Here’s entrepreneur Rob Rowsell, discussing real estate deal acquisition from a 30 Thousand Foot view. Examine the big picture of a rental property deal with Rob, a proven multifamily investor and business coach.

What Does Real Estate Deal Acquisition from 30,000 Feet Look Like?

In the first segment of this deal flow talk, Rob lists a few real estate websites he frequents, specifically Loopnet and Crexi. He does not search these sites in order to find property deals. Rather, he uses them to build relationships with brokers who are selling properties in specific locations he is interested in. Rob requests that they put him on their email list and offers to meet them for lunch to talk business when he is in their town. Eventually, these often lead to property deals that fill Rob’s buy box.

Once you’re ready to make an offer, it’s time to underwrite it.  This can be a tedious process, but it is necessary. Next, you make the offer, moving into the LOI (letter of intent) phase. This phase also includes the back and forth negotiation between the buyer and seller. After that, it’s time for the lawyers to get involved. Each party’s attorneys work to draft the PSA, or Purchase and Sale Agreement. Once the PSA is complete, the buyer works with a Transaction Coordinator to open an Escrow account. A Critical Dates Document outlines when specific payments would be due for the property.

Ready to close yet? Nope! Next, your lawyer has to do financial due diligence, proving the property’s value and income are correct, and making sure all accounts are current. Nobody wants to buy a run down property that owes a bundle in utility bills. Pro tip from Rob: No income statement from a seller matches up 100%. As long at it’s close, you’re good. Your broker and attorney should have access to all the records you requested in your spreadsheet.

Physical Inspections

Often, your chosen property management company will want to walk the doors and physically inspect everything with you before the sale. Expect to pay them a reasonable fee for that service, because you get what you pay for. Hire third party specialists to inspect the roof, plumbing, and HVAC. Many times, the property seller is unaware of problems in these areas.

Rob usually purchases properties that require some renovations. Part of his business plan includes setting a schedule for these renovations to take place. When the property is renovated, it can command a higher amount in rent. Potential new tenants need to know that these improvements are worth the extra charge.

The Final Steps of Real Estate Deal Acquisition – Engaging Your Power Team and Investors

If everything checks out, you need to make sure you’re engaging regularly with your Power Team. This includes your lawyers, lender, property management company, and insurance company. You also likely have a team if investors who have pledged capital to your venture. Keep them in the loop every step of the way to ensure good faith.

Take over the property and celebrate! That was a lot of work! There’s plenty more yet to come, so take a break and reward yourself now!

Join Our Community

Do you own multifamily properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the ATL Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

Wouldn’t it be great if someone explained the kinds of real estate deals in easy to understand language? In this video, successful multi-family property investor Rob Rowsell does just that. Are you a cash flow investor? Perhaps are you looking for back end equity instead? Either way, you will learn the nuts and bolts of these investment deals in this video.

What Kinds of Real Estate Deals Are There? How Do They Work?

Rob starts the discussion off on the kinds of real estate deals. He explains that a cash flow investor puts his or her money into an investment and receives a regular return on it quickly. A back end deal, however, works differently. An extreme example of a back end equity play involves injecting capital into a new construction project. You may have to wait a long time in order to get a return on your investment. Some factors in that deal include waiting on the land purchase to go through, hiring contractors, and building inspections before getting paid. Depending on the specifics of your deal, your payout could come at different times during the life of the building. Many times, a balloon payment is made to catch investors up when the building is sold.

Other factors to consider is turnover of tenants and renovations to an existing property. If you are in a position to wait these out, you could conceivably make a greater return than you could over the life of a cash flow deal.

Join Our Community

Now you know about the kinds of real estate deals. Why not consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community? Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

Rob Rowsell explains to the group the process of property retrading. Namely, he mentions the example of a multi-family real estate investment he is doing due diligence on now. Unfortunately, the rental property value is looking to be a lot less than what the seller expected. Namely, the HVAC and electrical will need costly replacements, numbering in the six figures. Sometimes you have to retrade, or negotiate, with the seller. Do not get emotionally attached to a property, especially before the sale goes through!

Property Retrading Explained

Rob began by updating the Community on a 168-unit property that he was looking into. The prospects of this multi-family complex were looking bleak. Specifically, Rob’s team found through their walkthrough that it was was worth about a half million dollars less than the seller’s asking price in its current state. Yikes! Imagine having to break that news to someone.

In that instance, Rob had to go through the process of property retrading. That means asking the seller for a price reduction, because of issues you have found with the property. If you retrade often, it could hurt your reputation as a real estate investor. Make sure you identify property issues as soon as you can in the process.

The Insurance Cost Downside

Not only that, if you find a lot of issues with multi-family home complex during discovery, the insurance costs could skyrocket once you take over. The property in question needed a $175,000 upgrade in electrical boxes alone, or Rob’s company couldn’t even take out a new policy on it. The seller won’t lose his existing insurance policy due to the outdated equipment, but there’s no way he can sell the property in the state it is in. We can all learn from this situation not to slack off on keeping our properties up to code. When we go to sell in the future, we could be in the same position as this seller.

In addition to the electrical issues, half of the HVAC units were well past their expected lifespans. Rob predicts none of them will survive the heat of this year’s summer in Texas. Most of the cap ex budget Rob’s team planned for consisted of interior renovations. None of them foresaw $500,000 in necessary upgrades.

Rob’s team did not expect the seller to accept a property retrade proposal of subtracting the full 500k, but they were hopeful he would meet them halfway. Thus far, he is not playing ball at all. Sometimes, you put a ton of sweat equity into property discovery and writing up a deal, just for it to fall through in the end. It’s easy for Rob to say, but don’t get emotionally attached! It’s just business after all, so put it in God’s hands and move on to the next deal.

Join Our Community

Do you own multi-family properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

Rob Rowsell talks with our Addicted To Life Community group about how to do a property walkthrough. If you intend on investing in a real estate property, you need to do your due diligence. Walk the halls and examine every nook and cranny. Get to know all of the staff at the property. You must ask a LOT of questions, so that there are no surprises. That way, you will make sure you won’t invest in a lemon!

How To Perform an Effective Real Estate Property Walkthrough

Rob started the video recalling a property walkthrough he did with a seller. When the session took place, Rob’s partners walked the vacant units with the seller, while Rob joined via live video. He requested phone numbers from the seller and maintenance manager. Get these contacts, if at all possible, since you will think of something you missed asking about while walking the property.

While walking through the property, you should ask questions and get to know everyone you can who works there. They may not realize it, but you are effectively interviewing them for their own jobs! If and when you take over, you may or may not want to retain their services. If you use a property management service like Rob does, you will save some future headaches by passing that information on to them.

Current tenants can also be a great source of information. They may not know their property is for sale, so tread lightly. If renters see you walking the property with their landlord or property owner, you may give off the vibe of a maintenance worker inspecting issues with the property. Don’t be surprised if they start spilling their guts to you about their leaky faucet or broken air conditioning unit! All of this, of course, is useful information. Take notes of what problems people are experiencing. Knowing their issues have been going on for months without a fix can be a real eye opener.

Remember, a property walkthrough is a fact finding mission. Leave no stone unturned in searching for the information you need to make your investment choice.

Join Our Real Estate Investors Community

Do you own multi-family properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

In this clip from our Addicted To Life Community Gathering, Rob Rowsell lays out the Cash On Cash Return Real Estate Formula. If you are an aspiring cash flow investor who is looking to replace your business income with recurring passive earnings, then this video is a must watch!

Rob Explains His Cash On Cash Return Real Estate Formula

Rob starts the clip out with a review of two real estate deals he is raising money for. Both of them would qualify as momentum plays. Over time, each investment will yield an average of  7% cash on cash return. Through renovations and rent increases, these properties’ values will increase. When he sells these properties, Rob uses a formula to calculate total returns. The back end equity earned, plus the cashflow from the five to seven year ownership will equal the total.

Rob then explained the principle of the 2X multiple, which is his goal typically with real estate holdings. In order to reach his stated goal of doubling his money, Rob may need to hold the investments longer than he had originally planned. For example, let’s say you had invested $100,000 in a property, kept it for six years, and earned back $140,000. Then you would divide $140,000 by six in order to arrive at around $23,000 profit per year. You will have roughly gotten a 23% return on your initial $100,000 investment after six years. That cash on cash return may sound too good to be true. However, in reality, it’s not!

Join Our Community

Do you own multi-family properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

Rob Rowsell stresses the importance of working closely with your CPA before you make an offering memorandum. Review the details and summary of your P & L every month, so if the day comes that someone wants to buy your business or real estate property, you’re ready to sell.

Advantages of an In-House Bookkeeper

Rob recalls an astounding previous experience of working with an outside CPA. When they returned his records, they had drawn up a P & L, despite not having anything organized. They didn’t ask any questions in order to gain a deeper understanding of his business. He then understood the advantages of hiring an in house bookkeeper.

Let’s say you have a potential buyer interested in your business. They will need to examine your books before making an informed purchase decision. When you don’t pay close attention to your numbers, they will come back with many questions that you as the owner can’t answer. If there are too many question marks surrounding your records, they may walk away. Who needs that headache?

If you have the capacity to employ your own bookkeeper, you should. Whether you’re gearing up for a sale, or providing numbers for your business coach, you always have the answers on hand. Your bookkeeper should know all of the categories and formulas needed to run the financial side of the business, so you, the owner, can focus on other duties.

Offering Memorandum Checklist – Review Your Finances Monthly

Next, Rob suggests a monthly numbers review with your financial officer. A single one hour meeting each month should do it. Don’t let any other tasks interrupt this important meeting. You need to concentrate on both the detailed and summary versions of your P & L statement.  Require that they generate those numbers by the 12th of each month. This way, you can make any course corrections necessary. Make sure you have a paper copy, so you can highlight important lines and make notes in the margin. Hold onto your copy for future reference.

This process is so crucial if you have a potential buyer. If you don’t have up to date numbers to include in the offering memorandum, you might miss out on a huge payday. Quarterback those numbers, because nobody will care as much as you do!

Join Our Community

Do you own multi-family properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

When you are interested in a real estate property, make sure you do your due diligence. Specifically, Rob talks about the Purchase Sales Agreement, in addition to past financial documents from the current and previous owners. Rob reviews what should go on a PSA, so we make sure the agreement is thorough before we purchase. Comb through all of the documented repairs, receipts, and other expenses, so you’re not left holding the bag later!

Purchase Sales Agreement – Putting the Property Under the Microscope

So you think you’ve found the ideal investment property. Everything looks great on the surface. The price is within your budget. Curb appeal is on point. You’re potentially entering into a turn-key operation, and won’t have to replace any staff. Now, the real work begins.

Before committing to this real estate investment, you need to put together a Purchase Sales Agreement. Sounds simple, right? Well, get ready. You and your team will be reviewing past financial statements, repair contracts, legal disputes, and more. You name it, and you could be on the hook for it! The Purchase Sales Agreement is the most important in a series of hoops you will jump through before purchasing your dream rental property. It will pay off to be as thorough as possible and get outside help in evaluating the property.

Join Our Community

Do you own multi-family properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

How close are you to absolute financial freedom? Rob Rowsell talks about how to grow your money and live off of investment income only. Rob has transitioned from a multiple business owner to a multiple family real estate investor. Who better to take advice from? Rob has learned the hard way how to avoid unwise investments and do his due diligence to ensure his income only comes from his properties.

Tasks to Transition to Living Off of Your Investment Income

Rob starts off the clip laying out his current financial situation. He no longer holds a conventional “W-2” job. Therefore, he depends solely on his apartment holdings to generate cash. Reinvesting that cash wisely is his key to maintaining financial freedom. Do you still have a full time day job? You can still take steps to eventually fund your lifestyle solely from investment income. If you dedicate just eight hours per quarter to your investments, you are well on your way.

We talk often about the Vitality Spreadsheet. Examining this document will help you determine the income amounts you need in order to meet basic needs, then live with vitality, and, finally, achieve total financial freedom. You must take time to thoroughly vet potential property investments, while reviewing your numbers with a fine toothed comb. If that sounds like a part time job, that’s because it is! However, performing your due diligence will pay dividends for you and any potential investment partners down the line.

Join Our Community

Do you invest in real estate? Planning on transitioning to living off of that investment income? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

Do you plan to invest your money in a business or property? Then you MUST fill out your due diligence checklist. This includes population demographics, surrounding businesses, competition, economic conditions, and more. Rob goes DEEP into the weeds in order to discuss all of the research factors you should consider. BEFORE you invest in any kind of business, you must watch this video!

Auto Repair Shop Investing Due Diligence

Rob began by listing off just a few potential businesses that one could invest in. Consider everything from coffee shops to apartment complexes to auto repair shops. All of them have one thing in common. Researching their demographics is key. An average investor may be interested in injecting capital into a business. In that case, they would be wise to do their homework.

Specifically, Rob then expanded on due diligence for aspiring auto repair shop owners. Perhaps you are investigating a vacant property. You wish to build a new repair shop on it. In that case, consider the size of its population. Next, take a look at how many existing automotive shops serve that community. Are you currently considering an underserved region? Or is the area already overserved? Rob calculates that one average sized auto repair shop can serve up to 1,000 households. Is your target city’s population approximately 20,000? Then it could theoretically sustain up to 13 successful shop locations in the area.

Researching Household Income

However, you are not just looking at how many people live near the businesses. You want to know what the average household income is. Aim to plant your business in the middle of a thriving community. That means its citizens average $70,000 or more in annual income. These folks are much more likely to prioritize maintaining their vehicles than other, less fortunate individuals. That may not be a fun statistic to quote, but it is true. We are all trying to make a profit. And we want to do it without fighting a constant uphill battle.

What about investing in existing auto repair franchises? That honest mistake ensures you will get a smaller cut of the pie. All the while, you will work harder in order to fit into someone else’s mold. Investing in a turn key, existing business can still benefit you. If you find this idea appealing, then seek out independently owned auto repair shops.

Due Diligence in Real Estate Investing

Moving on, we discuss the real estate industry. Rob discourages pursuing properties on apartment listing aggregate websites. Many of these sites set off a race to the bottom. When this happens, competition can get fierce. The properties listed on these sites often end up driving down prices. They do this by offering move in specials. Everyone needs a place to live. Discounts like these help a lot of lower income renters. However, you want to invest in higher end, multi-family properties. Those will not be surrounded by stiff competition. They will also give you much larger returns on your investments.

Next, let’s talk about your area’s demographics. Rob lays out an ideal situation. Let’s say the community population is 100,000 people. You will want there to be no less than one hospital nearby. What’s a tip many folks may not consider? Scout a property that is 30 minutes or less away from a major airport. Rob prefers an international one. Are you investing in rental properties in multiple large markets across the country? Then you will want them to be easily accessible to you. Let’s face it: you are busy, and you don’t need to spend your time driving all the way across town to assess an issue with your complex.

Investigating the Area’s Economy

Moreover, you must examine the economy in your chosen area. Job growth should consistently be trending upward. That figure should read a 4-5% minimum, year over year. You will also want a diverse selection of industries throughout the city. Many communities’ economies are based on only one industry. This could be, for instance, a car and truck manufacturing plant. That factory, situated in the town’s industrial zone, may employ half the town. Thousands of small businesses have sprung up around it to serve its employees. How many times have we read headlines about those plants moving overseas, and ruining the area’s entire economy? Now, the plant workers, as well as the other businesses’ employees, are all out of work. If you invest in a shop serving these people, you and your staff are next.

Rob also mentioned the huge hit that the hospitality industry took during the COVID-19 pandemic. If an entire town’s economic hopes are pinned solely on a resort, an event like that will sink it. Every town is a business, and just like with any successful business’ investment strategy, diversifying is key. Remember this when you’re doing your due diligence.

Join the ATL ALL-In Financial Community

Do you currently own multi-family properties? If not, do you wish to invest in the future? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, you will join your fellow investors on a live Zoom roundtable talk. Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the lucrative real estate industry. It is not nearly as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be mind numbingly hard to navigate. Having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! So sign up today!