BUSINESS ORGANIZATION AND CONSULTING

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Boomtown was built from the ground up to serve property owners in every phase of the real estate investing lifecycle. From business formation and property acquisition to divesting we’re here to support your goals.

RECORD KEEPING AND DATA SECURITY DETAILS:

Business Organization
LLC vs. Inc. vs. Personal Name
Financing
Commercial vs. Conventional
Investment Acquisition
Geographic Focus for Investments
1031
Self-Directed IRAs

Business Organization

Thoughtfully considering how you will own or “take title” for an investment property is worthwhile. There are many second and third order effects to how you organize which can have a material impact on the profitability of your portfolio.

Limited Liability Company. Many times, property is purchased using an LLC to enhance the personal liability protection of the owners; however, there are many good reasons to use LLCs when buying real estate depending on your goals. For instance, LLC debt is not reported on your credit report. This may seem like a small detail, but if revenue from a property is split between you and a partner, but the full mortgage payment for that property is reported on your credit report, the effects can be detrimental. Conversely, selling an LLC is much easier and less costly than selling real estate. Many times recordation and transfer taxes can be avoided when selling an LLC that owns real estate which can add up to many thousands or dollars in savings.

Incorporated Company. Holding real estate in a corporation is similar to holding real estate in an LLC, especially if you’ve made a “sub-chapter S election” to be taxed as an LLC. However, it’s important to note the IRS does not allow corporations to hold real estate if more than 50% of the revenue is generated from rental properties. Additionally, it’s generally not recommended to hold rental properties in a company used as a primary source of income. Comingling active business ownership with rental activities can change the liability risk profile of one, or both companies and subvert the diversity of income each presents as standalone companies.

Personal Name. Taking title under a personal name is the most common way of acquiring rental properties. The upside is nice because mortgage loan terms are generally better, CPA fees are generally less expensive for compiling tax returns, and there is never any ambiguity regarding who owns the property – your name is literally on the title. The downsides usually come into play as you start to accumulate more properties – for example Fannie Mae backed mortgage loans are generally limited to 10 investment properties. And as we discussed above the full debt burden of multiple investment properties can have a negative impact on your personal credit report and skew personal debt ratios if only half of the revenue is recognized on your tax return. IMPORTANT NOTE: Always take title as “tenants in common” if you share an investment property with a business partner. This type of ownership allows your interest in the property to pass to your estate following your death. Ownership taken under “joint tenancy” will automatically reassign ownership to your business partner upon death. Joint tenancy is typically only used with married couples.

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Financing

Using debt to finance the acquisition of investment properties is a requirement for most investors. It’s important to understand how financing terms can change and how that impacts the scalability and profitability of real estate investments.

Business or Commercial Financing. This type of financing is exclusive to purchasing real estate using an LLC or Corporation. Usually these products are offered as “portfolio” loans, or loans held for the entire term by the issuing bank or credit union. The terms offered are a diverse as the number of financial institutions that offer them. Important details to pay attention to include:

1) Term (length of time extended to make payments)
2) fixed or variable rate
3) amortization (length of the time used to calculate minimum monthly payments)
4) loan to value requirements (how much is needed in equity)
5) debt service requirements (how much money can they lend you based on the cash flow of the property)
6) seasoning (length of time between acquisition to refinance needed to use appraised value vs. contract price). Seasoning may seem like a small detail – maybe you’ve never even heard the term before – but I can assure you this is a particularly important detail if you’ve ever purchased a property under market and try to rehab and refinance it quickly after the sale.

Conventional Financing. This type of financing can be used to purchase an investment property if you’re taking title in your personal name. Although the rate is generally 1% higher than what you might be able to secure using “owner occupied” financing, the 30 year fix term is usually available which is a huge help to reduce the monthly payment and promotes a better month to month cashflow.

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Investment Acquisition

Where is the best place to buy? What about some of the more exotic ways to acquire real estate? I have an old IRA rollover – can I use that money to buy real estate? A work friend told me about his 1031 exchange – could I use that to acquire more rental property? In our opinion holding rental property should always be looked at as a long-term strategy. The costs are high and time required to purchase and rent real estate can be onerous. Using a thoughtful strategy to acquire rental property is necessary for a strong foundation to build your portfolio.

Geographic Focus. Properties close to the DC Metro market (e.g. Montgomery County) typically have a lower return on investment (ROI) as compared to properties in secondary markets (e.g. Frederick and Washington Counties). Conversely, appreciation is typically higher in more populated areas where demand outpaces supply. Your acquisition strategy should be shaped by these basic ROI vs. appreciation tradeoffs and measured against your appetite for risk.

1031 Exchange. 1031 exchange is a reference to the IRS Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 which allows for the sale of real estate and the purchase of like-kind property to avoid capital gains taxes for the owner. 1031 exchanges can be helpful in very specific circumstances to defer the payment of taxes and to instead use that money to purchase another property. From our prospective 1031s are most useful for very wealthy individuals interested in selling fully depreciated assets in large transactions. When executing a 1031 transaction the seller identifies a custodian (usually an attorney specializing in 1031 exchanges) who holds the proceeds from a sale and the seller then directs the custodian to purchase more real estate using the proceeds in a specified period of time. This usually means identifying a new property to purchase in 45 days and purchasing the new property within 180 days from the date of sale. Form our prospective the most important part of real estate investing is patience. Using imposed deadlines to acquire new property may save on taxes, but it also might force bad decisions which can also be costly.

Self-Directed IRAs. Using an individual Retirement Account to acquire rental property can make real estate investing accessible for many people with large retirement accounts, but it is not without risk. Tax advantaged or “qualified” retirement accounts must be handled in a very specific manner by IRS recognized custodians to avoid disqualification. We’ve assisted with the set-up and acquisition of investment properties using self-directed IRAs for multiple investor clients and we can advise on this strategy. Additionally, we’ve built a team from legal counsel, and CPAs to lenders which can help Boomtown clients accomplish their real estate goals using self-directed IRA accounts.

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Risk Mitigation

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Frequently Asked Questions

How are emergency calls handled afterhours?2021-07-07T15:53:07-04:00

All afterhours emergency calls are answered 24/7 by a Boomtown employee trained in the immediate mitigation of property loss. If necessary, emergency services are arranged to limit property loss, and our owners are provided a video if an emergency site visit is necessary.

How will I know that the tenants are taking care of the property?2021-07-07T15:52:58-04:00

Maintenance inspections are performed twice a year. Boomtown property owners are provided with an inspection report with time / date stamped pictures so you can feel confident in the condition of your property. During the turnover process you can stream the move-in / move-out video for additional detail.

What type of properties do you manage?2021-07-07T15:52:46-04:00

We manage residential property in Frederick and Montgomery counties.

How quickly do I receive the rent income?2021-07-07T15:52:34-04:00

Owner distributions are processed on the 15th of each month and funds are generally available within 48 hours. All owner distributions are direct deposited.

How long is a typical turnover?2021-07-07T15:52:22-04:00

1-2 weeks. We generally need about 1-2 weeks after a move-out to inspect the property, and make it move-in ready for a new tenant.

Who takes care of turnover work?2021-07-07T15:52:14-04:00

We do! The placement fee includes the work Boomtown does to scope and administrate any work done at your property. Contractors perform the work, Boomtown administrates the work.

Can I do my own turnover work?2021-07-07T15:52:05-04:00

Yes. Our requirement for licensed and insured labor is only for occupied units. Boomtown only hires contractors that are licensed and insured; however, you are welcome to perform work on your own property and hire your own contractors without restrictions during the turnover process.

Can I use my own contractors?2021-07-07T15:51:56-04:00

Yes. We are happy to oblige any request for preferred contractors as long as they are licensed and insured.

Why should I sign with Boomtown?2021-07-07T15:51:48-04:00

This question is predicated on assumptions. A better question would be: “What matters to you as you consider a professional property manager?” Browse through our Services and Types of Owners sections. We are a property management company focused on adding value by innovating through technology to deliver better experiences at a lower cost. If that works for you, then our Rental Analysis is the next step.

What makes Boomtown different?2021-07-07T15:51:37-04:00

Low price AND great service. We use technology to drive down the cost of business and we pass the savings to you. We’re not a property management franchise. We’re not the largest property manager in Maryland (and we don’t want to be). We’re a small business with great processes and a professional staff working with like-minded property owners in Frederick and Montgomery counties.

Do run background and credit checks on tenants?2021-07-07T15:51:28-04:00

Yes, 100% of our tenants have been verified through background and credit checks. We also conduct employer and landlord verifications for all wage earners. Private landlords go through an additional step to verify ownership and validate the reference.

How would you market my property?2021-07-07T15:51:17-04:00

We used a paid marketing syndicate to advertise our properties on 41 different sites. When a prospective tenant shows interest our automated CRM software takes them through the process to schedule a showing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We regularly place new tenants in 48 – 72 hours using our proprietary system. Even phone calls at midnight on Saturday are processed immediately using our automation.

How much do you charge?2023-02-07T08:49:13-05:00

Our management fee is 6%/mo., we do not have any hidden fees. There are no start-up fees, or marketing fees and we do not add 10% to vendor invoices. Click here for details on our placement fee and lease renewal fee.

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