hurricanedamageThe State of Florida and many other states were affected by Hurricane Matthew, leaving many Sellers with problem houses.  I am located in Oviedo, Florida, and being a transplant from Michigan, I have never been in a Florida Hurricane.  All of my houses were blessed with minor damage such as big trees down in the back yard, shingles flying off the roof, branches and trash everywhere. I am very grateful to God for these blessings.  Other Sellers were not so fortunate and my heart goes out to them.  They now have to deal with making a huge decision of fixing the house or selling the house.  Some Sellers may not even have insurance on their house.  However, if they do have insurance, let me explain the process.

An insurance claim can be long and dragged out with many Sellers becoming very frustrated with the insurance company’s findings.  These are Sellers that may need your help with you buying their house.  First, let me explain the process on Insurance Claims.  Sellers will notify the insurance company of damage to the property along with providing them a list of items damaged.  If the Insurance Company and the Sellers can come to an agreement, then a check is sent to them in their name and the names of all mortgage companies that may have a lien on the property.  Pursuant to the terms of the mortgage that was signed by the Sellers, all insurance proceeds are to be used to re-build the property to make sure that the mortgage companies have an asset that is worth the amount of their loan.   When there are large claims of loss to the insurance company, they normally dispute the amount of the claim and the Seller will have to hire an independent insurance adjuster to assist them in disputing the claim.

I am going to tell you about a home that I purchased from a Seller that had fire damage.  First off, the Seller had already contacted the insurance company and the claim was approved.  However, the funds were to be sent to the Seller’s contractor in drafts.  My company is a Limited Liability Company, so we were the company that would be the contractor for the Seller.  We had to perform a specific amount of work and then they would send out someone to inspect the work and issue a check to our company.   So … we knew how much money the Insurance Company was going to pay for the repairs to the home.  We knew how much money it was going to cost for the repairs which, by the way, was lower than the amount that the Seller was given on the insurance claim.

How did I figure out the purchase price of the home?  First, I needed to know the value of the home after all the repairs; this is the After Repaired Value.  I then needed to know my cost for the repairs of the home and the cost for the repairs that the insurance company was willing to pay.  I used a simple formula…I took the ARV x 65% – My Repair Cost = Maximum Allowable Offer.  I also deducted the amount of insurance claim from the amount of my repairs to see how much more I could give the Seller.  Let me give you an example:

ARV ($100,000) x 65% = $65,000 – My Repairs ($25,000) = Maximum Allowable Offer $40,000

Insurance Claim $45,000 – My Repairs $25,000 = $20,000 difference

Maximum Allowable Offer $40,000 + $20,000 = New Maximum Allowable Offer of $60,000

This was a win-win situation for my Seller.  I prepared a contract that clearly stated all the terms and conditions of the agreement and a Deed was held in escrow until the insurance claim was completed and I could purchase the property.  If I would have purchased the property immediately then the insurance claim could be invalid as the Seller no longer owns the home and I didn’t want to take the chance with having any problems.  Should you purchase a property from a Seller who has an insurance claim and you are thinking of acting as their contractor, you will need to read all the paperwork.  A Licensed Contractor may be necessary, as it was in my deal, along with having an Attorney assist you with all the paperwork.

I hope this thought will help you assist many Sellers that may have to sell, have insurance and need our help.  Be fair with your offer and make a win-win situation and don’t take advantage of the situation.  We all need to work together to help people during these times of need.  Whatever you do as an Investor, it affects all of us, so make it a win-win situation or walk away!

Please keep sending me your questions and topics that you would like to hear about, so I can be sure to keep feeding you with the information that you need in order to move confidently through 2016 and bring your Real Estate Dreams to Life!

 

Kimberlee Frank

www.ForeclosuresGoneWild.com

www.RealEstateJunkie.com

www.ShortSaleNegotiating.com

www.SellFastRealty.com

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Kimberlee Frank Broker Short Sale Expert

www.SellFastRealty.com

407-888-3433

Kimberlee Frank Real Estate Broker and Teacher/MentorKimberlee Frank is known as “The Real Estate Junkie,” for her unique ability to find ways to creatively help buyers and sellers no matter which direction the real estate market is heading. Kimberlee had already worked as a legal administrator for an Attorney, Builder and Broker for 18 years when she began her Real Estate career in 1998. She dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on hundreds of real estate transactions and thousands of documents, making her an expert in real estate documentation. Kimberlee’s success began in Fenton, Michigan. She specialized in selling, purchasing, renovating, retailing and lease optioning single-family homes. She has helped many sellers get rid of their “headaches” and helped many buyers find their dream homes!

 

Since 2003, she has specialized in foreclosures and short sales. After realizing how many families were being forced out of their homes due to financial difficulties, Kimberlee had a heartfelt obligation to use her experience to help those families. She has mitigated and closed over 500 short sales with the mortgage companies, saving Sellers from going into foreclosure. In 2006, Kimberlee and her family moved to Florida. She lives in Oviedo and her Sell Fast Realty Office is in Winter Springs, serving residential and commercial sellers and buyers in multiple counties in Central and Southern Florida.

Kimberlee is also a Trainer and Mentor and has created several different “How To” systems on real estate. Her unique strategies continue to educate real estate professionals across the country. If you have a proven system to help others out of hardship, why wouldn’t you duplicate it and share it with as many people as you can? Kimberlee continues to work with this philosophy!

Kimberlee Frank Author of Big Ideas for Your Business
Kimberlee Frank has been featured on ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS as well as Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, USA Today and numerous other publications. She is the bestselling author of “Big Ideas for Your Business” (Advantage Media 2009). She was also selected as the #1 Short Sale Expert by America’s Premiers Experts.

Please contact Kimberlee at her office at 407-888-3433 to schedule a Free Facts About Foreclosure Seminar. She has numerous testimonials from sellers, buyers and other real estate professionals who are familiar with her giving heart. Whether it is 1 person in need or 1,000…..Kimberlee will educate them on real estate and give them a solution with a peace of mind!

Kimberlee Frank saught out by the media

 

Are you unsure what to do with your house? Do you need to educate yourself about your options. Click the following link Free Facts About Foreclosure for more information.

 

God Bless,

Kimberlee Frank

www.SellFastRealty.com

407-888-3433

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