho, Sec 8, Plan Eight, Plan 8, Section Eight - Government subsidized rental payment plan.

The more channels you have, the greater possibility of finding a qualified tenant for your unit. SPEED is essential for success. Any delay will hurt ROI.

Section 8 will eliminate a lot of the drawbacks of being a landlord but you have to follow HUD's guidelines to be successful.

One part of the guidelines is the unit or property must pass an interior and exterior inspection. If you fail the inspection, more delays and your ROI will be affected. Being prepared for the inspection will help make the rental transaction a smooth process.

From my experience with Section 8, below is a list of items that will fail a HUD inspection:

1. Smoke alarms missing or not working.
2. Lack of ventilation in bathroom.
3. Outlet covers missing or broken.
4. Infestation by bugs or vermin.
5. Absence of handrails where 4 or more consecutive steps.
6. Utilities disconnected (must be connected).
7. Hazards (i.e. tripping as a result of floor covering or exposed electrical wiring.
8. One window in each room must open and have a screen.
9. Chipping paint on the outside of the building – gutters, outside surfaces of building.
10. Hazardous hole or trash in the yard.
11. Door not sealed properly (light can be seen coming through).
12. No hot or cold running water.
13. All windows must have sash cords or balancers and must stay in the open position without assistance.
14. All ceilings must be at least 7 feet in height in areas used for living, sleeping, etc….
15. All steps to landing or basements have handrails.
16. Baths without windows must have power fan or gravity vents in high rise buildings.
17. Open electrical distribution box must be covered with appropriate cover.
18. Windows in bedroom too small and will not qualify as areas for sleeping.
19. Security bars (rejas) can’t be opened from the interior will not be allowed to remain.
20. All bedrooms must have a built in closet.

I provided pictures of potential failure points below. Can you identify what would cause a failed inspection item?

Click on each image to view a larger photo!
Have you any experience with Section 8 inspections? Share them with US!

Related Links, Blog Postings, Presentations or Articles:

• Our Section 8 telephone interview - Podcast
• Our Sec 8 Power Point presentation given to the Miami Real Estate Investor Association MREIA

Written by +Bob Burns. ####    

Yeah Baby! Real Estate Investor about.me/RobertKBurns Telephone #: 305-586-5280 email: rkburns@investmentpropertiesmiamiflorida.com

Our Internet Footprint:

Video about Calculating Fair Market Rent FMR using a HUD Section 8 tool

While giving real estate investing presentations, especially about Section 8 and to new land lords, a common question from newbies is "How much can I charge for rent?"

WOW, that is a good question!

Remember, there are several things to consider while trying to answer this famous question:

• How many bedrooms?
• Demographics of the neighborhood?
• Have I checked the local newspapers?
• Did I call "FOR Rent" signs and see what other Land Lords are asking?
• What is the Multiple Listing Service MLS saying about rental prices in that zip code?
• Other Investors, what are they charging?
• Does your property have issues?
• Etc.

My point is that it would take a lot of time to do a good rental survey or Fair Market Rent FMR of your market before you can come up with a price.

But those days are over......

When I started using Section Eight I noticed that the case workers focused on:

1. Participant's current income
2. Inspection results of the land lord's property
3. What is Section Eight or Plan Ocho currently paying other land lords in the area.

They would always come up with a figure magically. I always wondered how they calculated the results to come up with the fair market rent FMR number. Fair meaning making it a win-win for the Housing Authority, the Land Lord and the Participant.

NOW...

Here is a tool where the Fair Market Rent FMR ceilings are calculated for you by HUD, from efficiencies, one bedroom and up to four bedrooms. Check out the video....

Written by +Bob Burns.

"Yeah Baby!" MREIA's President about.me/RobertKBurns Telephone #: 305-300-6242 email: rkburns@investmentpropertiesmiamiflorida.com MREIA's Web Page: www.miamireia.com

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