The Importance of Zeroing in on Your Buyer’s Tolerance for Profit
The language of business is numbers. So it is with doing profitable real estate deals. There are three (3) very popular rules for calculating your offer. They are referred to as:
- “The 70% Rule:” (Offer equals the ARV (After Repair Value) times 70% less cost of repairs.)
- “The 75% Rule:” (Offer equals the ARV (After Repair Value) times 75% less cost of repairs.)
- “The 80% Rule:” (Offer equals the ARV (After Repair Value) times 80% less cost of repairs.)
The “80% Rule” offers the least profit. However, it offers much greater likelihood of getting the offer accepted than “the 70% Rule.” What’s exciting is that there are investors who use “the 80% rule” and still make more money on the deal than investors using “the 70% Rule.” You will want to find them.
Regardless of which rule is used, there are closing costs, holding costs, and selling costs. Generally, those costs total 15% and break down like this:
- Closing Costs: (3%) Paid to the title company to insure the deed is free of liens or encumbrances.
- Holding Costs: (6%) These costs are mostly the costs of borrowing the money to do the deal, but also include taxes, insurance and utilities etc.
- Sales Costs: (6%) Usually paid to the realtors who help close the deal.
As a wholesaler, it is critical to find the buyer who will pay the most for the property. Some buyers have their own money. This eliminates most of the holding costs. The same buyer may also have the property already sold or have an agent on board that eliminates their sales costs. The buyer who doesn’t have many holding or sales costs can use the 80% rule and make more profit than another buyer who has borrowing and sales costs but uses the 70% rule.
When we interview buyers, we want to find out their “tolerance for profit.” Do they have money? Are they an agent or do they partner with an agent? Going out to the job sites of successful bidders can help you find those buyers who do rehabs more efficiently and at a lower cost.
Asking this simple question can help you sort out the buyers who should be at the top of your list. “Suppose I have a property you know you can sell quickly for $300,000.00, but it is going to cost you $30,000.00 to rehab. Your ad says you buy houses, where would I have to be pricewise for you to buy this one?”
Simply put, the greater your buyer’s “tolerance for profit,” the more money you will make and the more deals you will do.