Investment Properties Archives - Investors Trust Realty FL

Water, Water Everywhere

December 12, 2022 by bzawaski

“Water, Water Everywhere, and all the boards did shrink. Water, Water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink” from ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by 18th Century Poet Samual Taylor Coleridge. Although the Ancient Mariners of the 18th Century clearly understood that much of the earth’s surface was covered by water they quickly learned that a supply of life-sustaining freshwater was a scarce commodity. 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water but, a mere 2.5% is freshwater with less than 1% easily accessible. The World’s population currently uses 30% of the available freshwater supply and according to the United Nations, water usage could run as high as 70% by 2050. It’s further said that by 2025, 1.8 billion people worldwide will live in areas plagued by water scarcity.

When demand for Real Estate exceeds available inventory it can be managed by building new homes. When demand for freshwater exceeds its capacity the solutions may not be as simple or cost-effective. If pressed to make a life-or-death decision, many would be quick to prioritize the need for life-sustaining water over the shelter of a home. What Real Estate & water flowing through it share in common is both are considered ‘Real Property. Often times the ‘Rights’ that go with a parcel of land, or property that includes a home, are taken for granted and the potential value remains just that, potential.

Water Rights that can provide fresh Springwater for consumption, as well as the ability to irrigate crops, can rival or exceed the value of the adjoining land in many cases. In Oregon, a water Right is authorized by the State Water Resources Department (OWRD). Requirements for issuance of a ‘Water Right’ before using surface water have been in place since 1909 and groundwater permits were first issued in 1955. The doctrine of “Prior Appropriation” is a system wherein it’s basically one of first come, first served. In times of shortage, the “Senior” water right holder is entitled to take all the water needed before the next “Junior” water right holder is served. With only a few exceptions, Oregon law provides that all water is publicly owned. Water Rights with a “Priority Date” that predates any “Junior” water rights holders can add additional value under our “Prior Appropriation” doctrine.

Real Estate has remained an excellent long-term investment, however, it’s not immune to cyclical changes in the market. Hedging one’s investment by utilizing valuable resources such as water can be just the right solution. Water and its importance to our survival have been referred to as a ‘Human Right’ thus, it will always be in demand. If you’ve wondered what one of the few prognosticators who saw the housing collapse of 2008 coming is doing today, after making $2,690,000,000 for his clients by ‘shorting’ the housing market, Dr. Michael Burry is focusing all of his tradings on one commodity: Water.

Bob Zawaski G.R.I.

Oregon Licensed Principal Broker

Investors Trust Realty

When Your Buying & Selling As-Is

December 23, 2019 by bzawaski

When you Buying or Selling a home the term ‘as-is’ will probably come up. What exactly it means will depend on who is making that interpretation and how that benefits them. Sellers who are steadfast about not doing repairs or multiple offer situations can be determining factors. In either case, it’s important that neither party feels compelled by those factors to do what they ordinarily wouldn’t.

Sellers may want to make it clear in writing that they won’t be participating in making repairs or providing credit allowances. Most sales agreements include as-is provisions & inspection clauses that may already be pre-printed. It’s important to carefully address your desire to sell as-is without eliminating the buyer’s rights to any written representations. State-required Property Disclosures or Federally mandated lead disclosures, in the case of pre-1978 homes, are required. Whether or not a Buyer fully inspects the property or waives that right is something both parties should cautiously approach. It would serve the Sellers’ best interests to allow any potential Buyer the opportunity to fully inspect their property.

In the event, a Buyer chooses to waive that right it should be in writing. Waivers should be based upon the buyer knowingly and voluntarily electing to waive that right. Private parties should seek legal counsel when preparing a sales agreement. Licensed Brokers should avoid altering any pre-printed language to suit Sellers’ wishes to drive home a point without first consulting legal counsel. It’s easier to simply stay within your lane and not make changes to legal terminology already in place.

It’s not always a clear path despite one party or another laying the ground rules. As-is means different things to different people. It’s not uncommon for a Buyer who discovers a “big-ticket item” to take pause. Sewer lines & underground fuel tanks are often met with “I didn’t mean to include that in my as-is offer”. Of course, the Seller is not obligated to change the terms & conditions as originally agreed to. On the other hand, not coming to an agreement may mean the sale won’t close. Sellers should consider their potential liability for dealing with certain issues, despite any previous no repairs stance.

In the case of an abandoned underground fuel tank, there is no statute of limitations. I’ve had this conversation with many Buyers & Sellers over the years and there is plenty of potential liability to go around for passing along this issue. In Oregon, a DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) Certified contractor is required to report leakage within 48 hours. Sellers must take responsibility but, what about a situation where both parties agree to sell without further testing? The Seller may feel it’s the Buyer’s responsibility going forward. What if the Buyer were to lose the house to foreclosure and disappear? With no statute of limitations, the Government can bypass owners to the next in line, the Seller. The Government will pull out all the stops to locate past owners. Banks who foreclosure are exempt & can sell without the tank being decommissioned thus, truly as-is.

There are lesser issues dollar-wise that a Seller should also consider despite any previous ‘no repair’ stances. Where CO & Smoke alarms are required saying I won’t do it or simply handing them over and saying “You do it” is short-sighted. If that potential buyer simply didn’t get around to installing them and is injured or perishes in a fire there is something to be said for that Sellers’s liability. Even a somewhat minor issue could have negative ramifications down the road thus, counsel from your Broker should always be sought before simply saying no.

In a recent condo sale, we were advised that a dryer duct had dislodged from the roof vent. It may have subsequently contributed to the fungi growth on the sheathing. Ducting from the interior space had been accidentally cut, which too may have been a contributing factor. Might the Association consider the latter as a contributing factor to their fungi issue? Despite the duct being within the Association’s domain consideration was given to simply replacing the entire duct.

In a hot market, Buyers will oftentimes want their offer to stand out. In order to stand out, some will opt to waive their inspection rights. It’s important they’re not given the impression or feel compelled to do so by the Seller or their Broker. As the cost of repairs & maintenance takes its toll Buyers may second guess waiving an inspection. In a Real Estate transaction, all things must be in writing but, they’re only as good as the parties involved. Good verbal communication along with the appropriate written language will protect both parties interests.

Bob Zawaski G.R.I.

Oregon Licensed Principal Broker

Investors Trust Realty

Social Media

July 31, 2018 by bzawaski

The internet is the starting point for over 90% of today’s buyers thus, it’s never been more important to be on the cutting edge of technology. At Investors Trust Realty we’ve built a foundation that provides Sellers with top placement & exposure for their homes. We’ve done this by employing old-fashioned hard work and providing content that keeps us high in search rankings. In addition, we strategically purchase ads that place your Home ahead of thousands of others on sites such as Zillow, Realtor.com & RMLS, to name a few. A typical listing will derive multiple times the viewings of most other listed properties which in turn results in either multiple offer scenarios or a strong accepted offer coming early on. Below are some of the Social Media sites we utilize to provide our Sellers with top placement.

Zillow and recently acquired Trulia are ranked # 1 & # 2 respectively among Real Estate sites buyers visit. Our Zillow Profile includes detailed information regarding hundreds of past sales throughout the greater Portland metro area, as well as a number of Certifications obtained to better serve our clients over the past 24 years.

Google sites remain the top multi-platform property with over 240 million unique visitors across desktop & mobile. As a foundation to all other forms of Social Media, Investors Trust Realty Google + and Bob Zawaski Google + add daily content, including sharing our Seller’s listings from our WordPress site. In addition, we utilize Google Ad Words in order to provide your Home with maximum exposure and priority placement over thousands of other Homes on the market. By providing Sellers listings, as well as helpful resource content on a daily basis from both our Investors Trust Realty Google + and Bob Zawaski Google + sites we’ve effectively doubled our presence on the largest multi-platform property.

Coupled with our ‘doubling down on Google + we’ve effectively employed the same strategy with our Investors Trust Realty Youtube Channel and Bob Zawaski P.C. Youtube Channel thus providing an ever-increasing presence in the world of video. Providing consistent content of the highest quality in the fastest-growing segment is critical to gaining the maximum exposure for your Home. Buyers are 60% more likely to view and subsequently look at Homes with Professional still and video photography.

Our website at itrustrealty.com is part of the Word Press platform, 28th Nationally, and 3 places ahead of the Zillow Group at # 31. From our site, we’re able to share content regarding your Home with the widest audience in the shortest period of time. With our ability to reach paid sites, as well as gain a following from organic sources, we’ve been able to amass viewings exceeding 1,000 on a daily basis just on our site alone. Views from other sources such as Google, YouTube, & RMLS.com regularly take our listed properties well in excess of 100,000 overall views.

Bob Zawaski G.R.I.

Principal Broker / Owner

Investors Trust Realty

Multifamily Conversion

February 10, 2015 by bzawaski

Multifamily Conversion

When one thinks of the term conversion as it’s used in Real Estate, one of the first thoughts that may come to mind is that of converting multifamily apartments to condos. As prices continued to appreciate during the years prior to 2007, there were numerous conversions that yielded far better returns ‘by the piece’ than as a ‘whole part’. When values soon thereafter began their rapid downward descent many of those property owners were faced with making mortgage payments on a property whose value was far less than what they now owed and/or paying monthly Homeowners Association dues. The combination of weakened buyers coupled with fractured Associations is just one of several components that have contributed to home ownership being at its lowest level since 1995. As a result of decreased home ownership (64.8% in 2014) the rental market has seen increased rents throughout most of its segments. In the Portland, OR metro area rents have increased by 5% in the last 6 months with Downtown rents typically going for $1.82 per sq. ft. & NW Portland rents spiking to $1.61 per sq. ft.

The overall market is certainly stable & it appears that we’ve been out of that downward spiral long enough that we can now look to the future with some degree of confidence. In most areas, we’ve made it back from the ‘bottom of the market but, depending upon location the gain may be very slight. It would be easy to simply suggest that location has almost everything to do with the recovery or lack thereof…after all Real Estate is all about location. Some of the causes & fixes to those issues still linger and can either hinder or help investors in the current market. It’s some of the residual effects of that down market that we can reflect on to examine strategy going forward & incorporate some ideas that may have been ‘shelved’ along the way.

Although not a new concept by any means the conversion of a Condo Association back to rental apartments & potentially being marketed as such has never gone entirely off the landscape. Frankly, in addition to such conversions being done for a very long time, it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to weigh the needs of two entirely different clients that I decided to investigate not only why certain market factors affected values but, how & when it might be appropriate to think slightly contrary to what the market is doing. The client who initially inquired about values within his small condo complex being somewhat lower than similar neighboring complexes understood that having lost FHA certification when the ‘do over’ button was hit and everyone had to re-apply & subsequently not being able to qualify again was a factor, as was a self-imposed limitation placed on selling to investors. With values still slightly below 2007 levels, this client has purchased a 2nd unit with an eye towards slow & steady appreciation, as well as the possibility of gaining enough control in the Association with future purchases that might allow changes that will make the units more marketable, such as allowing a limited number of rentals. Certainly, a long-term outlook at what appears to be the ‘bottom’ of the market for this complex seems to be a good strategy. In the event, this client’s goals are met in regards to owning a majority of units and making positive changes I wondered how that picture might look if this particular complex were converted to a Multifamily rental property under his ownership. Of course, by the time he might own enough units, the market could have an entirely different landscape than it has now but, I couldn’t help wondering how my Multifamily buyers, who are experiencing a severe shortage of inventory, might view this property today & how that use compares to its present use.

At their current market values, owners are typically seeing sale prices around $70,000 throughout this 11-unit complex thus, an aggregate total of $770,000. Based on current market rents @ $895 each this property would gross $118,140. With a 5% vacancy factor (our area at present is ranging from 2.2% to 3.4%) plus 40% in expenses ($44,893 Proforma) we would have a net operating income of $67,340. At present, the Portland, OR metro area is seeing CAP rates of 6.7 for properties in this category thus, it would be marketed at $1,000,000.

Obviously, it’s not a simple task to dissolve an Association nor should it be done without the guidance of an Attorney & C.P.A., both with HOA experience. Having an understanding of By-Laws and how to navigate the process smoothly, especially dealing with remaining owners, is something that should be taken into consideration long before the situation presents itself…again something your Attorney can guide you with. Disbursal of Reserve funds and all the detailed accounting, including compliance with I.R.S. regulations are issues best left to your C.P.A. Like most other financial ventures you should be long on both education & the execution of those ideas, it’s my goal to act as a resource for my clients and give them a foundation upon which to carry forward their own investment strategy. As I mentioned previously, it’s difficult to tell what the market may look like several years from now but, there has always been room for successful investments in up or down markets.

Having the resources of seasoned professionals at the ready, in addition to over 20 years of assisting investors to exceed their financial goals are just a few reasons to contact me today!

Bob Zawaski G.R.I.

Oregon Licensed Principal Broker / Owner

Investors Trust Realty

www.iTrustRealty.com

Real Estate Investors Pitfalls

November 12, 2014 by bzawaski

Avoid the journey down Investment Properties Pitfall Street

As my Seller and I near the long-awaited closing of his 11-unit apartment complex in the NE section of Portland, OR it was not without a few major obstacles along the way. Despite 20 + years of assisting buyers & sellers with similar commercial transactions no two have been exactly the same thus, this was no different in that respect. Many of the commonplace issues were still there i.e., inspections & appraisals, etc. however, changes to our market, while exciting for the future, are not without a few pitfalls that Real Estate Investors should take into account.

Find the strategy first then the property, not the other way around. Sounds simple enough but a sizable percentage of potential buyers who inquired about this property were working backward in that they liked the potential that existed but, wasn’t certain about a strategy that would help them reach whatever their goals might be. Unlike purchasing a home in which to live with your family where your emotions may set the stage for a transaction, an investment property requires an investment strategy…all together different from viewing it simply as a transaction.

Understand the process first, don’t let the process control you. Education is the key as it’s human nature for many who have been successful in their professional lives to believe that what worked in the past will translate into successfully purchasing & owning an investment property. Although there are exceptions to every rule, allowing yourself to ‘skip’ a few steps up front and play catch up, later on, can result in an irreversible setback. One of our potential buyers, although well qualified from an asset & income standpoint, didn’t grasp the concept that their being ‘ first-time investors’ would not be looked upon favorably as it would in the residential world. Again, simply carrying over what they knew of residential transactions didn’t bode well where an investment strategy was required.

Exercising due diligence, not ducking it. The most obvious are issues that are easiest to see such as deferred maintenance. Needless to say, the lender is concerned about a buyer potentially draining their personal savings due to extensive repairs thus, funds in reserve are a critical component to obtaining financing & can vary widely based on the buyer and the condition of the property. What things to consider knowing about as a part of the due diligence before & during a purchase may come from a checklist your trusted Broker uses however, nobody knows your financial situation as well as you do. A visit to your C.P.A., lender & perhaps someone who is an experienced investment property owner will serve you well in creating a list of issues important to you. Again, this falls back on educating yourself in advance. It’s always a good idea to ‘bring something to the table before meeting with any professional assisting you as it’s unlikely they will be able to lay out every scenario that may present itself in the process.

Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. Amazingly enough, many potential buyers I spoke with over the term of this listing were not simply unrepresented in regards to having a buyer’s Broker working on their behalf but, had little or no ancillary support to fall back on in the way of contractors, inspectors or other legal specialists. Just as in the case of conducting thorough due diligence, it’s always wise to have all the pieces in place before you actually need them.

Get rich quick, misjudging cash flow. Although the multiple listing sheet available to the public & Broker allows for a considerable amount of information to be shared, it’s never meant to cover all the pertinent information that will be essential to a buyer of investment property. Amazingly enough, the lack of due diligence in asking for information upfront was not limited to just buyers calling on their own but, seasoned Brokers as well. There were several instances of offers written without any information gathering prior to simply sending an offer along, only to find out that a simple upfront question would have avoided the extra effort. If simply left to whatever financial information can be squeezed onto a multiple listing sheet or any place you choose to look on the web, chances are you would still be a far cry from being able to make an informed decision. Taking only some financial information without the remaining pieces to the puzzle is short-sighted, to say the least, and a recipe for those looking to get rich quickly to become cash-flow-poor in a hurry.

Bob Zawaski G.R.I.

Oregon Licensed Principal Broker / Owner

Investors Trust Realty

Multi-Generational Housing

August 30, 2014 by bzawaski

Home ownership is at it’s lowest level since 1995 thus, the rental market has experienced record low vacancy levels, in fact Portland, OR is 5th in the Nation with a vacancy rate of just 2.2%. In some cases, would be renters have started doing what is very common place in most other parts of the world, move in with family i.e., Multi-Generational living.

From a Broker’s prospective it’s always been a dual edged sword, either you couldn’t find a home that had separate living arrangements on those rare occasions when new buyers inquired or you spent countless hours pondering the challenges in listing & selling such a home as you realized it was a limited audience. Perhaps potential buyers would have been more open to the idea of purchasing a property that had dual living arrangement possibilities if they felt they weren’t paying for something they might never use, such as a 2nd kitchen or laundry area…after all, getting the most bang for your buck is a universal goal.

I started thinking back to all the houses I’ve been inside that could have had a wide variety of uses but, decided to go in one direction or another with no turning back. For those who may be considering creating such a living arrangement in their own home or possibly purchasing one already done, I thought I would share some thoughtful design tips from an upcoming listing of mine at 476 SE 26th Ave Hillsboro, OR. Credit for any helpful tips should really go to the Seller/Owner for keeping things in perspective in regards to just how far to go in weighing needs to make life easier versus future resale. It certainly didn’t hurt matters that the builder ( a life long friend of the Seller & client of mine) had a few thoughts of his own, in addition to being a master craftsman….that all happened in 1996, long before I came into the picture.

There are certain considerations that hold true whether building/remodeling for a special purpose or to create the most value for future resale. Typically, a one-level property sells for anywhere from 5-15% more than a comparable 2-story house with the same square footage. This particular house is a day ranch thus it does have 2 levels, although it was designed & built to conform with the naturally sloped lot it sits on. The lower level is above grade and the rear patio is accessible from any of the (3) 8′ sliding glass doors, certainly not a basement feel. The exterior excavation utilized at the time allowed not only for proper drainage, hard scape & deck walkways around but, also took into account the possibility of someday eliminating steps in order to create gradual grade paths that would be ADA compliant. The front entrance has a ‘no step’ entry with sure footed hard scape leading up to the house, suitable for all weather conditions. Wide hallways & doors not only allow for easier movement within the house but, the open feel does not go unrecognized by those who don’t have any mobility issues thus, another future resale plus. Flooring materials that are attractive but, also serve in being durable & slip resistant are also considerations that can’t be overlooked…the use of high quality tile & tight pile carpet throughout lend itself well to both beauty & practicality. Bathroom shower design in recent years has seen a trend towards walk-in’s, in many cases with no threshold defining the showers edge…the design of the showers herein was most likely done with practicality in mind but, there certainly was thoughtful attention to detail for future resale. The kitchen, or in this case kitchens, is the central point to any house and moving about them as been made easier with an open layout with wider than usual entry/exit points. With the potential for 7 bedrooms, although listed as 5, the ease for adding/subtracting rooms or changing their purpose has been made far easier by a well thought out design. The foot print of the house incorporates strategic placement of utilities, including electrical outlets, heating & cooling vents & plumbing. Planning for future improvements should always be a consideration for your remodel or new construction project, as it was in this case.

Water, Water Everywhere

When Your Buying & Selling As-Is

Multifamily Conversion

Real Estate Investors Pitfalls

Multi-Generational Housing

About Us

Email Alerts

Client Reviews

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

About Us

Email Alerts

Client Reviews