The Growing Opportunity of Midterm Rentals

Midterm rentals are properties rented for more than 30 days but less than a year. They are gaining attention as a smart investment strategy for homeowners and investors. These rentals have become more popular in recent years because they can bring in good money, even in today’s challenging housing market.

What Are Midterm Rentals?

Midterm rentals fall between short-term rentals (like Airbnb) and long-term rentals (leases for a year or more). These properties are rented for months at a time, often to people who need a temporary place to stay but not for just a few days. Midterm rentals became even more popular during the pandemic when many cities put rules on short-term rentals.

Who Stays in Midterm Rentals?

Midterm rentals work well for:

  • Traveling Medical Staff: Nurses and healthcare workers often need a place to stay for a few months while working in different cities.
  • Workers on Temporary Projects: Construction workers, consultants, and other professionals who travel for work prefer staying in midterm rentals over hotels.
  • Families Trying Out a New City: People who want to move but aren’t ready to buy a home might rent a place for a few months to see if they like the area.

Why Invest in Midterm Rentals?

Midterm rentals can make more money than long-term rentals. This is because people staying for a few months often pay more than those who sign a year-long lease. Plus, midterm renters are usually professionals or families, so they tend to take better care of the home.

Unlike short-term rentals, midterm rentals don’t come with as many rules and regulations. This makes them easier to manage. Since people are staying longer, there are also fewer cleanings and turnovers, which saves time and money.

What Types of Homes Are Best?

Homes with 1-2 bedrooms are often the best fit for midterm rentals. This is because most midterm renters are single travelers, couples, or small families. A two-bedroom home where one room can be used as an office is also popular. Midterm renters look for places that are comfortable and well-kept, but the home doesn’t need to be fancy.

Where Should You Invest?

The best places for midterm rentals are cities or towns with:

  • Hospitals and Medical Centers: Traveling nurses and healthcare staff often need nearby housing.
  • Big Companies and Construction Projects: Workers coming in for temporary projects look for midterm rentals instead of hotels.
  • Areas with Few Hotels: If there aren’t many hotels or the hotels are too expensive, people will prefer midterm rentals.

Examples of Good Markets: Cities like Seattle and Nashville are popular, but smaller towns and rural areas with business hubs can be great options too. Check if there’s demand by looking at how many hotels or other rental options are in the area.

Is Now a Good Time to Start?

Yes! The midterm rental market is still growing and not as crowded as short-term rentals like Airbnb. Experts say it’s like how short-term rentals were in 2012, which was a great time to get started. By investing in midterm rentals now, you can build experience and get ahead as more people find out about this type of rental.

Tips for Starting:

  • Research Your Market: Know who will be renting and why. This could be medical workers, business travelers, or families.
  • Start Locally: If you live in or near a city with a big hospital or major companies, consider starting there. You already know the area, which helps with setting prices and marketing.

Ready to Explore Midterm Rental Options in Portland?

If you’re interested in exploring midterm rental opportunities in Portland, I’d love to help! Whether you’re looking to invest or simply learn more, I can guide you through the process. Schedule a time to chat with me using my link, and let’s discuss your goals and options.

Real Estate Investment 101: Differentiating CapEx from Maintenance

Are you diving into the world of real estate investment? If so, understanding the crucial difference between capital expenditures (CapEx) and maintenance is key to your success. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down these terms, show you how to calculate them, and teach you how to forecast them when analyzing potential deals. Let’s get started!

What Are Capital Expenditures and Maintenance?

Capital Expenditures (CapEx)

CapEx refers to significant, long-term investments made to improve or increase the value of a rental property. These are typically big-ticket items such as:

  • Roof replacement
  • HVAC system upgrades
  • Major plumbing or electrical renovations

Maintenance

Maintenance involves routine tasks that keep the property in optimal condition. These are usually more frequent and less costly expenses, including:

  • Regular lawn care and landscaping
  • Exterior cleaning and power washing
  • Appliance repairs (e.g., fixing a leaky dishwasher)

How to Factor CapEx and Maintenance into Your Deal Analysis

When evaluating potential real estate investments, it’s crucial to distinguish between CapEx and maintenance. Here’s a step-by-step approach:

Analyzing Capital Expenditures

  1. Assess Major Systems: Thoroughly inspect the roof, water heater, HVAC system, plumbing, and electrical components. Evaluate their current condition and estimated remaining lifespan.
  2. Calculate Costs: As a rule of thumb, CapEx should account for 2-7% of the property’s value. For properties requiring significant updates, lean towards the higher end of this range.
  3. Forecast Future Needs: For properties in excellent condition or those recently renovated, you can reasonably budget a lower CapEx percentage.

Estimating Maintenance Costs

  1. Evaluate Property Condition: Look for signs of wear and tear, older appliances, and the overall state of the property.
  2. Estimate Monthly Expenses: Maintenance costs typically range from 2-5% of the gross rent. Larger properties with extensive landscaping or amenities might incur higher maintenance costs.

Building Your Reserve Funds: How Much Should You Set Aside?

The amount you allocate to reserve funds depends on your risk tolerance:

  • Conservative Investors: Aim for 6-12 months of reserve funds to cover potential expenses.
  • More Aggressive Investors: A 3-month reserve fund may suffice if you have additional income streams or savings to cover unexpected costs.

Mastering CapEx Calculations

For a detailed understanding of CapEx, create a spreadsheet using this formula:

Monthly Cost = Replacement Cost / Lifespan (in years) x 12
This formula helps you determine the monthly amount to set aside for each major expense. For more accurate estimates, consult with a general contractor or your real estate agent.

Pro Tips for Savvy Real Estate Investors

  1. Patience Pays Off: It typically takes 3-5 years for a rental property to stabilize, allowing you to understand its true maintenance costs.
  2. Avoid Analysis Paralysis: While it’s important to dive into details, remember to step back and view the big picture. Ensure your investments align with your long-term financial goals.
  3. Organize Your Finances: Initially, you can combine CapEx and maintenance funds into one account. As your portfolio grows, consider consulting a CPA for a more sophisticated accounting system.

Wrapping Up: The Key to Successful Real Estate Investing

Understanding the nuances between CapEx and maintenance is crucial for effective property management and investment planning. By accurately forecasting these expenses, you’ll make more informed decisions and build a robust real estate portfolio that stands the test of time.

If you have any questions about buying a home or need more personalized advice, feel free to reach out to me. Connect with me on YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook.

For a more detailed consultation or to get started on your home buying journey, schedule a free strategy session here. You can also access my Free Buyer’s Guide to help you through every step of the process here.

ADUs in Portland – Understanding More & Getting Started

   Ideas for ADU Design
Photo Credit: Urbanology Designs, https://www.urbanologydesigns.com/

ADUs are a hot topic because we’re rethinking the way we live.

If you’re considering buying a home with an ADU or one that has potential for adding/improving an existing ADU, or creating one for your existing property, read on. Maybe you like the idea of offsetting that mortgage with a bit of rental income? Not only do conforming loan guidelines now allow buyers to use rental income to qualify for homes with ADU’s, there are more reasons to get educated on ADUs than you can shake a stick at.  My hope is to provide you with a concise and usable guide to the latest in modular building (ADU’s, Income Units, etc.)

Why, and who’s doing this? ADUs can build wealth, create in-fill housing, reduce displacement, and enhance neighborhood resilience. People are building ADUs on their property to:– Expand living space for the family or extended family (ie. a place for a parent to live so they can be nearby but not living in the room next door, or a place for the grown child to return to after college without having to be right on top of each other).
– Downsize to a smaller living space without giving up your property rights.
– Have an office or studio workspace easily accessible and close to home.
– Offset or pay for mortgage.  Some owners opt to remain in the house and use rental income from the ADU to help offset mortgage while others choose to move into the ADU and let the renter pay for most of or even the entire mortgage.

What is an ADU?

The term ADU stands for Accessory Dwelling Unit. ADUs are secondary homes built on a single family residential lot. It can be tricky to understand the differences between tiny houses, granny flats, and backyard cottages–and that’s simply because all of those structures can serve as an ADU, whose purpose is what defines it.  What an ADU provides is a flexible living arrangement that can extend the value of a home, and the purpose of it is to serve as a complete residence, everything you need to live, basically: to-code places to sleep, cook, and bathe.

Ways to ADU:

ADUs can be many forms: detached garage, basement conversion, prefab unit — an addition to an existing home, or even a detached addition to a primary residence.

So let’s first consider: for what use? Multi-gen use for housing family? Use it as a place for in-laws or college-age kids to stay? Or creating a space to house the occasional guest?  Whether creating or buying existing, having additional office or studio space that could be converted to a short term or year lease to provide rental income later —  is a very good idea, and there are tons of ways to approach it.

All this factors on your goals, of course. Do you want more internal space (i.e. basement use) or do you want more yard space?  Rental income? Downsize and live permanently in the ADU and rent out the main house?

There are other types of Detached Accessory Structures: Guest Suites or Home Studios, for example and though they look and feel like ADUs, they are easier and faster to build and permit. The key difference is they can only have one sink. So let’s keep this discussion to simply ADUs.

 

What are the rules?

A detached ADU cannot exceed 20 feet in height. Coverage of the ADU can’t exceed that of the primary residence. The ADU is not permitted to occupy more than 15% of the site’s total area. The unit must either be set back 40 feet from the front of the lot line or behind the rear wall of the main residence.

In Portland, an Accessory Dwelling Unit is defined, technically, as “any smaller, secondary dwelling unit which can be legally added either on the same lot or within a house, attached house or manufactured home in residential zones”.  Legally, an ADU is part of the same property as the main home. It’s not (typically) bought or sold separately.

Permitting and What To Expect, Depending On Use:

For long term rentals, Portland currently has a program that waives the extensive building permits associated with building some ADUs. Portland has some clauses that help with building ADUs for long-term rentals as well.

That said, as far as Short Term rentals (STRs), most homeowners go the Airbnb route. Portland is among the stricter cities when it comes to short-term Airbnb rules and regulations.

But for all ADU structures, you’ll need to get a permit from Portland’s Central Planning Bureau, which can honestly be a bit of a pain. You’ll also need to get the permit approved by Portland City Council and then you’ll usually need approval from the Zoning Administrator as well. The process can take days or months, depending on how busy they are.

Most proper1es in Portland are able to accommodate an ADU. Please note that there are requirements for open space – you’ll need to leave an area that is 250 sqH and 12’ x 12’ minimum and you can’t have it in the front yard. Tree protec1on and setbacks also influence where your ADU can be placed. Additionally your ADU must be at least 40’ behind the front property line or behind the rear wall of the exis1ng house. So, best to get some help. But who? Finding the intersection of affordability with quality and sustainability is key in hiring your project partners. Who to start a conversation with for Design/Build? Or maybe look into prefab units like those offered by Cover?

Design & Build? Or maybe just fix up/convert? Consider a consultation with The Portland area best:

  1. Mark Allen with Peg Construction
  2. SQFT Studios
  3. Living Room Realty FIXERS – Maybe your space is ready to go outside of some repairs/renovations – maybe just need to add an egress or little kitchen area? LRR Fixer crew are masters.

What style? Here’s some of the usual suspects:

  • Apartment over garage
  • Garage conversion
  • Back yard cottage
  • Granny flats
  • Mother in law quarters
  • Prefab detached unit

Investment: Ballpark costs to build

For a detached Portland ADU new build, all in with permits and build is roughly $150 a square foot (builders general cost), or assuming about 200-250k minimum from scratch; 150K for a minimum viable type deal for a smaller budget.

Figure out financing – there are tons of options, and Portland’s got some of the sharpest loan professionals around who specialize in ADU and can customize your loan options accordingly. Check out the ones we love the most, and their favorite products:

  1. James Adair, Neo Loans
  2. Craft3 Loans Craft3 is enthusiastic about the many benefits of ADUs. They offer hard-to-find financing, with two affordable and convenient ADU loans, providing options for investing in your property and your community. Both loans are available in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties, Oregon.
  3. Your existing resource – credit union, lender you’re working with, or just simply have a conversation with me – I’m no lender, but I specialize in connecting the right people to find the perfect match in products and expertise.

Return: Estimating the ROI on your proposed ADU project. How much money can this generate monthly?

ADUs are an ideal source of passive income, and they keep getting more lucrative. A detached ADU adds the most value to your property; next in value is an ADU attached to the main house.

An ADU converted from existing space within the primary house, like a master bedroom suite, attic, or basement, adds the least value to your property, but it still adds value.

Let’s look at how an ADU can generate passive income, save you money, increase your personal options, and maximize your property’s value both now and in the future.

To get a sense of the income an ADU in your area could generate, research local rents on rentcafe, craigslist, AirBNB, or vrbo. ADUs offer more privacy than apartments, and many have their own outdoor areas, which makes them more appealing to a lot of tenants.

And finally, ask yourself – do you need professional property management services or go it on your own?

Maybe just a conversation with someone who’s doing this now? It’s exciting to hear both the ups and downs. Or maybe you’re thinking you might want to sell your current place or rent it out? Find an ADU of your own? I’d love to talk to you about all aspects of this, so give me a call, I’ve got experience on all sides of this fascinating, very sweet way of living now, being creative and practical. Looking forward to hearing from you!

 

 

 

 

 

Parents Invest in Portland Home for Kids

I love working with investors, but this family was just the sweetest! My clients, Pat and Mike, decided to buy a home for their adult children to rent back from them. Pat and Mike, live in Colorado, but their son and daughter live and work here in Portland.

Siblings Sam and Cara, with Dudley the pup in front of their family’s new investment property where they’ll be living.

The Plan

Cara and Sam, “the kids”, met with me in our Alberta Office to talk about what the family’s plan was. The kids would be touring the homes with me and identifying the best ones. They would ast as the “eyes” for their parents, Pat and Mike, who would be purchasing the house. The would buy the house as an investment property and rent it back to the kids.

The House

The type of home the family was looking for has some divided space. The kids are grown, with their own lives, and needed a home where they could have their own spaces. Because of this, we looked at homes where there were bedrooms and living room areas on different levels. Some of these homes had a separate apartment, some had a finished basement, and a few just had unique layouts that provided the separation they were looking for.

The house they bought was perfectly divided. The main floor had two bedrooms, one of which had been opened up to the living room. The basement was finished with a bedroom, bathroom, and living area with wet bar. You could also access the stairs to the basement from the back door, allowing the downstairs extra privacy.

Why It Works

This plan works out great for this family. The parents found a great investment property in a growing area (Foster-Powell). They could expect their home to appreciate over time, gaining equity. The kids found a house they could live in together, with their own spaces. The family would also be securing the kids a place to live where their rent wouldn’t go up while rental prices increase throughout the city.

Is an investment or rental property right for your family?

There are so many ways families can help each other with housing, while also making a smart investment. Parents buying homes for kids in college to rent, or siblings buying duplexes, single people buying houses with an ADU to rent in the backyard, etc… If you’re like Pat and Mike, and want to invest in Portland real estate, give me a call! I can help you identify a great place that will meet your family’s needs too.

Congrats Pat, Mike, Sam and Cara on the new house!
(Oh congrats to Dudley, the handsomest chocolate lab/most fun roommate, too!)