In today’s high-rate and low inventory real estate market, fix and flip investing can be a great strategy to keep portfolio returns consistent. Aside from being a great way to diversify, in markets where very few rental properties are available, home flipping can provide investors with a crucial path to real estate returns. It also helps investors expand their skill base and opens the door to even more of these types of projects. Home flips do not serve as standalone investments; these deals can be complementary to nearly any real estate strategy and can help supercharge portfolio returns.
For real estate brokers, offering fix and flip loans lets you expand your customer base, helping you become a comprehensive loan partner and netting you more business. Interested in learning more? Here’s everything you need to know.
Most investors will agree that diversification is important if you want to keep returns consistent in your portfolio. As a portfolio grows, pooling too much of your wealth in a single asset class becomes very risky. Owning different types of assets helps investors reduce exposure to any one particular class and reduces the risk of major losses in market downturns. With fix and flip investments, the target market is home buyers, not just renters. Supply and demand trends for purchasing are entirely separate from renting, but the investors who have diverse portfolios win on both ends. On top of this, short-term projects can provide investors with additional liquidity in the key moments where funding is needed to grow.
Rental property investors are more concerned with achieving steady income and appreciation than short-term gains. What most don’t realize is that fix and flip projects can perfectly complement their investment approach. The continued nationwide housing shortage means that many markets are still undersupplied, and this increases both competition and pricing for available homes. As an alternative, an investor can buy a fixer-upper home, renovate it, and rent the property out afterwards. And if they choose to sell for a profit, it provides a healthy cash injection that enables them to make further acquisitions.
Fix and flip projects offer investors more control and flexibility when compared to other strategies. They not only get to decide which upgrades to make, but also how exactly to carry out their exit strategy. This is key when market conditions change, and suddenly an investor’s initial plan is less profitable. A newly renovated home can easily serve as a rental property, and this gives investors a way to avoid eating the cost of a bad flip. They can simply rent the property out to recoup some of their expenses and proceed to sell as they had initially intended once market conditions are more favorable.
Another great benefit of home flipping is that it lets investors trial new markets without requiring a long-term financial commitment. Investors who are looking to diversify will often stick to the strategy they already know, but spread their assets out to reduce exposure to any one market. Home flipping can be an excellent way to test the waters in new markets, as it allows investors to get familiar with the trends & neighborhood dynamics shaping an area. The initial project positions them for success with larger, more profitable investments as they become familiar with the area. If the flip ends up being a dud, investors can gain greater insights into what went wrong as well as what to look out for when scouting new markets.
This method also has the advantage of helping first-time flippers get familiar with renovation work, opening the door to other similar types of projects. Investors can gain experience managing budgets, timelines, and working with contractors, all of which are skills that transition to larger rehabs and new construction investments.
Fix and flip investments have different goals from rental properties, which is why they demand specialized financing. Rather than seeking out a traditional mortgage, investors typically work with private lenders who offer fix and flip loans. These programs are designed for home flipping, with rehab funding often included in the total loan amount, and shorter terms that are more suitable for the timeline of these projects. RCN Capital’s fix and flip program provides financing for up to 100% of purchase and rehab costs, which allows investors to maintain liquidity and maximize cash-on-cash returns with each project.
Brokers and lending partners play a much bigger role on an investor’s team than you might initially be led to believe. You aren’t just a source of financing. Your expertise can be crucial for helping clients make better decisions and scale their portfolios more effectively. Taking the time to understand your client’s goals is the first step, as it helps you tailor your advice and your financing recommendations. Understanding their strategy also lets you point them in the direction of deals that match their comfort level. It can also tell you when it’s time for an investor to diversify, whether that means other markets or other types of deals like home flips.
Your goal is to become a trusted advisor they can lean on for support throughout their investing journey, and this can be beneficial to you as well. Stronger client relationships are what help you build a more consistent deal pipeline with less effort through referrals and repeat business.
If you want to provide your clients with a stellar lending experience, partner with a lender that has a proven track record in the real estate investing space. RCN Capital lends to real estate professionals, commercial contractors, developers & small business owners across the nation. We provide short-term fix & flip financing, long-term rental financing, and new construction financing for real estate investors and lending partners. If you are looking to offer fix & flip financing to your clients, RCN Capital has competitive loan options and an award-winning broker referral program available to partners.