There are many risks when it comes to property investment as a business. I think sometimes people, especially investors forget the steps involved when obtaining a loan and how this process may open them up for risk. There are many concepts to understand mostly because the bottom-line is determined by capitalization (CAP) rates, return on investments (ROIs), and other net operating incomes.

It makes sense that people overlook the smallest detail when financing a property. It doesn't really matter "why" the loan is needed, if you are seeking a conventional loan from your neighborhood bank or turning to private lenders or hard money; it is still very important that you pay careful attention to the loan you are being offered. I understand you are concerned with flipping the property as quickly as possible; but in doing so you are not as attentive to the type of loan. And thus you find yourself in high-risk situation. Often times brokers may steer you into high-risk deals since they may have pegged you to be a risk-taker.

This opens you up to a different class of loan and areas of predatory lending practices which may incur high fees and other terms or conditions that are not always explained up front. Sometimes loans that allow you to flip properties are called rehab loans as they use hard money via private lenders. This not only means steeper interest rates but an area of lending that is not strictly regulated by the federal or local governments. These hard money loans only work to your benefit when they can get you out of a deal quickly. In other words, these loans only serve the lender because of the amount of leverage that increases the return.

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When it comes to investment properties there are loopholes which create many options. For instance, Section 1031 of the IRS tax code permits real estate investors to sell their investment properties and in return allow a trade for comparable or similar matched investments in order to defer the tax as the capital gains amass. It seems that real estate is truly the most popular transaction permitted by this code. Something called the Triple Net or NNN otherwise known, as Leased Real Estate is considered appropriate as alternate property during such a transaction. What this really entails is a Net lease where a tenant foots the bill for all or most of the properties' active expenses over and above the rent. It is important that before we discuss the particulars of Net lease that we have an understanding of other kinds of leases as each serves a different purpose.

First there is the bond lease that makes the tenant completely accountable for active expenses encompassing the property's operating costs, which include regular maintenance, repairs and substitute costs for replacing materials etc. Second there is the Triple Net or NNN lease, which incurs actual restrictions on capital expenses. The tenant must pay for property expenses including tax, insurance and maintenance, as under this kind of lease, these are the tenants responsibility. Third taking from the NNN lease is the Net Net or NN lease. This is somewhat the same as NNN lease but returns the responsibility of the physical up keep of the structure to the landlord. They must make sure major items such as the roof are in good working order. Lastly the Modified Net lease infurs that the tenant pays for everything including utilities, maintenance, repairs and insurance. They do not pay property taxes.

For the NNN situation first the situation may allow less property management issues to be a problem for the investor. This is especially true for investors dealing with multi-family units, complexes considered commercial because they want the profit and income without the hard work or heartache. They also want to postpone their tax accountabilities without having to play the role of landlord 100% of the time. Savvy investors use NNN leases because they insure income but still allow for ownership to stay in their name and portfolio while maintaining a good level of capital. Another aspect of the NNN is that it also makes the transfer of real estate to beneficiaries easier.

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 It happens all the time when you engage in acquiring a new property through contract, there is not much information about the property known at that stage.  All you may know is the details of the financial statement and rent payroll or you've visually inspected the place by driving around the block.  This is more than enough details to make a solid educated offer on the place but it does not by any mean represent the actual value.  There's a lot more information you'll need to know to determine the real value.

Really this is the job of the Due Diligence process.  What is the purpose of this process?  Due Diligence is an analysis by which your risk is assessed.  Much like discovery in a court case, you will have at least 30 days to figure out what exactly the property entails and what owning the property requires you to be responsible for.  Finally, also what kind of benefit you will receive as a result of purchasing the property.  What will be your cost benefit and profit?

There are four ways risk can ruin this success and by you knowing the potential risk involved, you can steer clear of these situations.  The following potential risks for these transactions are: Market, Financial, Tenant, and Physical. 

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Commercial real estate can lead to just about any lifestyle you can dream up, but if you're not careful how you play your cards, you can find yourself living through some expensive lessons. Fortunately, even in today's housing crunch, crossing the line from multiple homeowner to one who invests in commercial real estate isn't all that difficult, as long as you plan out a realistic strategy and game plan.

 Some people start out by buying a rental property, others rent out their own home, and move on from there. After acquiring a few homes this way, they branch out with a duplex or a small apartment. If this continues eventually the bank is going to put on the brakes by telling you that your portfolio is beyond their lending protocol for multiple residential properties.

If you've grown too big for your britches but want to continue expanding your mini-empire you'll have to learn the "how-to's" of commercial real estate. Possibly you acquired one commercial property and everything went off without a hitch. But the next one didn't. Suddenly you find you "hit the wall" - you're in property owners no man's land.

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If you are a real estate professional then you know about the gross income multiplier, GIM or the formula that determines the value of rental real estate. It has been used for decades.

There are many schools of thought on how to determine the value of rental property but I always use my readings as a rule of thumb.  Any real estate textbook will tell you not to invest in a property with a GIM of more than 8.  The formula is simple enough: divide the price by the gross annual rents to get the GIM.

With this definition in mind it seems that particular author wants me to never pay more than 8 times the annual rent for a rental property.  This helps the buyer open their eyes to mow much of a rental property they can afford to buy.  It makes plenty of sense really.  Seems that if a property was selling for 6 times the rental income, then that was a really good deal.  I mean anything higher than 8 times the rental income and that becomes a dangerous proposition.  This simple method makes it easy for the average Joe to know what they are getting into. 

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