February 2020 – REIA of Oakland

Being a successful property wholesaler is contingent upon not only locating a viable property, but more importantly, being able to find an end buyer – and quickly.

Whether you’re assigning contracts or double-closing, you want to move the property as quickly as you can. There’s no point in getting into a property if the potential for getting rid of it quickly is low. Your buyers list can be an invaluable part of your business. It provides the ability to contact serious, interested parties, as opposed to blindly cold marketing wanna-be investors. Since your buyer’s list is your lifeline to steady profits, you need to know the essential details regarding your properties, as well as the needs of your potential buyers.

What Is a Buyers List?

Your goal as a wholesaler is to contract properties below market value and then, as quickly as possible, pair that property with a buyer. Starting your search for an end buyer after you’ve got a property under contract will only eat into any profits by accumulating holding costs. Often, you may be forced into buying the property yourself. A buyers list is your inventory of real investors who you can contact to offer your wholesale properties. Building a useful buyers list can take some time, so networking is key. To help grow a list, start associating with real estate professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors. Many communities have an REI club, but you can make connections through other channels such as online real estate forums, Craiglist, Facebook, property auctions, networking events, or from the bandit signs you’ve placed.

Organize Your Buyers List

For your list to be useful, it should be kept organized and updated, prioritizing the most serious buyers or the ones most likely buy based on a set of parameters. Keep contact info current, take notes about the neighborhoods or property types buyers contacts on your list are looking for, so you don’t waste time and energy contracting houses you won’t be able to assign. Nor will you be trying to sell them a property that doesn’t interest them. Using a customer relationship management system (CRM) is an effective way to compile pertinent information across several channels, including social media. By analyzing the information in a CRM, you’re able to present properties to the investors most likely to buy, before resorting to emailing your entire list.

Educate Your Buyer

Understanding the wants and needs of the investors on your list will save you and your buyers time. Property investors are busy and don’t want to be bothered with every contract you’re trying to assign. When looking for properties to wholesale, you should have a buyer profile already in mind before closing the deal. If you think a property will suit a buyer from your list, present them with a concise package, don’t just bombard them with tons of information or data that they’ll have to crunch themselves. Provide vital information first, such as location, terms of the deal, property photos, a list of expected repairs, and estimated ARV. If, after a quick review, there is something that piques their interest, you can delve into more specific details.

To be a successful wholesaler, you should have a reliable buyers list at your disposal to effectively market any property under contract. Not all buyers on your list will be interested in hearing a sales pitch for all houses you’ve got under contract. Keeping your buyers list loaded with dependable contacts and updating it as needed will help you move those properties quickly to keep the

We all know that paying taxes is an unavoidable expense of doing business, so protect the profit margins on your rental property by taking advantage of any and all tax deductions available to you. All of your expenses considered to be ordinary and necessary to run your business are deductible as per the tax code. As the tax laws are continuously changing, make sure you consult a tax professional before filing your return.

Here is a list of some of the most impactful tax deductions:

Interest on Loans

Your rental properties are likely some of the most expensive assets you own. So, unless you own them outright, you’re paying a significant amount of interest for your mortgage. In addition to your mortgage interest, you may also deduct other interest for loans to make improvements or other business-related activities.

Depreciation

You’re allowed to deduct ordinary business expenses for the tax year in which they occur on your annual return. However, the tax code does not permit large capital expenditures to be deducted all at once, those large purchases need to be depreciated over an extended period of time. The tax code allows for the purchase price of your rental property to be depreciated over 27.5 yrs.

Repairs and Maintenance

Any repairs you make to your property are fully deductible for the tax year in which they occur. It’s worth pointing out that repairs are not the same as improvements. For clarification’s sake, a repair is an expense you incur to fix something you already own that is broken and/or is not operating correctly. For example, a burst pipe or a new thermostat for the HVAC system.

Capital Improvements

Any improvements, or other large purchases, you invest in for your property are not deductible for the year in which they occur. As mentioned above, repairs and improvements are distinctly different. The IRS mandates that capital improvements and restorations be depreciated per guidelines according to their natural, expected usable life. These types of expenditures would include a new roof, laundry equipment, and structural renovations.

Meals & Entertainment

If you meet someone for coffee or a meal to talk about your business, the cost may be tax-deductible. Just be sure your tax preparer knows about the new restrictions about expenses with clients versus staff.

Education

Any business-related book or program you buy probably qualifies as a business tax deduction.

Office Equipment, Services & Supplies

Don’t forget about these! Any application you buy or subscribe to, paper, toner, etc. may qualify as a tax-deductible business expense. Part of your computer/printer and cell phone (both purchase price and monthly service) expenses may qualify.

Travel Expenses

You can’t expense your drive into work every morning, but you can deduct work-related travel and maintenance. If you have a dedicated work vehicle, you can deduct the payments, gasoline, insurance, registration fees, and mileage. To make keeping a log easier, download an app, like Everlance, Stride, or TripLog to track your mileage and/or travel expenses, many offer a freemium option until you decide to spring for the full package. You have the option to deduct actual expenses incurred or use the IRS standard mileage rate. For 2019, the standard business mileage rate was $0.58 per mile.

Pass-Through Deduction

Congress enacted the pass-through deduction as part of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act in 2018. It is currently set to run through the end of 2025 unless re-enacted by Congress. This generous deduction allows you to deduct 20% of your income or 2.5% of your investment PLUS 25% of employee wages. Pass-through businesses are ones in which the business entity pays no tax, but instead the earnings “pass-through” to the owner(s) who pay the taxes on the personal tax returns. To meet the requirements of the pass-through deduction, you must operate your business through an approved legal entity such as a: sole proprietorship, S-corp, limited liability company (LLC), limited liability partnership (LLP), or partnership.

Home Office

Small business owners and DIYers often devote space in their home for use as a home office. If you use the space primarily for conducting business, you can deduct associated expenses. The tax code permits you to write off prorated expenses for the mortgage interest, insurance, taxes, maintenance, and utilities.

Overall, be careful about proper documentation to keep your personal and business expenses separate. This can be as easy as using one of your personal credit cards ONLY for business expenses. Otherwise, you may be increasing your chances of an IRS audit.

Operating a DIY rental business is difficult enough without the IRS taking their chunk every year, you need all the breaks you can get. Luckily, by running your rental business, you are authorized to benefit from these and many other tax deductions, but it’s vital to keep accurate records for all business transactions. It’s worth reiterating, tax laws are updated frequently and often without much attention. Always review your deductions with a CPA or tax attorney to make sure you still qualify.