Houses for $26,900 with $450 cash flow per month

That is the promotion! Houses for $26,900 with $450 cash flow per month. That is equal to annual cash-on-cash return of 20%! Sounds too good to be true?

The houses were REO properties, which were purchased in bulk, rehabbed and sold to investor. What kind of houses will you get? I checked three of them:

House #1
Location: Indiana
Below Poverty Line: 41.26%
Vacancy rate: 15.14%
Ratio of renter-occupied to owner-occupied: 125.17%

House #2
Location: Georgia
Below Poverty Line: 43.42%
Vacancy rate: 22.73%
Ratio of renter-occupied to owner-occupied: 158.03%

House #3
Location: Florida
Below Poverty Line: 35.31%
Vacancy rate: 13.97%
Ratio of renter-occupied to owner-occupied: 74.20%

What do those numbers mean?

1) They are located in slum neighborhood. In my previous article, I mentioned, I personally will not invest in a slum, and will advise the same to my clients. You can rehab any properties, but you can’t change the location. Choosing the right location is one aspect of successful real estate investment.
2) High vacancy rate means, you have to wait longer to get tenants. As a result, your cash-on-cash return may be lower than the one advertised.
3) High poverty rate means, most people are low income resident or welfare-dependent. Low income neighborhood tends to have higher crime rate. It may take you or your property manager extra effort to screen qualified tenants and collect rent. Few months of uncollected rents lower your cash-on-cash return. And sometimes bullet proof vest is needed to collect rents!
4) High renter-occupied to owner-occupied rate. Tenants usually do not take care the properties as good as owners. There is no pride of ownership. Deteriorating neighborhood lowers property values.

Bottom line, you get what you pay for, and know what you are getting into.

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