REAL ESTATE Investing for Physicians

SOME GUIDELINES FOR COLLEAGUES

Touring with Marcinko | The Leading Business Education ...

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA CMP®

SPONSOR: http://www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org

CMP logo

According to Rick Kahler MS CFP® ChFC CCIM [www.KahlerFinancial.com] real estate is one of the largest asset classes in the world. The family home is the largest asset many middle-class Americans own. And, real estate makes up a significant portion of the net worth of many wealth accumulators. Directly owning real estate is not an investment for the faint of heart, the armchair investor, or the uneducated. Most wealth accumulators would do well to leave direct ownership of real estate to the pros and invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs) instead [personal communication].

Still, as we have seen, the lure of investing in a tangible asset like real estate is enticing for high risk tolerant physician-investors who need a sense of control and interaction with their investments. If you are among them, here are a few guidelines that may keep you on a profitable path.

1. Don’t attempt to purchase investment real estate without the help of a commercial real estate specialist who is a fiduciary bound to look out for your best interest. Engage a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) with years of training and experience in analyzing and acquiring investment real estate. To find a CCIM near you, go to http://www.ccim.com.

2. You will sign a disclosure agreement that will tell you who the Realtor represents. Be sure the Realtor you engage represents you and not the seller, both parties, or neither party.

3. Never trust the income and expense data provided by the seller’s Realtor. While a seller represented by a CCIM will have a greater chance of supplying you with accurate data, most will significantly understate expenses and overstate the capitalization rate. Selling Realtors often understate the average annual cost of repairs and maintenance. I estimate this annual expense at 10%.

4. Another often understated expense is management. Many owners manage their own properties, so the selling broker doesn’t include an estimate for management expenses. They should. Real estate doesn’t manage itself, ever. You will either need to hire professional management or do your own management (always a scary proposition). Even if you do it yourself, you have an opportunity cost of your time, so you must include a management fee in the expenses. Most small residential apartments and single-family homes will pay 10% of their rents to a manager.

5. You must verify all the costs presented to you by the seller’s Realtor. Demand copies of at least the last three and preferably five years of tax returns. Research items like utility bills, property taxes, legal fees, insurance costs and repairs, maintenance costs, replacement reserves, tax preparation and all management fees. As a rule of thumb, expenses will average 40% of rental income on average-aged properties where the tenants pay all utilities except water. Newer properties may have expenses as low as 35%, while older properties can be as high as 50%.

6. By subtracting the vacancy rate and stabilized expenses from the rent, you will find the net operating income. This is the income you will put in your pocket—assuming the property is paid for. By dividing the net operating income by the purchase price, you will find the return you will receive on your investment, called the capitalization or “cap” rate. In Rapid City SD, for example, the cap rate tends to be 4% for single-family homes, 5% to 8% for duplexes to eight-plexes, and 8% to 12% for larger residential and commercial properties.

Citation: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

ASSESSMENT: Yes, physician-investors and all of us can build wealth with real estate. You just need to educate yourself, work hard, start conservatively, think long-term, and be prepared for lean years. This is not a quick or easy path to riches. Your comments are appreciated. Thank You.

INVESTING: https://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Financial-Planning-Strategies-Advisors/dp/1482240289/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418580820&sr=8-1&keywords=david+marcinko

***

INVITE DR. MARCINKO: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/dr-david-marcinkos-bookings/

THANK YOU

***

Why I Hate Non-Publicly Traded REITS

On Product Frustration

Lon JefferiesBy Lon Jefferies MBA CFP® CMP®

As my experience in the financial planning and investment advisory industries has grown over the years, there is one investment that I’ve seen no logical reason to own — non-publicly traded real estate investment trusts.

Josh Brown, one of my favorite analysts and author of TheReformedBroker.com nailed each of my frustrations with these products. Here is a significant excerpt from his post:

 ***

I consider non-traded REITs or nREITS to be part of the group of investments that are just absolute murderholes for clients – they pay the brokers so much that they cannot possibly work out (and they rarely do without all kinds of aggravation and additional costs). Further, I have yet to hear a single credible explanation as to why a broker would recommend a non-traded REIT over a public REIT other than compensation. The only explanation that makes sense to me is that 7% is a lot more than the 1% commission you get doing an agency trade on a NYSE-traded REIT. A reader with experience in the industry sent this to me and I found it hilarious. Below, a fictional, transparent conversation between an indie broker and his “client” that would never occur…

If Brokers Were Transparent:

Rep:

Before we wrap up our quarterly portfolio review I would like to talk to you about a new investment I think you might be interested in.  You have been looking for more income and this is an investment vehicle that pays a 7% dividend.

Client:

Sounds great, give me the details.

Rep:

With your portfolio size and risk tolerance I would recommend a $100,000 investment.  Given that amount let’s first go over the fees. If you invest $100,000 I will be paid a commission of $7,000. My firm is going to get $1,500 – $2,000 in revenue share. My wholesaler, the salesman that works for the investment’s sponsor company, will get $1,000. He is a great guy, buys me dinner and takes me golfing. The sponsor company is going to get around $3,000 to pay for some of the costs they incurred in setting up the investment. So after Day 1 there will be around $87,000 left over to actually invest.  I bet you are getting excited.

Client:

Are you on drugs? Why would I pay 13% in fees on anything?

Rep:

Don’t worry, it won’t feel like you are paying $13,000 in fees. The rules allow my firm to report your investment at $100,000 on your statement. You never really know what its worth but you will think you never lost money. Pretty sweet huh?

Client:

You have to be kidding.

Rep:

No, this is a really good investment. Let me tell you about the income component before you jump to any conclusions. Like I said this investment pays a 7% dividend and the dividend won’t change.

Client:

That sounds high and how do you know it won’t change?

Rep:

You see, the sponsor just picks the 7% dividend number out of thin air. Here’s how it works. You see the vehicle you are going to invest in is new and it’s going to take the firm a while before your net $87,000 is actually invested. Later on, maybe 2-4 years from now they will have the money fully invested and it will generate actual cash flow. So they just pay a quarterly dividend of 7% by giving you your money back. This is great from a tax perspective because return of capital isn’t taxed as income.

Client:

Are we on hidden camera or something?

Rep:

Ha, you are funny. I bet this next benefit will change your mind.

Client:

I hope so or I should start looking for another financial advisor.

Rep:

This is the best feature. You can’t sell your investment until the sponsor has the opportunity to create liquidity. You might be locked up in this investment for 7-10 years.

Client:

This feels like the Twilight Zone. Your firm allows you to sell this crap?

Rep:

Oh yeah, our firm sells a ton of it. In fact independent broker dealer firms like mine sold over $20 billion of these investments in 2013. Think about that. Reps like me made over $140 million dollars and our firms pocketed $20-$30 million.

Client:

This is crazy, what is this investment?

Rep:

Non-traded REITs. $100,000 sound about right?

***

Currency

***

Josh touched on every part of these investments that I despise — excessive commission paid to the so-called “financial advisor” (salesman), a supposed “dividend” that is really just paying the investor his own money back (essentially providing an interest-free loan), and a complete lack of liquidity and transparency.

When I begin working with a new client who owns one of these products, it is impossible to obtain accurate, current information on the investment (not even a true value is apparent). Even worse, if the client wants to sell the investment he would need to do so at pennies on the dollar. For the most part, once an investor purchases one of these products he just needs to forget about it and hope that one day he can get his money back.

Assessment

The bottom line is that if your advisor ever recommends a non-publicly traded REIT, I’d strongly recommend you walk out the door and start searching for a true financial advisor with a fiduciary responsibility to act in your best interest.

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

Product Details  Product Details

***