The Opportunity With Section 8 Rental Properties

TRANSCRIPT

 

Hi everyone, welcome to the Investing in Real Estate Show. This is your host, Lex Levinrad. On today's episode, I want to talk to you about the opportunities in today's market with rental properties. We have a very unique set of circumstances that have led us to where we are now.

The first thing we saw was the absolutely crazy increase in prices that happened after COVID, from 2020 to 2022. There was a huge jump—most areas increased at least 50%. In some areas, prices went up as much as 70%, 80%, even 100%.

With this huge price increase, it became nearly impossible to find cash flow. It just didn’t exist. But there was another thing that happened after COVID—a direct result of COVID—and that was the inflation effect.

The government pumped a lot of money into the economy with EIDL loans and PPP loans, and people were flush with cash. This is one of the reasons prices went up so much. And it wasn’t just real estate—everything went up. Even the prices of Rolex watches increased. There was simply too much money floating around in the system.

The net result of that was inflation, which we were all aware of. Suddenly, rents were going up, along with the price of food, gas, and everything else. The concept of rents going up is very important. Regular market rents increased quite a bit.

Looking at my own rentals, for example, a property that rented for $1,300 went to $1,475, then the following year to $1,550, and the next year to $1,675. That’s a significant increase.

I have a HUD Fair Market Rent tool on my website at www.lexlevinrad.com/hud. You can use it to see fair market rents. You simply select your state and city, and then you can view all the ZIP codes in that city. For example, if you’re in Florida, you could choose Broward County, then Fort Lauderdale, and then view the rents HUD pays for a three-bedroom in each ZIP code.

This tool works nationwide. One thing to note is that the number you see is the maximum amount, including utilities. If HUD lists the maximum at $2,100, my experience is that actual Section 8 rents end up around $1,900. I generally deduct $200–$250 from the HUD number to get a realistic rent amount.

Before buying a property, I recommend calling the housing authority in the area. If you’re thinking about renting a property with Section 8 in Deerfield Beach, Florida, for example, call the Deerfield Beach Housing Authority and say, “I’m a landlord with a three-bedroom, two-bathroom rental. What rent could I get for Section 8?” Even better, visit them in person. Many times, they have flyers or TV monitors showing current rental listings.

You must first understand what you can get for rent because cash flow is your top priority when buying rental properties.

Many people in real estate have heard the phrase “location, location, location.” I think this is often misleading. You can buy in the best location in the world—even Beverly Hills—but if you overpay or it doesn't have cash flow, you’ll lose money.

Yes, location is important, but if you had to choose between a great location with a bad return or a less desirable location with a strong return, I would choose the strong return. For example, I lived in Boca Raton, Florida, for 20 years. It’s an upscale, highly desirable area. If you’re buying for appreciation potential, that makes sense. But if you’re buying rentals, you’re not living in the property—your tenant is.

When you buy rentals, what matters most is how much rent you can get and whether it will cash flow.

Cash flow is rule number one. If you’re starting out, Section 8 is a good place to begin. I’m not saying you’ll stay there forever—eventually, you may want to own rentals in higher-quality neighborhoods with higher-quality tenants—but when starting, cash flow is key.

Areas with low prices and high rents give the best returns. A great place to start is by checking Section 8 rent amounts with the HUD tool at www.lexlevinrad.com/hud.

You enter your state, city, and ZIP code to see what HUD will pay for a three- or four-bedroom. That’s tool number one. Tool number two is price.

We currently have an unusual set of circumstances making rentals an especially good opportunity. First, real estate prices peaked in 2022. In Florida—especially the condo market—prices have since dropped significantly. In some areas, I’ve seen 30% declines from the peak.

Some markets, like Boca Raton, are holding strong, but others—Palm Bay, Kissimmee, and similar—have dropped more. It’s not just Florida. Markets like Houston, Las Vegas, and Phoenix have cooled considerably.

The second factor is how much rent you are getting. Section 8 rents are set by the government, and because of inflation, HUD’s rent amounts have increased dramatically. Properties renting for $1,500 two years ago may now rent for $2,000.

This means that while prices have come down, rents have gone up, creating cash flow opportunities.

For example, in Florida, a $200,000 ARV (after-repair value) house might rent for $2,000 on Section 8. That meets the “1% rule”—rent is 1% of purchase price. Traditionally, the rule of thumb was not to pay more than 100 times monthly rent.

If you buy at full retail price, put 25% down, and get a conventional mortgage, you might have cash flow. But I teach my students not to buy retail. Instead, I teach the Buy, Repair, Rent, Refinance (BRRR) method—buy at a discount, fix it up, rent it out, and refinance.

We typically buy at 50–60 cents on the dollar. For a $200,000 ARV house, that means paying around $100,000–$110,000. This is possible if you find motivated sellers—people in foreclosure, probate, tax delinquency, bad tenants, fire or flood damage, etc.

Once repaired and rented, you refinance at 75% of appraised value. If it appraises at $200,000, the bank will lend $150,000. If you bought and renovated for $150,000 total, you get your money back. If it appraises higher, you may even pull cash out.

The challenge for new investors is finding these discounted deals. That’s why I focus on teaching motivated seller marketing.

If you don’t have the cash to buy and repair, there are creative ways to raise it—private lenders, partners, 401(k) loans, home equity lines, even credit cards for materials. I often lend my coaching students money for their first deal if it’s a good one.

Your mindset is key. Many people think they can’t do it because they don’t have the cash. But with the right deal, money is not the problem—finding the deal is.

Now is a rare opportunity: prices are down, rents are up, and foreclosures, short sales, and bank-owned properties are increasing. With the BRRR method, you can buy with little or no money down, create equity, and generate monthly cash flow. 

We have the Buying Rentals and Building Wealth Boot Camp coming up next weekend. To learn more visit https://www.lexlevinrad.com/buying-rentals-building-wealth-boot-camp/ 

We have 3 preview tickets left for the Buying Rentals and Building Wealth Boot Camp. 

To grab one of those tickets call my office now at [phone]