Embrace Economic Decline!

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Is it a good idea to invest in U.S. rental properties now? We see this question come up time and time again in today’s economy. What is our answer…

Embrace Economic Decline!

In times of economic uncertainty, seasoned real estate investors see opportunity over uncertainty. Historically, the U.S. housing market has been the cornerstone of the global real estate market. Its resilience to bounce back bigger and better every time has created more consistent wealth than any other country in the world. In last week’s article, we showcased funds buying massive amounts of U.S. real estate; in this article, we will explain why.

Economic Decline and The Resilience of U.S. Real Estate:

Economic conditions can change unexpectedly, but one constant remains – the lasting value of U.S. real estate as a safe investment. Even when the world economy is uncertain, investors from all over have found a way to build wealth through U.S. real estate. Unlike other investments, real estate doesn’t just weather storms; it remains robust. The market’s stability and its ability to retain and appreciate value make it a dependable choice for investors looking for long-term financial success.

The Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index shows that the U.S. real estate market has recovered from previous recessions, and home prices have continued to appreciate over time:

U.S. National Home Price

This resilience makes U.S. real estate a popular choice for investors seeking long-term financial success.

Diversification and Asset Protection:

When you invest in U.S. real estate, you’re not putting your money into one basket; you’re broadening your horizons. This diversification isn’t just about numbers; it’s about safeguarding your assets. U.S. real estate provides a solid foundation for your wealth against the unpredictable tides of economic change. “Given the global geopolitical landscape, our clients tell us that the U.S. offers a safe haven for real estate investments,” says Donald Klip, Co-Founder of America Mortgages.

Financing Options and Strategies:

During economic declines, interest rates often decrease, making financing more affordable. Our previous articles discussed how the Federal Reserve may lower interest rates during economic downturns to stimulate and boost the economy. While lower interest rates may seem enticing, it’s important to understand that they also trigger increased competition among homebuyers, leading to a buying frenzy. America Mortgages offers financing solutions tailored for expats and foreign nationals, including 30-year and 40-year fixed programs, providing flexibility to suit your financial goals. 

One strategy that savvy investors often employ in U.S. real estate is strategically generating rental income to cover mortgage payments. The rent collected covers mortgage payments, offsetting ownership costs and contributing to long-term wealth. To achieve high rental yield, investors usually look for cities with rent potential. Factors such as population growth, job opportunities, and affordability are essential in city selection. Cities like Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston have consistently attracted real estate investors, offering a balanced rental demand and supply equation contributing to stable rental yields. To find out the hottest rental markets in the U.S. in 2023, read here

It isn’t just about securing a property; it’s about strategically generating rental income to cover mortgage payments, ensuring a stable financial foundation.

Supply and Demand | The Lack of Available Housing in Today’s Market:

According to a recent article from CNN Business, The United States is not building enough homes to account for the number of people setting up their own households. As a result, there is a sizable shortage of new homes after more than a decade of underbuilding relative to population growth, according to a new analysis from Realtor.com released on Wednesday. The gap between single-family housing starts and household formations grew from 5.5 million at the end of 2021 to 6.5 million at the end of 2022 as household formations rose and single-family home construction dropped. This trend of underbuildings can be seen in vacancy rates, both for homeowners and rentals.

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Key Insights

  • Out of 149 metro areas across the United States, 24 are currently experiencing a housing shortage.
  • Cities in southern states – like Charlotte, North Carolina, Austin, Texas, and Charleston, South Carolina – are the most represented among the top 20 cities with a housing shortage.
  • The cost of living in cities like Los Angeles, California, New York, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts, may contribute to a housing surplus.
  • Houston, Texas, Detroit, Michigan, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, are included in the top 20 cities with the biggest housing surplus despite relatively low costs of living.

Partnering with America Mortgages:

Entering the U.S. real estate market might feel like navigating uncharted waters, but don’t worry – America Mortgages is here as your guide. Foreign investors often face unique challenges, but with America Mortgages’ team of mortgage experts, you’re not alone. Our AM concierge service goes beyond guidance; it’s your compass, assisting in property management and unravelling the complexities of the U.S. real estate landscape.

Conclusion:

We believe the U.S. real estate housing market is poised at a crucial juncture as we approach 2024. While uncertainties abound, being informed and staying updated on market trends can significantly aid in making sound investment decisions. Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a seasoned investor, understanding the housing market predictions can provide a clearer picture as you plan your next move.

“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity, but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later.” – Richard Branson

Creating a profitable real estate portfolio is easy when you have the proper guidance, and America Mortgages can provide you with just that. It’s not just an investment; it’s a journey to a better financial future. Take the leap and let America Mortgages navigate you to long-term financial success. Connect with us today for a no-obligation consultation with one of our globally based U.S. mortgage loan officers; simply use this 24/7 calendar link.

www.americamortgages.com

Why does Wall Street want to buy your house?

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How to invest in U.S. real estate like a Wall Street Investment Bank with America Mortgages

Goldman Sachs, Blackrock, JP Morgan, Vanguard, Fidelity – There are new players in the U.S. real estate game — multibillion-dollar Wall Street hedge funds and cash-flush investors — buying up properties and pushing regular homebuyers out of the market with aggressive buying and rental tactics. Investors and hedge funds currently own roughly 80,000 single-family homes in the Las Vegas area alone, which is about 14% of the county’s housing stock of 563,000, according to Shawn McCoy, director of UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate. Some prime targets that are appealing to these investors are growing Sunbelt cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix and other secondary markets such as Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlanta, and various cities in Florida.

“From mid-2020, when interest rates started going up, hedge funds bought up a ton of properties and immediately turned them into rentals, pricing out local buyers,” says industry experts. “Now a big portion of our homes are owned by investors.” Institutional investors may control 40% of U.S. single-family rental homes by 2030, according to MetLife Investment Management. 

These funds pay top dollar to some of the smartest and brightest analysts in the world before spending billions of dollars. This should be a sign for all real estate investors to research, learn, and follow. Currently, investors target single-family “starter homes” below the median home sale price of $447,435, sometimes renting out to the same demographic they outbid for the properties, which further tightens supply and increases rental yield.

The reason for the specific areas targeted is that prices in some Sun Belt markets have outpaced national figures for rent inflation, according to research compiled by Zumper. Between January 2020 and January 2023, rents for a two-bed detached home increased about 44% in Tampa, Florida, 43% in Phoenix, and 35% near Atlanta. That’s compared with a 24% increase nationwide.

The realm of real estate investment is perpetually influenced by various economic factors, among which interest rates wield a substantial impact. Contrary to conventional wisdom, sophisticated investors often perceive high-interest rate periods as opportune moments to delve into the U.S. real estate market. This seemingly counterintuitive strategy is rooted in several compelling reasons that highlight the advantages and potential opportunities for astute investors.

1. Enhanced Bargaining Power

During high-interest rate environments, the housing market commonly experiences a slowdown. As a result, property sellers might be more amenable to negotiations, leading to a potential reduction in property prices. Sophisticated investors with the financial acumen and liquidity or access to high LTV mortgage lending (more than 65%) can capitalize on these conditions to acquire real estate assets at lower costs compared to periods of lower interest rates.

2. Favorable Cap Rates

High-interest rate environments often translate to higher capitalization rates (cap rates) for real estate investments. Properties with higher cap rates tend to generate more substantial income relative to the property’s cost. This can be especially appealing to sophisticated investors seeking income-generating assets, such as rental properties or commercial real estate, as they can yield greater returns on their investment.

3. Hedging Against Inflation

Real estate has historically served as a hedge against inflation. When interest rates are high, inflation is often a concern. Real assets like real estate tend to retain or increase their value over time, thereby shielding investors from the erosive effects of inflation. Experienced investors understand the value of having tangible assets in their portfolio that can safeguard against inflationary pressures.

4. Long-Term Investment Perspective

Many investors in real estate often adopt a long-term view. While high interest rates might seem daunting in the short term, they can take advantage of locking in fixed-rate loans, thereby securing a consistent interest rate over an extended period. This stability safeguards against potential future rate hikes and provides a reliable cost structure for the investment’s lifetime.

5. Risk Mitigation and Diversification

Diversification is a key principle in investment strategy. High interest rate periods may deter other forms of investment, making real estate a comparatively safer harbor. Investors who have been in the market for a while recognize the importance of diversifying their portfolio to mitigate risk, and real estate, particularly during high-interest rate climates, can be an integral component in a well-balanced investment strategy.

6. Other People’s Money, aka Leverage

Having access to leverage makes sense in every way – Capital efficiency, Tax benefits, Risk management, and Preservation of liquidity. As a Foreign National or U.S. Expat with America Mortgages, you can access bank leverage with LTVs up to 80%, even without U.S. credit. Qualify based on the property’s rental income, making the process easier and more accessible. It’s smart underwriting, as these properties should be treated as a pure commercial transaction. 

7. Buy now and refinance later

In a well-balanced investment strategy, investors will go into a higher investment environment with the concept of “buy now and refinance later.” Global real estate investors recognize the unique flexibility of U.S. mortgages. Whether you’re 19 or 99 years old, you can secure a 30-year or 40-year amortization, making financing options readily available.

It’s a buyer’s market, as many novice real estate investors and owner-occupied buyers are sitting on the sideline waiting for interest rates to go down. What will that likely mean? Rates decrease, inventory is limited, buying power increases = FOMO (fear of missing out) – real estate prices will increase and increase quickly. 

Final Thoughts

In essence, while high-interest rate periods might initially appear as a deterrent to real estate investment, sophisticated investors perceive these periods as windows of opportunity. Their ability to leverage market conditions, negotiate favorable deals, capitalize on higher cap rates, hedge against inflation, and adopt a long-term perspective with high LTV leverage distinguishes them in the real estate investment landscape. 

Ultimately, the allure of U.S. real estate for experienced investors during high-interest rate periods lies in their capability to recognize and harness the unique advantages and opportunities that such environments offer. By employing smart financial strategies and seeing beyond short-term challenges, these investors position themselves to reap long-term rewards in the ever-evolving world of real estate investment.

Why does Wall Street want to buy your house? Now you know why!

We Understand Foreign National and U.S. Expat Mortgages Better Than Anyone

As a company, 100% of America Mortgages’ clients are living and working abroad while obtaining a U.S. mortgage loan. This is all we do, and no one does it better. “Would you take your Porsche to a Mazda dealership to get your car fixed?” states Robert Chadwick, CEO of America Mortgages. “Then why would you take a purchase 10x more to a broker or bank that doesn’t understand the complexities of non-resident lending?” 

America Mortgages is the leading expert in U.S. mortgage lending. For a no-obligation consultation with one of our globally based U.S. mortgage loan officers, please use this 24/7 calendar link. With U.S. loan officers in 12 countries, we work in your time zone and in your language.

Rental Income Opportunities in Atlanta Real Estate Transcript

Rental Income Opportunitie | America Mortgage

Rental Income Opportunities in Atlanta Real Estate Transcript

00:52
Donald Klip
My name is Donald Klip. I was not the original speaker. My business partner was speaking, but he fell ill. But were both co-founders, so I’ll just give you a brief background. I moved here from Hong Kong. I’m Hong Kong Chinese. Robert and I identified a gap in the market, which is international real estate financing, in particular the US. Like any entrepreneur, you have a problem, you try to solve it. In 2019, we incorporated this company. We did a round of fundraising with two Korean banks and some venture capital funds.

We have a technology arm. We’re going to be our wholesale lender by the end of the year. But Global Mortgage Group is an international real estate financing brokerage. We offer real estate financing in pretty much every country, and we do specialized real estate financing in Singapore. The pretty lady in the white dress is the queen of GCB bridge lending. She has funded $400 million to date. She is local. We do a lot of specialized lending. Our whole business is servicing private banks globally.

So if a client at Bangkok Bank says, “I want to buy a condo in New York”, they give us that client, and we arrange the financing. The client at the Bank of Singapore says, “I have a $50 million GCV and I want to pull out some cash.” They give it to us, we get the financing done. So that’s what we do. But we have a 100% owned subsidiary called America Mortgages, which is the world’s only US financing company outside of the US. It’s able to secure financing in the US.

Steve and a bunch of people have heard me say that US residential real estate is by far the best real estate investment in the world. You can’t beat the yield, capital appreciation, tax loopholes, incentives, etc. The entry cost is very low. The trouble is that it’s not something that people know about. So even though we’re focused on the financing, part of our journey is educating folks on the opportunities in the US. I’ll just give you a quick anecdote, and then I’ll introduce our guest speaker who flew here to meet all of you. There is a lack of housing in the US. Depending on where you read, there are about 6 to 8 million units short. Blackstone, which owns Vanguard in Templeton is looking to buy 60% of all single-family homes in the US.

Now, these are very smart people, maybe the smartest in the world. They know things that we don’t know, but I think they know that there’s a lack of housing. And ten years ago, you buy property, it doubles in three or four years. Those days, maybe here, maybe not. I don’t know. But we’ll be in a world where when interest rates are at 8% or 6%, the marginal buyer cannot buy. He has to rent. So, it’s only a matter of time. Every two years, when your rental reversion hits, in five years, rental yields could be 15%, like they were in the seventies. Blackstone knows this. I know this.

Steve knows this, and Hahn knows this, and Tracy knows this. But we’re here to show you why that is. So anyhow, Steve flew in from Atlanta. If anybody knows, the Southeast portion is super moving. Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world. Coca-Cola and FedEx are based there just because logistically, it’s easy to get. Also what’s happening in the US right now is that New York and California are where people go to these fancy schools, and they invent things like Facebook and Tesla and Banks and Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.

But once all these companies get big, they can’t afford to have their business there, so they have to move to places like Georgia and Texas because of low taxes and low cost of living. There’s a lot of opportunity. It’s sort of new, and we’re going to educate you on what this is about. We’re going to talk to you about Atlanta, and why it’s amazing. I’m going to talk to you about how to get financing, and then we’ll sit down and have a nice Chinese meal, and we can talk about life, the stock markets, Atlanta property, health, whatever you want to talk about. So without further ado, Steve, you’re up.

06:36
Steve Kim
Thank you. My name is Steve Kim. As you can tell, the name Kim gives a lot of things away. I’m not the usual Kim. I was born in Jeju Island a long time ago. My family moved to Atlanta in 1973. Very few Asians were there, and I studied German as well. I was in elementary, high school, college, and everything in the US, in Georgia. And when I went to Germany, I was also in East Germany for a month and a half.

When I came back, I saw the world. I wanted to leave America because I grew up in the South. And I had a chance to teach English in Japan. I went to Japan in 1989, and I was in Japan for almost 30 years, and I went back to the US in 2018. And the reason I explained this is I see Atlanta from a hometown person back in 73, from an international perspective. I also know Asian business because I was in Japan for long. Back in 1999, I was working for a company with regional headquarters based out of Singapore and I was a reporter for the oil industry.

I also know many people don’t know anything about Atlanta. When I first went to Japan in 1989, they said, there was an Asian person from Atlanta. They said it’s a lot of racism. They said, what do you know about Atlanta? They said, oh, Coca-Cola, CNN, and gone with the win. And that’s the image of Atlanta. In 2019, they had the Super Bowl in Atlanta. That’s the American football. I was in Tokyo at the time. I’m sure, even though you don’t know American football, I was in Tokyo American Club. They watched together. Aussies, and Germans, watched Atlanta. So what did they talk about in Atlanta? Coca-Cola, Olympics, and Martin Luther King. Coca-Cola is not even in the top ten companies in Atlanta, but people see it as a brand. The biggest company is Home Depot in the top ten. Has anyone been to Atlanta? Please don’t say just the airport.

09:25
Audience
No, but a long time ago when I was a teenager.

09:27
Steve Kim
For business?

09:32
Donald Klip
Trust me, Steve was there.

09:37
Steve Kim
Not so long ago. So most people don’t know Atlanta. So this is the thing I wanted to explain.

The hawks are there. You have Hollywood. I’m talking more about Georgia in general. I’m going to skip around a bit just to show you this is where we are. This is Florida, Alabama. South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi. And everyone knows Texas. I attended this conference in Tokyo last week. It’s called SUS, southeast US. Seven states came together with Japan and all the businesses we had in Tokyo. Last year it was in Florida, and next year it’s in North Carolina.

We talked about all the growth that’s happening. The reason I want to show this is you see most major cities in America are built around the water. And prices go up because there’s scarcity. You can’t build more property in Singapore. You have oceans. But in Dallas and Atlanta, we don’t have an ocean. So the property is cheap. That has kept the prices down. Even Phoenix. You saw Lake Denver, and last year the fastest-growing city was Boise, Idaho. But the one that’s crashed the most this year is also Boise, Idaho. You have to understand this. Why do the prices go up, why do they come down? But things are changing in America. Did you know that California is the fifth-largest economy in the world?

US, China, Japan, Germany, California. California by itself has the fifth largest GDP. But the seven states, are bigger than California. We have $3.116 trillion. So we’re the biggest economy together. We’re the fifth-largest economy in the world. I don’t think you’ve been to Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, or Mississippi. Maybe Florida or Georgia. So you can see Florida is 1.1 trillion. Georgia is the second largest. But Atlanta is the hub of all. We’re like Singapore. Your regional headquarters are here. Oil companies and their regional headquarters are here.

Because an area is growing so much with development, it needs a regional headquarters. So they’re doing it in Atlanta. They’re not doing it in Tampa, they’re not doing it in Miami. As you can see these are projected by the demographic research Group. That’s Georgia. It’s right here, the 8th largest. Florida is also very big and Texas is already very big. This is the population total. But right now, Georgia is the 8th largest. But it’s going to jump up. This jumping up is very big. These are very famous cities. Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, Augusta, Nashville, Memphis. They need a regional headquarters. So they’re coming to Atlanta. We are becoming like Singapore. Even if you have a factory in Charlotte, Memphis, they need a headquarters here. So it’s becoming a very strange market. We are having development like construction and we are manufacturing. We also have a lot of white-collar regional headquarters. These are some of the major companies. CNN headquarters. Chick-fil-A is also a big brand.

By the way, feel free to ask me any questions. We’re small enough that you can stop me. 31 America’s largest corporation is headquartered in Atlanta. That’s not in Miami. Miami is more financial. Atlanta has 31, like I said. When people think of Atlanta, if you look up in Wikipedia, Atlanta has 500,000- 600,000 people. But metro Atlanta is 29 counties and we have over 6 million people. It’s more than the population of Singapore. So when they say Atlanta, be careful. They are talking about just this inside Fulton County. But the actual area is much bigger. The cost of living is pretty low. Dallas is also very good. This is an interesting thing about this population. 13.8% are born in Northern America.

I’m Korean American. There were very few Asians when I was growing up. But now the Korean American population in Atlanta is the second largest in the US. We just passed New York. New York is a much bigger city. LA is in Atlanta and the Indian population is even bigger. The reason they moved down there is because easy to do business. They’re coming from LA, Chicago. When I was there, we had less than 50 people. Now we have over 150,000. The only thing that I don’t like is they live in one area. I don’t know if you know H Mart. We have more than LA. So there’s a lot. We have, I know it’s a silly name, the Great Wall of China supermarket, but generally, it is still white or African black, basically African Americans.

But we grew the Asian population by 50%. And that’s because of the opportunities there. This is my information. These are the universities. We have over 270,000 students. That is very important for the workforce. We also have a very huge Indian population because of Georgia Tech and Emory University, which has the CDC. You can watch zombie movies, you will see the CDC.

16:59
Donald Klip
It’s also known as Harvard of the South.

17:01
Steve Kim
Yeah, but we need them for the high-tech job. These are the types of homes you should have bought back then. 2019, when you started, you should have bought it. But this is not just Atlanta. A lot of places have increased. The Hatfield is very good for rentals. We have the second-largest film industry in the US after Hollywood. But as far as location shots, Georgia has more location shots than California and 40% still come from outside. We have a lot of short-term rentals for the film industry. We used to call it A list, but now we call it tier one, tier two, tier three, tier four. Like the photographers, and makeup artists, a lot of them have to stay in Atlanta for four to 16 months. And that’s a very good short-term rental opportunity.

Ozark, Avengers, Walking Dead. This is the real recent news. Have you heard of the Inflation Reduction Act? The US and China are not getting along very well. So if you build EV vehicles or clean energy solar in the US, you get a lot of government help. So especially Korean companies, Japanese companies, and German companies are building in the US a lot. This is where they are. Planning and construction, over $50 billion investment. This is going to be very important for housing. We need workers. We need high-tech workers.

18:55
Donald Klip
I’m just going to interrupt. So the workers, are they hiring locally or are they bringing sort of overseas? Like if Hyundai is setting up the EV factory, are they bringing 1000 people from Korea to be based in Savannah?

19:10
Steve Kim
Yes, Hyundai is right here. It’s a $5.5 billion factory they’re building right now. I spoke with SK in Korea. Hyundai by themselves are going to bring 500 expats. They’re not buying houses. They’re renting because it takes them five years to train for the deadline. LG, 4.3 billion. SK, 4 to 5 billion. We’re not talking about the tier three, tier four suppliers. Rivian, which is a US company, 5 billion. We call this the battery belt. Georgia, Alabama, but mostly Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina. There’s going to be a lot of foreigners coming to Georgia. This is not a small business. EV, from what I understand, is more high-tech. It’s not a cheap job. I showed you the university. It’s very important. They need more housing because even just this one company is creating 5,000 jobs. Where are they coming from?

So there’s going to be a lot of opportunity here. Qcells is the largest solar panel company in the Western Hemisphere. A lot of Korean companies are coming. Atlanta is not a tourist state. When they go to America for two weeks, they don’t stop by Atlanta. They go to Disneyland, Miami, the Grand Canyon, Washington, DC, and New York. So most people don’t know Atlanta, even though it’s a major city, but it’s a very nice city. It’s a great climate. We have mountains. In 1996, the Olympics came to Atlanta. And from 1996, people who would not come to Atlanta came to Atlanta. So the population grew. The film industry started here. People from LA came to Atlanta back and forth, so they started buying houses. EV boom. They’re building right now. The most recent one, was last month.

The US soccer, I think you call it football, is coming to Atlanta. They’re coming from Chicago to Atlanta. And they’re not only coming to Atlanta, they’re building the National Training Center, 23 fields. So the next World Cup is in North America. Canada, America, Mexico. And because our training center is going to be in Atlanta, I think a lot of people will come from overseas. So they will come to Atlanta for the first time. And I think a lot of people will stay because Atlanta is a very good place to live. The temperature is great. This is the Mercedes Benz stadium. This is where one of the World Cup host cities. We do have the Masters if you like golf. This is not Atlanta. This is Augusta, Georgia. But it’s the most famous golf tournament in the world. This is the PGA Tour championship. This is in Atlanta. Everyone likes golf. I do want to show you one thing about Atlanta.

Remember I told you about the water waste? You need water. Water is important because it creates scarcity. Atlanta and Dallas, especially Dallas, have mountains at least, they just keep going. But what happened is this is a highway called 285. And inside 285, because of some civil rights or racial issues, this place went downhill. People did not want to live here. Too dangerous. Bad place. But because the city has grown, this area is becoming very popular. But below this highway, it’s still a little bit rough. I was in Manhattan back in the 1980s. It’s terrible. Good areas now are terrible. I think if I live a long time, in history, this is going to get very expensive. It’s already very expensive up here because everyone wants to be inside this I285. We even have a word ITP, inside the perimeter. OTP, outside the perimeter. Has anyone been to Tokyo?

Do you know the Yamanote line? Inside the Yamanote line is much more expensive than outside. It’s not because it’s any better, it’s just very expensive because people want to be inside. They want to say, “I live inside.” It’s the same here. There are a lot of opportunities here, but it’s rough. Imagine this is the ocean and this is inside because people are vain and they want to be in a nice area. I can talk about this, but I think this is a really big project in Atlanta. This is 22 miles loops, which is 35 km. Also, they’re making this loop so you can walk and cycle. And this is the largest project in the US. If you want to be near this area, it’s also very good. I’m finished with this. I just talked about why Atlanta is a good place to invest.

Here are some properties. These are actually for sale, by the way. There is only one left. This new construction is brand new. They’re building it right now. The price you see the price. And for this one, I think this one you can get 3200 in rental. You do have an HOA fee of 200, but for the price and 3200 in a very growing area in the construction, this is an excellent investment. Brand new. Here’s another one. It’s an older one. This one’s very old. It’s about 100 years old. This is a short-term rental and they are selling all the furniture together you can get 2200 after all payments of utilities, and management fee, but I think you can get a little bit more.

And this is the third one. You can get about 1900 in rental. The price is 214, 900. Smaller. So they asked me to give some samples. Just because the cash flow is good doesn’t mean it’s always the best. It’s my thing. I think appreciation is the best. Even if the cash flow is not so good right now, I told you they’re getting better and better. If you are thinking long term, like ten years, which I hope you do, I think appreciation is key. If it appreciates, rent will increase for sure. You can always refinance in the future. For me, that’s all I have. If you have any questions, even while we’re eating, feel free to ask. I hope you ask more questions, but in the meantime, I think Donald’s going to explain a little bit about how to buy these homes, and how to finance them.

29:05
Donald Klip
So for those of you who came a little bit later, I’m the co-founder of a financing company that finances international real estate. One of our core strengths is US residential real estate, where we’re the only place in the world outside the US, where you can get a mortgage for the US. Most people don’t know that 70% of all mortgage origination in the US is through wholesale lenders and not banks. So, JP. Morgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo. That’s 30%. The other 70% are wholesale lenders. The most famous wholesale lenders are Rocket Mortgage and Cricket Loan. So those are mortgage originators that give you a loan and they sell it to GIC and BlackRock. This is a snapshot of the types of loans that we do. Of course, there’s no US credit required. We don’t require opening up a private banking account.

We allow foreign income so you can show your Singapore income tax returns. Loans available in all 50 states up to 75% loan to value. We close it no more than 45 days sometimes. We’ve been known to close the loan in 20 or so days. We can sign all the closing documents in your country. These are purchase, refinance, or cash-out equity. And they’re 30-year fixed-rate mortgages regardless of your age. So in America, you cannot discriminate against anything. So if you’re 100 years old, you can still get a 30-year mortgage. That’s the truth. Now, the good thing about the US is that it’s the only place in the world, and I think this is important to understand. We just had a meeting with a developer and realtor in Irvine, California.

Irvine is like where all the Chinese have moved to in California. Interest rates went up 300% last year and property prices went up 15%. My point is, that the US is the only place in the world that has 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. No other country has this. And the reason why that’s important is that it’s the only product that insurance companies can buy to hedge their liability. So insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments have to buy these mortgages because it’s the only thing that you fix for 30 years. A good thing for us is that to finance a property, you can get a mortgage now at 8% for 30 years fixed. But next month, if it’s 7%, you refinance it down for 30 years for 7%. And in 2005, when it’s 6%, you refinance it at 6% for 30 years.

No penalty. For you, my friend, no penalties. The penalties usually are months because the lenders need to sell the loan to the end buyer. Last year during COVID interest rates fell a lot, and all of our business was refinanced. So anyhow, we approved 97% of our loans. And we also have loans, which I’ll get into, that are based on the rental income of the property. These are loan programs. We have three or four. So AM express, we call it the Rico program (Rental income coverage ratio). So basically, we don’t look at your income, we look at the rental income of the investment. And if it covers the mortgage, you qualify. This is probably our most popular program.

If you don’t need to show your financials and your bank statements, you’ll still qualify. It’s much easier if I could qualify above. This looks like a commercial loan, like in commercial real estate financing. You finance a shopping mall, you get some rental income, and then that’s what you base that cash flow on. This is a residential version of a commercial loan. No minimum deposit is required. The loan amount can get quite small as well, and no personal income is required. So this is the most popular loan program in the US. So if the rental income covers the mortgage payments, right now, because interest rates are high, a lot of people can’t buy. So they’re forced to rent. And so the rental income acts as it’s like an option on mortgage rates. So as mortgage rates go up, rental income goes up faster. This has been popular for us.

The next program is an investor. So this is your basic mortgage program. We created this program ourselves with our US bank, where instead of showing your income, you get an accountant to say, “Hey, Hahn made this much money a year and signed it.” Hopefully, it’s true. “So you don’t need US credit. No tax returns are required.” It’s the same type of terms. Except this is based on your income and not the income of the property. This is what everybody in the US gets. It’s called a BTI. If your income is 47% of your mortgage payment, then you qualify. So that is just your traditional US type of mortgage. Again, we’re the only place in the world where you can get this outside the US.

for those of you who joined a little bit later, the holding company, Global Mortgage Group, our whole business is servicing banks. Our clients are Bank of Singapore, and private banks globally. The reason why that’s important is that when a client in Bangkok says, “I want to buy a $5 million condo in New York”, they give the client to us and we finance the loan. This has been one of the most popular loan programs for high-net-worth individuals because they’re busy making money and they just don’t have enough time to show all the financial statements. This is super cool. They look at your stock portfolio or liquid investments and they say that if that balance divided by 60 covers your mortgage payments, you qualify. Your monthly mortgage. This means that this is particularly for bigger loans. It’s cool.

If you have a fidelity portfolio and you have $6 million in a portfolio, you divide it by 60 and you can qualify to get a 100,000. I can’t do the math. But anyhow if you have a portfolio of $5 million, divided by 60, average income of 80. So your monthly mortgage is 80, which is a really big house. You qualify. This has been popular because it’s hassle-free. You don’t need to show too many stuff like that. The more important thing is that the lenders don’t encumber any of those assets. They’re not going to say, give it to us, margin call and all this stuff. They just need to look at it, verify it’s real, and qualify. We invented this. We worked with a US lender to create this. This is your basic US expense.

If you’re a US citizen, and you’re living in Singapore, this is the same as you would get in a bank in the US. Except that we’re here and you don’t have to spend calling banks at three in the morning. We’re here, we can have lunch with you. Are any US citizens here? My parents moved from Asia, from Singapore to the US when I was in high school because they wanted me to go to college and be a doctor. My parents moved to California, and I studied to be a doctor in Los Angeles. But like every Asian family, especially if you have a daughter, you don’t want your daughter to stay in the dorm to meet American boys and do naughty things. So you want to buy a condo so they can stay in the condo.

The trouble is, a lot of lenders won’t accept. You can’t say, “Well, my daughter’s paying me rent.” But now you can. So what we do is your son or daughter stays in the condo, and then we look at the average rent that condo should make. And if that average rent covers the mortgage payments, then you qualify. So this has been popular because my parents did this. Your kids go to school at Harvard Stanford Boston or New York. You buy a condo. After four years, you hope they don’t meet somebody and say that you want them to come back. But after four years, the property price goes up. You can sell it and pay for the university. Or if they want to get a job at Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley, you can say, “Well, now you can stay there, and I’ll transfer to your name. And now you have credit.” Because in America, once you have credit, it’s everything. So this has been popular. We’ve been working with education consultants to offer this program. This has been popular. That is a super short presentation on what we do. Let’s spend the next hour or so just talking about the US real estate market. Tod and Tracy are local experts in this area. My friend here, as soon as he came in, said, “Listen, I just want numbers. You can give me this return, I’m going to buy it.” So, let’s talk about this.

41:58
Donald Klip
I know, Steve knows. But there have been Chinese properties, like in Shanghai, Beijing after 2001, of course, everything went up. In Singapore, between 2005, and 2010, property prices doubled. In every country, you have this type of cycle, but it doesn’t last forever. But rental yield lasts forever.

42:31
Donald Klip
So if you do the math, 50% rental yield, you still double your money in five years. But in the US, because of lack of property, as Steve said, there’s $50 billion of EV companies moving to Atlanta. These people need to live somewhere, and they can’t afford to buy. I’ll say one thing. For those of you that came a little bit later, Blackstone is trying to buy 60% of all single-family homes in the US. These guys are smart. They’re not doing it so they can make a 4% return. They’re doing it so they can make 10%, 15%, 20% return because there’s lack of homes. And there’s a lack of homes because after the financial crisis, a lot of home builders, just like other industries, were focused on share buybacks, propping up the share price. They weren’t investing in building as many homes as possible.

43:30
Audience
Excuse me. You’re saying there’s a lack of property, but I think there’s a lot of construction going on at the moment.

43:39
Steve Kim
I will say this. Even though Blackstone wants to buy 60%, all the hedge funds together represent less than 10% of all. Most of the owners are people like you. Do you know why they got into this business? Before Blackstone, BlackRock, and all these people were purchasing multifamily apartments, hotels, and malls, because they did not want to buy one house at a time. That just doesn’t make sense for them. What happened was in the 2007, and 2008 crash, all these homes came on the market, like Foreclosures and Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett said, “If I could buy anything, I’ll buy it. But the problem was who’s going to manage properties?” So what happened is they bought these properties, and people like Excalibur, these property management companies, all they do is manage the property. And they were bought by Blackstone because now they can buy 500 at once, but now they can’t buy anymore.

44:48
Steve Kim
That’s not that many houses and foreclosures. How are they going to buy 60%? There’s no way. So a new genre, basically built to rent, started. We just build a whole community ourselves, and we’re going to make it all into rental. So this is the progression. But the thing is, right now in America, people think we have to own our home. But most people in Asia, when I was in Japan, I never had a dream of owning a home. It’s fine. I can rent. Most of Europe is the same. But right now in America, I think owning a home is key. But to be honest, not everyone wants to live in an apartment. And those expats in Savannah, they’re not going to buy a house. Canada is not going to allow them to buy a house. Atlanta is going to be like New York.

It’s going to be a renter city because prices are going up so fast that they can’t afford to buy homes. There are 270,000 students. They’re not going to buy a house. After you buy a house, it’s really when problems or success starts. So numbers are great, but it’s not met if people are living there. What if they don’t pay? You got to kick them out. You have to evict them. So the property management side of it is also very important. There are strategies. For short-term rentals, there’s section eight. There are many kinds of strategies. I just know that in Atlanta, in five to ten years, even Savannah is going to be a very difficult city. So you have to buy it in an appreciation market.

46:24
Donald Klip
When you own real estate, obviously you want to own a roof over your head, but you either want a trophy asset, which is a pied-à-terre. Like I have a place in New York. It’s cool. New York properties don’t make money. Or you want to own real estate for investment purposes. And the entry points are really low in the US. Like $200,000, $300,000, or $400,000, you can get something that yields 10% to 12% gross right now. But that could be net in a few years.

47:00
Steve Kim
last year the fastest growing city was Boise, Idaho. Because all the Californians were skinking. But the one right now going down the fast is Boise, Idaho, and Austin, Texas. Because there are two or three different markets. There’s the cash-flowing market, that’s not appreciation. Just like Detroit, the Middle East, and the Midwest. New York, and San Francisco, these markets are very trendy. You can go up and down. So if you can time it right, you can make a lot of money in San Francisco, but you have to time it right. But Atlanta, Dallas, and a few cities are stable. It’s a high-interest rate and a high cash flow. Not the best, but also appreciated.

47:48
Audience
I want to add that whatever cities, that you mentioned, Dallas, and Atlanta, are all cash-flow and appreciating markets.

47:58
Steve Kim
It’s not the best cash flow or best appreciation.

48:01
Audience
So your risk is very hedged because if you buy in an appreciating market, it goes down. You have to wait many years to see appreciation. Meanwhile, you’re losing cash flow.

48:11
Donald Klip
Why do you think markets will appreciate?

48:20
Audience
Population, jobs growth. you heard that a lot of places are being constructed. A lot of times news is local. So there are places where we could see over-building construction, like Austin, and Dallas. There are other places, like maybe Atlanta, that may not be seeing overconstruction.

48:55
Donald Klip
If you look at working from home, it was growing at 5% per year. COVID accelerated that. So eventually 20, 30, 40 years, 50 years of that, it’s all going to be hybrid, whatever. But even now, the way jobs are populated or defined, guys aren’t working at a bank or company for 50 years, 30 years anymore. They’re at home. They need to drop shipping on Amazon or do things on TikTok. And they require an additional 100 square foot demand on their rental place. There’s this phenomenon of this additional rental square footage requirement because people are now at home more doing content.

49:55
Steve Kim
The thing is the Southeast, not just Atlanta, Atlanta is the hub, but also a very good investment in Huntsville, Alabama. It’s not sexy. No one says I want to invest in Alabama or Charlotte, North Carolina. Nashville is very sexy. But the Southeast is an area that people don’t know very much. The reason Atlanta is growing is because it’s very young. Most people are not from Atlanta. New business can be started very quickly. It’s hard here in Singapore. Terrible in Tokyo to start a new business. You have people who are already entrenched. You have everything here in Singapore. New business is hard. If you start a roofing company, you can make a lot of money. If you are a dentist, super. Because I was telling you I had some dental problems last year. If I am late 30 minutes, I have to wait another month and a half to get an appointment because we can’t outsource medical stuff.

There’s so much population growth. That’s why the Koreans are the second most. They’re very entrepreneurial. They’re coming from LA. And there are so many new people coming in that it’s going to become a renter city in the state. Because like the 285, there’s finite space. You need finite. People want to live inside. Well, there’s only so much space. We have a lot of problems if we have the zoning issue. Zoning creates scarcity. They won’t let you build up so much. In ten years, it’s a very different city. So I think Greenville and Huntsville are also very nice. Everyone knows California. Everyone knows Hawaii, New York. You’re not going to compete. But everyone still goes to New York. They still go to California. Go to the unsexy places. That’s the key because you have less competition. But as long as it has population growth. Atlanta is a beautiful place. We have Blue Ridge mountains. We have baseball, the NFL, and the NBA. They’re rich people.

52:18
Steve Kim
Don’t go to the sexy. Come to Atlanta. You’ll see that’s why they came in. We have a lot of greenery. It’s 6 million people and it’s growing. We passed New York for a reason. We have a big international community. We’re just far away from Asia. We have a lot of Germans. Japan is the largest foreign direct investment followed by Germany. But we are the hub. We have Delta. 26 years, the busiest airport in the world except one year went through COVID. We have a lot of franchises starting. I hate to say this since you’re not from America, but I can say a lot of people, generally in America, are not that smart. But they’re smarter than Atlanta. All the smart people come to New York.

They see opportunities that the locals don’t. If you listen to podcasts, a lot of people become financially wealthy through real estate in the US. They’re always all very aggressive. They’re not that passive. If you’re busy, passive is fine. I like to focus on appreciation, not because I know it’s going to be appreciated, but because I know the population is growing. I like to buy near a big complex because they know way better than we do. They spend so much money to research an area. So if they’re building in that area, if Hyundai is building in that area and putting in $5.5 billion, I want to be near that area.

54:19
Donald Klip
Capital appreciation is based on three things. It’s population growth, employment, and wage growth. So population growth can be defined as organic population growth, or it means people can move there. Places in California people moving there, and immigrants moving there. But here population growth is these big factories are moving there because Tesla or Hyundai is moving. Because it’s the busiest airport in the world, it’s a hub for all these different places. FedEx is in Nashville. But it’s there because it’s a hub globally. That is what drives price appreciation. It’s employment growth. It’s population growth, which we have because people are moving there. And nowadays, employees have more control over wages. They have sports. Now, the players can argue what they want to make.

55:31
Steve Kim
And there’s two things. Those southeast states are what they call right-to-work states. Meaning for companies, it doesn’t sound good, but it’s easy to fire people. A lot of companies want to go there where it’s easier to fire. Also, it’s tenant-friendly. All of the southeast. Texas, too. If you want to kick out someone, it’s easier. It’s not 100% easy. They’re landlord-friendly. In California, if they don’t pay, you cannot kick them out or you cannot raise the rent. No place in America is 100% landlord friendly. Because even if you win, sometimes you have to wait for the sheriffs to come and take them out. And because of COVID, everyone’s behind. But you do not want to invest in a state that is tenant-friendly.

56:28
Donald Klip
So one thing I also add, some of you know more about the US than others. Some of you may have invested in US residential real estate or real estate elsewhere, but I think you said this perfectly, my friend. You said, I just want to know how much I’m going to make at the end of the month. We have partnered with property managers. Steve has a property management company. But I want to buy something under my name freehold in the US, and rent it out. I’m going to make this much a month. It’s going to sit in a bank account and then the property price is going to increase 5% a year. That’s all I need to know. If you want to find the highest rental yield maybe in Detroit Cincinnati or Cleveland, it’s tougher because they may not appreciate as much. But you need positive cash flow. But, you know there’s these macro drivers that are pushing into that area. That’s what we’re trying to do: educate all of you. It’s not that difficult. We’re focused on financing, but we realize that what we need to do is also educate people. When people say the US, they think Trump, guns, taxes, unfortunately. The funny thing is some of that is true, but the taxes are not true. It’s tax-efficient to set up an LLC, you can deduct a plane ticket to the US to go look at the property. You can deduct your laptop and all sorts of different things. And in fact, we have property in the US. I’m always learning something new. Steve was telling me that in the US, they have an opportunity zone where if you buy a property and double the value in the renovation, after ten years if you sell, you pay no capital gain tax. There are a lot of opportunity zones.

59:20
Audience
It’s all in the master plan for the city.

59:23
Steve Kim
And if you buy an opportunity zone, you know money is flowing in. If you know the local knowledge, I know this is an opportunity. I know it’s going to go up. Is it going to make a lot of money in your first year? I don’t know. No one knows. I don’t know what the interest rate is going to be next year. No one knows. But I know people want to make money if the opportunities don’t give incentives to do it. And then people are coming in. Do you know why? If you know about the Southeast. Let’s give an example of Alabama. Most people probably have a very negative image of Alabama. It’s crazy, people have guns and banning abortion. But you have to put that mind outside. You don’t live there. Alabama is not a bad place. It’s a beautiful coast, but living in Asia, we have a very negative image of America. But most of the money is made there.

01:00:34
Steve Kim
I was there in Tokyo, southeast US. Alabama was there. North Carolina, Toyota factory is bringing a $7 billion EV factory there and he has to hire thousands of people, train thousands of people, and get paying jobs. So they’re not building in California. Everyone’s escaping California. But now California is not bad. It’s a beautiful place. But not a lot of California people are investing outside because it’s better value. If you want to live in California, it’s great. But you’re not living in Alabama. If you’re moving to California, it’s great. The one with the students, that’s a fantastic one. My older brother and his daughter, he said, “I wish I had bought a house for my daughter. Because she would have bought a house and she would have brought in other tenants.” So we call them house hackers. You buy a house, she lives and she brings a roommate. The roommate pays for the mortgage. America is very easy to make money, I think, after having lived in Tokyo for almost 30 years. Hahn, where do you invest?

01:01:58
Audience
Ohio.

01:01:59
Steve Kim
Where?

01:02:00
Audience
Columbus. Cincinnati. I agree with you. Appreciation is slow there. But we are going for cash flow. We do force appreciation. So we buy distressed houses. We create our appreciation so we don’t rely on the market to appreciate.

01:02:21
Steve Kim
That’s another thing. Forced appreciation means we can do it. I can help you up to a point. You buy a thing and you can renovate and make it go up. You force that appreciation. Columbus is a good market.

01:02:40
Audience
Don’t tell people.

01:02:43
Steve Kim
I know. I look at all the markets. Columbus is also good for cash flow and appreciation. I do know this. I know some agents there because Honda is there. It’s in Dublin. A lot of Japanese companies are there with research. So, you have the expensive and the cheap. I’m not just saying Atlanta is good but Columbus is unusual but the weather is terrible.

01:03:06
Audience
But we don’t say that.

01:03:08
Steve Kim
But Columbus is a good market too.

01:03:11
Audience
Intel is going there.

01:03:12
Steve Kim
Yes, intel is going there. As a semiconductor. That’s something called the CHIPS Act. There’s a chipset and that’s bringing a lot of money. Yeah, that’s a good market. I know Atlanta very well.

01:03:32
Donald Klip
You just have to I mean, hard to tell you that they’re sort of full-time experts at this and we’re all part of this Singapore consortium to preach the benefits of investing in US real estate. You look at these UK properties and Australian properties. Australia may have made a little bit of money but none of these UK properties make money. Singapore is so expensive, it’s easier because you can drive there, but the entry point and the yield are really low.

01:04:20
Audience
So I think Steve made a very good point that I resonate with always live where you want to live and invest where it makes the most sense. Invest where it’s decent enough for you and there’s enough appreciation that there’s to be whatever that you project to, and that’s when you make the most money as opposed to investing where you live when the numbers don’t make too much sense. Like, maybe California, or Singapore.

01:04:49
Steve Kim
I knew Columbus was good. I’m always looking at comparing. I don’t think Columbus is as good as Atlanta, except it’s a smaller area. It’s not going to appreciate as much as Atlanta. Because Atlanta is going to be a major city. But in the short term, the next five years, depending on where you buy in Columbus, where you buy in Atlanta is also very important. So, real estate is very local. I know it’s a good market, but not everywhere. You have to know the insight. Remember I told you the 285? No one’s going to know. I don’t know some things and I don’t know much about Columbus. I was in Columbus for my brother’s wedding. That’s it.

01:05:37
Audience
So usually the south has a lot more population growth because the weather is a lot better. And on top of that, Atlanta is business-friendly. The government promotes businesses to go to Texas and Atlanta. The governments proactively go to other states and pitch to them to set up businesses in the city itself. So that when the company sets up the businesses there, they will hire people either from abroad or locally. But when they hire people from another state, they will come in with a higher income. So this pushes up the income level, which Donald said, that it’s population growth, job growth, and wage growth. So that’s when you bring in high value-added jobs, and that’s when the wage grows a lot. And then this has a lot of collateral trickle-down effect because when these rich people spend, they spend, they buy Starbucks, they buy all the different stuff. There are a lot of benefits because the local economies also benefit from these high-income wages spending. Then the whole neighborhood just gets better and better. So just now Steve mentioned the circle People don’t like it in the middle because it’s older stock and people like the newer property. So, they moved out. But with whatever’s happening right now, people want to live near the city like Singapore, Tanglin, and Orchard Road. People want to live near the city. It’s very chic. And the properties are so cheap, so people just buy the older properties, renovate them, and force the appreciation. And that’s when there’s a lot of wealth that’s being built. You could buy the property, do the renovation, or get a loan. You can get a red coal loan. And then after that, do cash up, refinance, and take out your initial capital investment from the property. The property is free, and it’s free because there’s no money in it anymore. You did not put any more money into it because you took it out from a loan. And then after that, it is still generating rental income for you. And that’s what we managed to do in Columbus. But Atlanta has a lot of opportunities for that.

01:08:06
Steve Kim
A lot of people know, but they call the BR method (buy, renovate, rent, refinance, repeat method). It’s not as good as before because the interest rate is high. But don’t worry about the interest rate. The reason I say this is no one remembers if you bought a house in San Francisco 30 years ago. Doesn’t matter what the interest rate was. You would have made money. The thing is, you have to find the three things. Job growth, population growth, wage growth. Those are the three. If those are not there, I don’t care if the cash flow is great because it’s going to be stagnant.

01:08:55
Audience
30-year mortgage, 8% interest.

01:08:58
Steve Kim
But you can refinance.

01:09:01
Audience
When rates go down, you can refinance.

01:09:02
Donald Klip
Just give an example, California launched something like the Home Buyers Assistance Program. The state was helping first-time buyers with the down payment, and it wasn’t much. It was a $300 million program. It was taken up in a week and a half. Everybody could have qualified for a mortgage to buy it, but they were waiting just for a 5%. If you look at cash flow, why do we buy Apple Computer at 35 times earnings? Because it’s growing. But if you think about property, if the interest rates are at 8%, it’s expensive. We all agree. But I bought my first house when interest rates were at 7% in 2005. Yeah, refinanced on the way down or whatever.

If interest rates go from 8 to 7 to 6, prices are going to go up because there’s a lot of people on the sideline. So if you go from $100,000 home, 8%. In 2005, if it goes to 6%, and the property goes to 120, you’re paying more in your mortgage payments. And you can refinance down. During COVID, just like in Singapore, you couldn’t buy the house you wanted because. We always say you date the rate, but you marry the property. You find the property that you want, because of the rates, you can always refinance, and there’s no penalty. I mean, there’s a little bit of administrative stuff, but there’s no prepayment penalties.

01:11:14
Steve Kim
Think about this. Do you think one dollar now is going to be the same ten years later? It’s going to be worth less. But your payment is the same.

01:11:29
Donald Klip
Apple Computer has so much cash on the balance sheet, but they decided to raise debt financing last year. Why didn’t they do that? Because they know at 5% inflation, their debt is that if you raise $100 million, next year, that debt is worth $95 million. Because inflation will erode it. We saw a little bit of this in Singapore. During COVID, we experienced a lack of supply, and a lot of people coming in. What happened in Singapore is the same on a not-so-aggressive scale in the US. It’s happening everywhere.

01:12:17
Audience
One more thing. When you borrow, you have interest expenses, which can reduce your taxes.

01:12:24
Audience
I think there are two types of mortgages, adjustable rate and fixed rate. I think most Americans currently have a fixed rate.

01:12:43
Donald Klip
Right now, we’re still seeing more fixed rates from foreign buyers just because they know they can refinance. When interest rates were low, people wanted that adjustable rate. They wanted the max because they were looking to buy and sell in five years. To be fair, you should not look at property like equity. That’s not normal behavior. Some people did well, but the way to look at property is more like fixed income. It’s it gives you some cash, and it goes up in value slowly.

01:13:32
Steve Kim
Does anyone else have some questions? I have a question. What keeps you from starting? is it hard to start? I guess it is hard to start.

01:14:01
Donald Klip
I started something new this year, which was short-term investing I started with my sister, but it took me a long time. Buying property, you buy and it’s easier to start. But if it’s such a foreign concept, you need people like Hahn, Tracy, and myself, to walk you through, and educate you. Where do I set up an LLC? Which is a good accountant? What type of insurance deposit? It’s like anything like going to the gym or learning a language. Everything takes about six months, and then you get used to it. Okay, I get it. I know the lingo. We found that everybody understands the UK, and Australia because it’s a Commonwealth system, commonwealth law. If you are investing, you should be irrational about where the opportunities are. Like, I hate guns, and I’m very anti-guns, but would I buy Smith & Wesson stock? Of course, I would. I don’t have an emotional connection to making money. I still wouldn’t buy the stock.

01:15:38
Steve Kim
Remington just started to move the headquarters to LaGrange, Georgia, near Atlanta. I think even UPS didn’t start in Atlanta. By the way, Hahn probably knows it’s not 100% passive. It is some work. Don’t think like I bought it, show me the money. No, you’re going to have some problems. Can you find the right tenant? I work with you after you buy the site. That’s why I can’t do Columbus because I don’t know. On the Atlanta side, you can do it. Property management, something’s going to break. For some reason when you buy a new house for you, something always breaks at the very beginning. For some reason, something goes wrong. Inspection, everything’s fine. You buy the house, pipe breaks. I have to pay money to fix it. But it’s not like we’re buying a stock. But again, if you buy an Apple stock, you can’t call Tim Cook and say, “Hey, I have an idea.”

You can control your property so you have more control of your investment. But don’t think it’s 100% passive. Unless you’re doing a fund or a syndication, it’s not 100% passive. But you learn. Like you said, you have to learn. You don’t have to quit your job. But it will take a little bit of time. But it’s not rocket science. People do it. But some people think I buy a house, give me the money. But there is a little bit of work.

01:17:27
Audience
And the good thing is, for example, he has a property management company. So as long as you do your math properly and you account for paying the property manager to do the work, you have even less work to do. But like what he said correctly, it’s not entirely passive. But if the rent is 4000, how much do you have to pay and work for a $4,000 job per month compared to buying a property that pays you $4,000? It is not entirely passive, but it is an upgrade compared to a job.

01:17:59
Steve Kim
The tenant is paying your mortgage. Then if it appreciates, you make more cash flow or you can refinance, take some of the money out, and buy another house. These past two years have been unusual. It’s gone up too fast. Normally, think of it steady. Even though Atlanta with the soccer company, and soccer federation coming in is going to bring in a huge number of people, and run up the World Cup. But I don’t tell people that. I want to find out where that soccer field is being built. My job is to find it. I went to Korea. I met with SK Battery. I met with many people to find out where they were coming from. It’s inside knowledge. Because I speak Korean, I was in Korea for a whole month.

I want to find out where they’re building, the economic development of Georgia. I met with the office in Korea and also in Japan. I’m friends with Japan, so I want to know where they’re coming from. But remember, it’s going to be one year later. So don’t think the best time to buy is not when cash flow is great. Best time to do it right before cash flow is low. If you can just wait two or three years. If you’re buying just too quickly and want cash, then it’s not a good way. It’s not a good mentality. Remember what Warren Buffett said. He doesn’t care about stock price. He buys companies for the long run. If it’s a good company, it’s going to make. Just because the stock price is lower, he doesn’t buy it on the dips. He buys companies. And that’s the way I think. If you buy real estate, you have to think like him. You buy good property and just wait and take care of it.

01:19:55
Donald Klip
There are also so many tax loopholes in the US. If you spend time researching, you’re learning something new every day.

01:20:05
Audience
So I think on our side, we spent almost two years researching before we even bought our first property. It’s so niche in Singapore. Nobody else is doing it. So we learned from nobody. And we were still working full-time at the time.

01:20:44
Donald Klip
Congratulations. Free from the employer.

01:20:51
Audience
Yeah. And, it’s not 100%, especially in the first year, I think were so happy that we bought our first house, but I think we made no money. Because we made mistakes, chose the wrong tenants. We had evictions, we repaired everything. We repaired the whole house to put a tenant in. It was a bad tenant, and then he wrecked the whole house, and we repaired everything again. So, these are our lessons.

01:21:21
Steve Kim
No, I had to get a broker’s license. For all my clients, I had a property manager I introduced, but they always came back to me because they were not in Atlanta. I have to do all the work that the property manager doesn’t do. So they said, “Can you become property manager, please? Because you’re doing it anyway.” But I had to get a special license. I’ve passed my license, so I’m going to start because something goes wrong, who are you going to call? The property manager or the agent. You’re going to call the agent. You are going to call him first. But whoever is closest to me. I’m not glad she didn’t make money. But people, it takes time. It’s like anything. It’s easy. Everyone can do it. But the thing is, I hope that you guys develop a meetup of real estate so you can share stories.

Because a lot of people make money in the US. I know a lot of people overseas who do it. But as you said, it depends on trust. There are some scammers. So at least you met me and Donald. So if something goes wrong, you can complain to him. Complaining is important. If there is no person to complain to, they can scam you.

All the good things come to me. It’s easy to make money if you’re just patient. And it’s going to be a little bit hassle. Even right now, we’re evicting a person and I have to go to court. And then they’re not still living. They’re not leaving. I’m not saying that’s good, but it’s not like you’re buying a stock. You’re buying a place for people to live.

01:23:18
Donald Klip
there’s so much information. You can find out where Starbucks is in the US. Ordering furniture in the US is super easy. It’s all so streamlined that it actually can be done remotely. You just have to get used to searching for stuff. But there’s just so much information.

01:24:11
Steve Kim
I like Savannah. But Costco came this year. If Costco has put a store there, I know they’re much smarter than me. Some people say Starbucks is there, and it’s still weak. But Starbucks is a little bit late. It’s already very nice.

01:24:36
Donald Klip
I know a little about this because my friend ran a company in Asia and I went into his office. He was in Hong Kong and he had math on his whiteboard. I was like, “What’s this? You sell like cheap toys and stuff?” And they calculate how much foot traffic the population is. Starbucks has more foot traffic. But these guys use a lot of math.

01:25:21
Audience
They know the income level also. They do it in the best neighborhood.

01:25:26
Steve Kim
I knew the son of the Costco founder. I was friends with him in Tokyo. We went traveling together. He told me, “Why did you start your first Costco in Japan, in Tokyo?” No, I’m going to start in but they made the first Costco in too. But most American companies go straight to Tokyo. They want to go straight to LA or New York. I think it’s a big mistake. Because it’s sexy. I have my first store in New York in Times Square. That’s what most people do. They don’t go to Alabama or Tampa first. It’s a little bit ego. I don’t know anyone who said, I bought a lot of property. I didn’t have much money. I invested in New York and made a lot of money. Those are rich people already. Unless you have $100 million to invest now, don’t go to the big market. We have a lot of competition. There are a lot of Chinese investors already during this. I was in Toronto last year. Toronto is more expensive than New York. I love it. But the average price is 1.6 million.

01:26:49
Donald Klip
During winter, it’s cold.

01:27:01
Steve Kim
If you have a chance to visit Atlanta, I can show you. Just come. Because for the money you’re investing, you should come and I’ll show you around. You have to buy your flight ticket. I’ll show you the different areas, the good areas, and the bad areas, and why I think it’s growing.

01:27:23
Donald Klip
So you have to tell me what is the best Chinese restaurant in Atlanta. And how do you think you have an interest in Atlanta? You’ve been there, right?

01:28:16
Audience
I’ve been there a long time ago.

01:28:24
Donald Klip
I don’t know if I told you this, but when we first started, one of my friends in Hong Kong, through a family office, bought 400 homes in Atlanta. This was after the financial crisis. They bought 400 homes after the financial crisis. He was a client of mine, a junior guy. He called me, and he said, “I have some friends who want to refinance their properties.” I’m like, “What are you doing owning property in Atlanta?” And then we met him, he coupled up some money and bought 400 homes. And they put it and he didn’t even put it into a fund. He went out and bought it, but he did all the work. Those things probably went up five times.

01:29:44
Steve Kim
No, not five times. I have a listing agent I work with, and she bought a house back in 2016. That’s not that long ago. She bought it for less than $4,000. She bought the house with a credit card, and it was liveable. This wasn’t that long ago. The house you could buy for $20,000, I just closed on many of them. They were $280,000. They bought it for 20,000 in this area. They sold it for $280,000. It’s a German lady. It’s duplexes and great cash flow. And I said, “But the thing is, we can’t buy that now.” But even then, they told her she was crazy in this bad neighborhood, with a lot of crime. One person bought it for less than $4,000. I said, ”How did she buy a house with a credit card?” She bought it with a credit card. And rent is over $1,000 now. But the thing is, you have to think ahead. You miss that. I mean, no one’s got that after all.

When they crashed, the thing with every fund was about appreciation. It’s like the bubble in Japan, where the Imperial Palace was worth more than California. When it crashed, not everyone switched. No more appreciation, only cash flow. And it has become too much cash flow. But now I think cash flow will come with an appreciation market as long as it’s decent cash flow. But don’t go for the best cash flow, because you have to think of it ten years from now. I also look at the buyer’s age. Your age is very important. If you’re 70, go for cash flow. How old are you?

01:31:50
Audience
Close to 40.

01:31:52
Steve Kim
Really?

01:31:53
Audience
Yeah.

01:31:54
Steve Kim
Anyway, good for him. He can wait ten years. If you wait in real estate, if you have time to wait, then it’s great. Ten years. Don’t look from ear to ear.

01:32:10
Donald Klip
Do you know why he looks so young?

01:32:15
Audience
Because I have Tracy.

01:32:15
Audience
I have more property.

01:32:22
Steve Kim
Where do you have it?

01:32:25
Audience
Columbus, Cincinnati.

01:32:26
Steve Kim
Columbus is good.

01:32:28
Audience
We went in before all those booms before the COVID happened, so were pretty lucky. We went in because were going for cash flow only. And we know that the Midwest doesn’t appreciate but it’s because of the reshoring of manufacturing.

01:32:47
Steve Kim
Columbus is different. Even Cleveland is good because they have the medicine. So you have to know the companies that you’re investing in. My brother lives in Cleveland. His wife works for Cleveland Clinic. It’s not going to grow like the southeast. No way. It’s too cold and it’s bad weather. The roads are all broken apart because it rains, snows, cracks. I don’t know why people live there, but the jobs are there. North Carolina is also very good, the Southeast is the best place. Beautiful Blue Ridge mountains. You don’t even need air conditioning in some places. It’s so beautiful. They have humidity.

01:34:12
Steve Kim
Commercial aspect, but because nature commercial depends on they have triple net means you pay for the property tax, the insurance and the commonplace. You can also have growth day paper, but commercial generally, but more packages you.


Disclaimer: This transcript is AI-generated, so kindly pardon any transcription or grammatical errors that may be present.

Steve Kim
Associate Broker, Engel & Volkers
U.S.: +1 (470) 332.7630
Email: [email protected]

Donald Klip
Co-Founder, Global Mortgage Group & America Mortgages
SG: +65 9773.0273
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gmg.asia

From GMG: France Alert! 100% Financing Available for Luxury French Property!

Foreign National Mortgage

Our Parent Company, GMG, Presents..

Mortgages for Luxury French Property with… 

100% Purchase Price Financing!

THE ALLURE OF THE FRENCH RIVIERA

Nestled on France’s southern coast, near the Italian frontier, the French Riviera showcases some of the most enchanting towns you could envision. With its chic allure, this region has magnetized celebrities for generations. Boasting approximately 300 sunlit days annually, its climate is nothing short of ideal. From designer boutiques, to the array of nearly 40 Michelin-starred restaurants, it’s a destination of elegance. It’s also a thriving community of English and American expatriates.

TOP DESTINATIONS FOR PROPERTY OWNERS

Surrounded by both the majestic mountains and the serene sea, the Riviera promises a perfect balance. While the coast will be your regular retreat, snow-capped peaks are always within reach for a winter getaway. Explore the top places to reside in the Riviera:

  • Antibes: Originating from the 16th century, Antibes exudes a maze-like ambiance. Renowned for its breathtaking golden glow, which has attracted artists over the centuries, it houses magnificent villas in the wooded Cap d’Antibes. 
  • Cannes: Apart from the high-end boutiques and its iconic film festival, Cannes is a stone’s throw from the secluded Lérins Islands. 
  • Nice: As one of the significant French cities, Nice offers a vibrant nightlife, chic boutiques, and diverse museums. 
  • Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: This petite peninsula is the address for some of the Riviera’s most luxurious estates and also offers upscale dining options and serene beaches with panoramic views.
  • Saint-Tropez: Famed for its pristine beaches and dynamic clubs, Saint-Tropez is a haven for entertainment seekers but also has developed into a family holiday destination. 

Now to the good stuff….

FINANCING FOR FOREIGN NATIONALS

Problem: Securing financing for Foreign Nationals to purchase property in France has always been difficult – time zone, language, lack of understanding for both lender and borrower, and other issues. Most banks and financing institutions are not focused on Foreign Nationals as the domestic market is strong, and they have enough business to satisfy them.

The GMG Solution: Our GMG European Lender Acquisition team has worked with a few smaller private banks to create a financing solution for our international clientele with a structure that suits their specific needs. 

ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS

For Foreign Nationals seeking finance in this exclusive domain, banks have set specific benchmarks to evaluate potential candidates.

1. Geographical Preference

  • Prime Locations: It’s imperative for the property in question to be situated in sought-after areas. This encompasses regions such as Paris, leading stations in The French Alps, and The French Riviera.
  • Emerging Desirability: The South West has been gaining traction recently, making it an area of interest for Private Banks.

2. Property Type

  • Prospective properties should fall under categories such as: Luxury Apartments, Modern Residences, Contemporary Villas, Maisons de Maître, Manoirs, or Impeccably Refurbished Chateaux (case-by-case basis).

3. Loan Size

  • Minimum loan amount is €1M, excluding ancillary fees.

4. Our 100% LTV Solution!

  • In this structure, the client will invest a portion of funds equal to 30-50% of the loan amount into an interest-earning product.
  • In return, the bank will finance 100% of the purchase amount of the property (excluding fees)! 
  • Client earns investment income, which may be more than the interest paid on the mortgage = positive carry.

5. Age Bracket

  • Applicants should be no older than 65 years at the submission time, with a preference for those below 60.

6. Financial Overview

  • Generally, the focus is on High Net Worth (HNW) individuals, specifically those boasting a net valuation exceeding €2M. Liquid assets or readily available cash remains a pivotal factor in discussions.

HOW IT WORKS

Example
Purchase price: €1,000,000
Loan amount: €1,000,000 (100% LTV)
Interest rate: 4.50%
Loan duration: 20 years
Loan type: Principal + Interest

Investment amount: €500,000 (50% of loan amount)
Investment return: 4.50% Compounded 

Mechanics
The 100% LTV mortgage
€1,000,000 @ 4.50% for 20 years
= Total mortgage interest PAID = €518,359

The interest-earning investment for 50% of loan amount
€500,000 investment @ 4.50% “Compounded” for 20 years 
= Investment value end of Year 20 = €1,205,000 – €500,000 principal
= Total interest EARNED = €705,000

€705,000 EARNED – €518,359 PAID
= Net POSITIVE cash flow = €186,641

That is to say, the bank will give you a positive carry-trade for using their mortgage, and not only is the mortgage FREE, you MAKE money!

THE PURCHASE PROCESS

Navigating property acquisition in France is smoother with the guidance of a property buyer’s agent familiar with the region and the nuances of French property transactions. Once you’ve found your dream home, the steps are as follows:

  • Proposal Submission: You’ll submit a written proposal. This will be forwarded to the property owner for a response. If the proposal gains approval, both parties – the buyer and the seller – will endorse the ‘Compromis de Vente.’ This preliminary agreement outlines the property specifics and the sale terms. As the transaction progresses, especially during conveyancing, certain terms in this contract might undergo modifications.
  • Reflection Window: Following this, there’s a 10-day cooling-off window. During this phase, should you reconsider the purchase, you can withdraw without repercussions. Specifically, the 5-10% earnest money you’ve placed as a deposit is fully refundable.
  • Financing Initiatives: At this juncture, the financial groundwork commences (details above).
  • Conveyancing Phase: Post cooling-off window, the conveyancing phase kicks off. This process, extending up to three months, involves a series of property evaluations, all supervised by the notaire.
  • Finalization: After a thorough review and addressing any reservations, the concluding payment is made to the notaire. Subsequently, both parties validate the ‘Act de Vente,’ essentially the property’s title deed.

In conclusion, owning a home in the South of France is now achievable for non-residents with our new GMG Luxury France Mortgages! I hope I get an invite to visit you one day! 

Global Mortgage Group offers innovative financing solutions to meet the diverse needs of our global clientele, including Overseas Expats, Foreign Nationals, Family Offices, Investment Funds, High-Net-Worth Clients, and Private Banks. Contact us at [email protected] to start your Riviera investment journey today!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected] or my personal mobile +65 9773-0273

www.americamortgages.com

The Great Mortgage Rate Shift: What Investors Need to Know

Buy House In USA

Are rising interest rates a hindrance or a golden, hidden opportunity for savvy U.S. real estate investors? In a mortgage environment where rising interest rates can trigger unease, it’s essential to grasp that the U.S. real estate market possesses its own distinct dynamics. 

In this article, we will explore the facets of investing in real estate during times of high interest rates, shedding light on the untapped potential that lies within what may be perceived as a challenging terrain. Despite market fluctuations in everything from equities to crypto and the allure of alternative investments, one constant is always there: the enduring need for housing. 

Even when conditions aren’t ideal, there will always be individuals seeking a place to call home, whether through rental properties or other real estate avenues. Read on for three tips you can reference if you’re looking to invest during a time of interest rate hikes. 

Just last week, Barbara Corcoran, one of America’s most renowned real estate investors, posted to her one million followers that while high rates and high prices push “more buyers on the sidelines” to “wait it out,” she’s not exactly sure what everyone’s waiting for — because once interest rates go down, a home buying frenzy will begin, and prices will rise even more, she predicted.

How Does High Interest Impact Real Estate?

When the Federal Reserve increases rates, the market has a huge impact. Buying property gets more expensive. Therefore, the overall demand decreases for buyers who may have been looking previously, mainly from buyers who planned on buying properties to live in. 

  • More buyers are priced out
  • Demand falls
  • Supply falls
  • Long-term impact depends on the growth of the overall economy

More Buyers Are Priced Out

The owner-occupied buyers, which make up a huge percentage of the U.S. real estate market, will wait, forcing them to stay put, causing a lack of inventory turnover or rent increasing rental prices due to higher demand.

With a rise in mortgage rates also comes a rise in people looking to rent out homes because they have limited options. This is the perfect opportunity for investors to look not at the interest rate, as they can always refinance if rates dip, but as a pure cash-flow play with appreciation once rates decrease. 

Demand Falls

The demand for homes is lower when interest rates rise, which is what the Federal Reserve wants to happen. To maintain a stable market, increase affordability, and have lower interest rates in the long run, the Fed has to increase rates from time to time.

So, what does this mean for buyers and investors? With less demand for homes, investors may be wary of stepping into the real estate market, and buyers must either pay the price or wait until the federal funds rate goes down and the market is more favorable.

Supply Falls

The supply of homes can also face restrictions as homeowners are hesitant to sell because doing so would mean entering the market as buyers in a higher rate environment, which could significantly increase their borrowing costs. According to a recent Redfin report, about 80% of homeowners with mortgages currently enjoy interest rates below 5%. With rates now hovering between 7-8%, more sellers are choosing to stay put. As a result, active buyers are left with a dwindling inventory to select from.

In addition, according to the National Association of Realtors, the United States is currently experiencing a housing shortage of between 5.5 and 6.8 million units, with the gap between supply and demand widening every year.

Long-term Impact Depends on Growth of Overall Economy

The lasting effects of high interest rates on the real estate market depend on the overall performance and growth of the economy. As the economy stabilizes or expands, the dynamics of the real estate market may evolve, potentially creating new investment opportunities in this challenging landscape.

3 Tips for Investing in Real Estate in High Interest Times

So, you want to invest in real estate despite market volatility? This certainly isn’t impossible, and these tips may help shape a successful investment strategy:

  • Buy if you can
  • Consider a long-term strategy
  • Utilise fixed interest-only loans

Buy If You Can

Higher interest rates will result in higher borrowing costs. This will price many buyers out of the market and result in less demand and possibly lower prices. It could be a worthwhile investment if you can afford to purchase a property during a time of high interest rates. Many home sellers will be trying to get their homes off of the market with no luck due to the lower demand. If you have the funds available, you may be able to negotiate a lower asking price by making a competitive offer (eg: cash, no contingencies).

You can also consider increasing your down payment amount. A higher down payment means less risk for the lender; this will help you secure a lower interest rate, which will lower your monthly payment and save you on interest in the long run, potential increasing your rental yield.

One factor that will always remain true, even during tough market times, is that people will always need a place to live, and property values have historically bounced back and increased after economic downturns.

Consider a Long-Term Strategy

Compared to last year, American homebuyers have seen a 24% decrease in their spending power, as interest rates surpass 7%. With market volatility making buying difficult, many people will opt for renting because it’s what they can afford. As an investor, this presents a unique opportunity for you.

Borrowing money becomes more expensive when the Fed raises rates, and the demand for rental homes and apartments will increase as many prospective homebuyers will struggle to qualify for a mortgage and will need to resort to renting. A rental property in the right neighborhood can be a great investment that can increase in value over time and help you hedge against inflation.

Purchasing a rental property can allow you to yield high returns, especially if you decide on a long-term strategy. According to a recent report from RentHop, a long-term rental strategy is more profitable for landlords that owning 1-3-bedroom units in major cities with higher long-term rents such as New York City, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Investing in a home or apartment can help you take advantage of the current increased rental demand. However, you could also consider investing in commercial real estate, like duplexes and multifamily properties.

Take Advantage of Interest-Only Loans

You might also want to consider financing options like a fixed interest-only loan mortgage. A fixed interest-only mortgage has a fixed 10-year interest rate, but you are only paying the monthly interest and not anything towards the principal. These loan programs give you the comfort of a fixed rate but the flexibility of paying only the interest until rates decrease. The beautiful advantage of this program is if rates never decrease (doubtful), you have a rate that is fixed, and after that, the interest-only portion will convert to a 30-year fixed principal and interest loan without an adjustment in rate. Yes, we stated that correctly, America Mortgages has a 40-year amortized mortgage regardless of the age of the borrower.

As a real estate investor, an interest-only loan can be a great option if you want to secure lower payments for a fixed period of time and gain predictability with your payments long term. This is especially lucrative for investors with a long-term hold strategy.

Many believe you should invest in real estate during times of high inflation. You just need to have an investment strategy and align yourself with real estate professionals who can help set you up for the long haul.

Final Thoughts

Are you considering investing during high-interest times? You could have some luck here and achieve a significant return with the proper approach. As mentioned previously, high interest rates are not necessarily a reason to step out of the market. Interest rate hikes can allow investors to take advantage of having less buyers in the market and increased demand for rentals.

A rising rate environment doesn’t need to slow you down. People will always need housing, and even as we approach an economic downturn, real estate has historically bounced back and increased in value over time.

As a company, America Mortgage’s only focus is providing U.S. mortgage financing for non-resident U.S. real estate investors, both Foreign Nationals and U.S. Expats. If you’d like to schedule a no-obligation appointment with one of our U.S. loan officers to discuss U.S. mortgage options, please use our 24/7 calendar link.

www.americamortgages.com

Pure Asset-Backed Lending Now Available for AM & GMG Clients

Liquidity Banner - US Expat Mortgage

For decades, and perhaps even longer, HNW and UHNW (ultra-high-net-worth) individuals have used real estate bridging loans as a “secret” tool to access liquidity quickly, easily, and with the reliability few loans other loans can provide. This “tool” is now known and available to everyone, regardless of their net worth. 

When it comes to real estate, having quick access to cash can often be the key to success. Whether you’re a seasoned real estate investor with a diverse portfolio or just stepping into the world of real estate, this article is tailored to address the benefits and requirements of asset-backed or asset-based lending.

What is Asset-Based Lending?

Asset-based, also known as asset-backed or bridge lending, is the practice of loaning money in an agreement that has been secured by some form of collateral – in this case, real property. The terms of asset-based loans depend on the value of the assets that are being offered as security and the type of assets they are. In essence, you are putting future revenue on the line in order to get access to money in the present. Asset-based lenders will typically provide funds on an agreed-upon percentage of the asset’s value, typically ranging between 70% and 75%. These loans are often funded by private lenders who don’t have the same requirements that are typical with banks.

Accessing Liquidity to Take Advantage of Market Conditions

In the dynamic world of real estate, staying ahead often requires access to immediate liquidity. When market conditions are favorable, seizing opportunities quickly can make a significant difference in your investment journey.

Bridge loans stand out as the preferred funding option for various purposes, including: 

  • Highly structured transactions  
  • Discounted note payoffs 
  • Lease-up stabilisation  
  • Redevelopment of existing properties 
  • Repositioning of a tired or underperforming asset 
  • Property acquisitions with a short closing timeline (or challenges on the property or sponsor) 
  • Recapitalisations/Debt Restructuring or Partner Buyouts 
  • Other uses on a case-by-case basis depend on borrowers’ specific funding needs, where traditional funding sources like banks or insurance companies will have difficulty approving such loan requests. 
  • Buying real estate with a “same-as-cash” basis

How Do You Qualify for a Bridge Loan?

Bridge loans are a valuable tool for investors seeking short-term financing solutions. But how do you qualify for one?

Our most popular terms are as follows: 

  • Loan term: 1-3 years Interest Servicing Only (Interest-Only)
  • Interest Roll-up (Interest payments are taken out of loan proceeds)
  • No U.S. credit required
  • Minimum loan amount: $1,000,000 (Residential Bridge Loan) and $3,000,000 (Commercial Bridge Loan)
  • Up to 75% Loan-to-Value
  • 24-36 hour approval
  • Funding in 1-2 weeks

Which Countries Are Bridge Loans Available In?

For investors with global interests, it’s crucial to know where bridge loans are available. America Mortgages and Global Mortgage Group specialize in providing bridge lending solutions in countries such as the United States, Canada, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia, Dubai, U.K., and various other EU countries. These loans are tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients worldwide.

How Accessible Are Bridge Loans?

Bridge loans’ accessibility depends on various factors; Geographic location, lending options, property type, loan-to-value ratio, exit strategy, and market conditions all influence the structure of a bridge loan. At America Mortgages, we specialize in helping U.S. expat investors and foreign nationals navigate these complexities. We find the most accessible bridge loan solutions tailored to your specific needs and circumstances.

What’s Needed to Qualify?

The higher your free equity value, the more cash you can unlock!  When you’re applying for a bridge loan, the value of your property is one of the most important factors lenders consider. That’s because bridge loans are secured against your property, a true asset-backed solution. At America Mortgages, the minimum property value to qualify for a bridge loan is $500,000. But if your property is worth more, you could be eligible to borrow even more cash, which can be used for a variety of reasons. In most cases, there is not a requirement for use-of-funds.

Why Would People Use Bridge Loans to Get Liquidity?

Bridge loans provide quick access to cash when needed. They’re handy when you need funds fast, whether for seizing investment opportunities or renovating properties without delays. At America Mortgages and Global Mortgage Group, we understand the importance of acting quickly. We’ve successfully closed bridge loans in 3 days to help investors like you maximize their real estate potential.

The U.S. real estate market holds promise for investors who are well-prepared and informed. Bridge loans are just one tool at your disposal, but they can make a significant impact when used strategically. With our expertise, we can help you maximize your investments and reach your financial objectives.

If you have any questions or need assistance with your mortgage goals, please reach out to us at America Mortgages. We’re here to assist you in reaching your real estate investment goals. 

Investors, it’s time to seize the opportunities available to you. Don’t hesitate! Contact us today at [email protected] to learn more. We’re here to help you secure the financing you need to achieve your real estate investment goals.

www.americamortgages.com

America Mortgages and Abacus Wealth International Join Forces to Empower Clients with Wealth-Building Strategies

America Mortgage - Abacus Wealth International

GMG Listed Shares Financing – Now Available for America Mortgages’ Clients

Stock Financing

As you may have read in our previous emails, real-estate bridging loans have been the most active part of our business this year as traditional bank financing has tightened globally.

When the need for liquidity arises with a short time window to fund, we can use the value of the property as collateral for a short-term loan. 

In Singapore, we are the leaders in high-value real estate bridging financing for HNW individuals, with nearly $400M in funded bridging finance deals YTD. For more details, refer to our recent press release highlighting a recent transaction.

We offer short-term asset-backed loans against real estate in: USA, Singapore, Canada, UK, HK, Thailand, Philippines, and Australia.

Now, we have another asset-backed solution!   

Listed shares…..

What is listed-share financing?

Simply put, share financing helps investors by utilizing their existing shares to fund new investments without having to sell any of their shares. 

Capitalization through investment, a stock loan, or other liquidity and financing transactions allows owners of publicly traded stock the flexibility to gain access to the locked-up value of their freely traded stock position.

GMG Share Financing is designed specifically for corporations, its employees, officers, and major holders of publicly traded companies while providing total privacy to our clients.

Our process is quick, transparent, and completely confidential.  

Financing proceeds can be used for personal or business purposes or to diversify or hedge current stock positions.  

Funding is quick, with a transaction closing in as little as 3 to 7 business days. 

Terms of providing you with liquidity and funding are based on evaluation of the risk and future performance associated with the securities involved in the transaction. 

The transaction term is typically three years, with Interest payments or Maintenance Fees on a quarterly or semi-annual basis.  

Financing and provision of liquidity are interest only or accompanied by modest Maintenance Fees, and additionally, are non-recourse.

The recipient of funding has the option of simply walking away at any time with no further liability and no personal or corporate guarantees. 

In the event of a default, there is no report to any credit bureaus or governmental agencies, nor is there a file of public notice. There is no adverse consequence to the client’s credit.

Listed share financing is available in:

Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America, and the Middle East.  

Our Lenders

Our stock lenders are privately held asset-based lending companies that provide individuals and institutions with flexible, customized non-recourse high-value stock loans.

When Banks say NO, we say YES!

Our lenders are also uniquely positioned to provide stock loans and secured share financing even when banks, brokerage firms, and securities houses are unwilling or unable to do so; this is due to their global market reach, extensive relationships, and applicable jurisdictional law. 

Benefits of GMG Share Financing

  • Fast transaction & funding 
  • Non-recourse 
  • No personal or corporate guarantee
  • No credit reporting in the event of a default 
  • Private & confidential
  • Quick closing
  • Reduce the need for traditional bank recourse financing
  • No out-of-pocket expenses or upfront fees
  • Low interest rates or maintenance fees
  • Fair share pricing using a three or five-day average 
  • Flexible terms 
  • Large transaction amounts accepted 

Transaction Process 

  1. Submit a stock for a quote
  2. Term Sheet issued
  3. Term Sheet signed
  4. KYC info for shareholder and shareholder info provided to the Lender 
  5. Agreement provided to Shareholder

For specific information on rates and terms, please reach out to our team at [email protected] or contact me directly at +65 8430-1541.

MUST READ: How Fed Interest Rate Decisions Impact Real Estate Investors

Real Estate Investors - America Mortgage

The Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions play a significant role in the real estate market, impacting investors in different ways. This article explores two perspectives on how Fed interest rate decisions can affect foreign national investors and U.S. expat investors in the real estate market.

Point of View 1: The Fed Will Raise Interest Rates

“The Federal Reserve’s job is to do the right thing, to take the long-run interest of the economy to heart, and that sometimes means being unpopular. But we have to do the right thing.” – Ben Bernanke, Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Impact on the Real Estate Market:

If the Fed raises interest rates, it becomes more expensive to borrow money. This will likely cool the housing market further, discouraging potential owner-occupied buyers with higher mortgage rates and potentially, in some markets, could lead to a decrease in property prices. Comparing interest rates to post-Covid, many view this as a “high-interest rate environment”; however, it’s essential to note that U.S. mortgage rates, even with recent increases, still remain historically low.

Real Estate Market -30 Year fixed Rate Mortgage

Investors who act now may benefit from several advantages:

1. Future Refinancing Potential: What goes up, must come down. If the Fed decides to reduce interest rates in future cycles, property owners can explore refinancing options for lower mortgage rates, reducing monthly payments, and releasing equity for other investments or property improvements.

2. Stable Mortgage Payments with 30-Year Fixed: Opting for a 30 or 40-year fixed-rate mortgage period provides stability and predictability in mortgage payments, even if the Fed raises rates. This not only provides investors with financial security but also grants them peace of mind, as they have a clear, unchanging monthly payment to budget for.

3. Affordability and Negotiation Power: The fear of further rate increases may lead some potential investors and many owner-occupied buyers to remain on the sidelines, assuming it’s a high-interest rate environment. In reality, if the property is purchased as a rental investment, interest rates are still favorable. Investors who act now not only secure fixed rates but maintain their affordability advantage. Moreover, they tend to be in a position of power to negotiate deals that did not exist when rates were low.

4. Everything is Cyclical: Again, what goes up, must come down. If you’re able to take advantage of the current buyer’s market and purchase a property with favourable terms now when interest rates go back down to 4-5%, the FOMO frenzy will happen again, and likely, property prices will appreciate quickly.

Will the Fed’s Interest Rate Hikes Make Rental Yields Unattainable?

As interest rates rise, it becomes tougher for homebuyers to afford their dream properties. This creates an ideal scenario for real estate investors as more individuals opt for renting. As the number of people unable to buy or choosing to wait grows, rental prices go up. This ongoing trend boosts rental yields, even in the face of higher interest rates. This highlights the importance of timing for potential real estate investors, especially foreign nationals and U.S. expats.

In summary, the current market landscape presents an opportune moment for investors to make strategic real estate purchases. By recognizing that interest rates, even if they rise, are still overall historically low, investors can secure stable mortgage payments, preserve negotiation power, and position themselves to capitalize on potential future interest rate reductions through refinancing. Now is the time to act and benefit from the unique advantages offered in today’s real estate market.

Point of View 2: The Fed Will Hold Steady or Start Decreasing Interest Rates

If the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates where they are or even lowers them, it could have some notable effects on the real estate market. Lower rates tend to make homes more affordable, which can attract more buyers and potentially push property prices higher. 

Impact on Housing Prices:

If the Fed maintains or decreases interest rates, it can stimulate housing prices. Lower rates enhance affordability, attracting more buyers and potentially driving property values higher.

Will People Sitting on the Sidelines Jump Back into the Market?

Lower interest rates can serve as a catalyst for individuals who have been patiently waiting on the sidelines. Reduced borrowing costs make homeownership more accessible, motivating potential buyers to enter the market. This surge in demand could create a favorable environment for those who have already invested in real estate.

Potential for Refinancing:

Date the Rate. Marry the Property. One strategic advantage of buying real estate now, especially when interest rates are low, is the possibility of future refinancing. If the Fed does indeed decrease interest rates in the future, investors can explore refinancing options to secure even lower mortgage rates. This not only reduces monthly payments but also allows investors to release equity for other investment opportunities or property improvements.

Impact on Foreign National Investors and U.S. Expat Investors:

Lower interest rates can make U.S. real estate investments more attractive to foreign national investors and U.S. expats. Reduced borrowing costs in U.S. dollars can create financial advantages for entering the American real estate market.

In conclusion, acting now in the real estate market while interest rates remain favorable presents a dual opportunity: the potential for immediate returns through rental yields and the prospect of future refinancing benefits should the Fed decide to reduce interest rates further.

At America Mortgages, we know the Fed’s interest rate decisions can be uncertain for foreign national and U.S. expat investors. We’re here to help. Our experienced loan officers can clarify how these decisions impact your investments. Don’t wait – secure the ideal mortgage for your needs and unleash your real estate investment potential.

Contact us today to get started on achieving your investment goals. [email protected]

www.americamortgages.com