If your market area shares the same or similar characteristics as exist in the booming Greater Charleston, South Carolina region then a specific wealth-building opportunitiy is abundant for the benefit of lot/land owners, investors, Realtors and Builders alike.
The Charleston SC residential real estate market has fully recovered from the impacts of the 2007 - 2012 recession to a point where appraised values are now on-par with the 2006 peak and in many cases in excess of those values. MLS inventory now down to a 4-month supply (6-months invsntory is desirable), the glut of foreclosures/short sales has virtually evaporated and rental home vacancies now at aroiund 1%. Long gone are the "One Month Free Rent" / "Free microwave or big screen tv" incentives to attract tenants. Renta are "hard" and rising.
Opportunistic reaal estate investors, who once enjoyed their pick of the deeply discounted prices on REO/short-sale properties, are now chasing their own tails in a competitive search for very few viable distressed"fixers".
Our Charleston based and 11-years established Company, Construction Management Services of SC LLC (www.cmssc.com) is a Licensed GC/Home Builder with a specialised Land Developmentt/Land Planning Consulting Division that is supported by a team of Surveyors, Civil Engineers , Structural Engineers and yes... even RE "savvy" CPAs.
While our primary focus is on building single family semi-custom modular and custom site-built homes for owner-occupiers/ (primary or 2nd homes) in the range ($185,000 - $500,000+) we have recently established a line of townhomes, townhome duplexes and 2-4 unit multi-family products with which to target qualified RE investors and those seeking to diversify a part of their portfolios into appreciating and revenue producing assets.
To support this Program, we have established relationships with non-bank private capital direct lenders eager to provide qualified applicants with 70% construction financing with which to build non-owner occupied rental income properties. Funding can also include cost of lot/land. To complete the "funding circle", we have also secured Bank Lenders to provide permanent NOO take-out mortgages that will pay-of the construction loan at completion at up to 80% of appraised value.
While there is an almost non-existant supply of distressed "fixers", there are many more opportunities for acquiring a vacant lot or a decently located parcel of buildable land and, let's not forget about the opporunity to buy a lot that is already occupied by an OLD dilapidated house that can be demolished in order to make way for NEW construction.
Some of those opportunities may appeal to those wanting to build a "spec" home for sale. However the true "wealth-building" opportunity exists for those who choose to buy a lot(s) on which to BUILD a new home(s) for rental income and long term appreciation. To widen the circle of potential investor/buyers, especially those who do NOT want to be burdened with tenant turnover and associated repair/maintenance/management expenses our Company is an advocate of OCCUPANCY AGREEMENTS TIED TO 1-3 YEAR PURCHASE OPTIONS.
THIS STRATEGY MEANS THAT ROUTINE REPAIR/MAINTENANCE COSTS ARE TRANSFERRED TO THE RESIDENT-OCCUPANT. THE OWNING INVESTOR IS ONLY REPSONSIBLE FOR STRUCTURAL REPAIRS WHICH, ON NEW CONSTRUCTION, ARE COVERED BY THE 2/10 BUILDER'S WARRANTY.
I only started promoting this Strategy locally 4-weeks ago with postings on Craigs List. To date, SIX inquiries one of which is already under Contract, another from the owner of four contiguous lots in a high demand rental area which is pending Surveys/Soil Tests and has the potential for three townhome duplexes (= 6 rental homes) and four inquiries from totally unqualified "Nothing Down RE Seminar" groupies!
FOR THOSE OF YOU READING THIS WHO ARE WITHIN A 30-MILE RADIUS OF CHARLESTON, SC AND WHO HAVE SERIOUS INTEREST I INVITE YOUR EMAIL INQUIRY TO: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.