WIIRE 019: Creative Financing Definitions & Examples with Amelia & Grace

Hello everyone, welcome back to the podcast. In this podcast episode, we're going to talk all about creative financing. Specifically, we will be breaking down the three main types of creative financing: seller financing, wrap mortgage (also called a wrap-around mortgage), and Sub2 mortgage. 

When you hear the words “creative financing”, you need to understand that is an umbrella term for seller finance, wrap mortgage, Sub2 finance, etc.; all of those terms are in the realm of creative financing. Many times people confuse seller financing (us included!) with these very specific, and different, types of financing. 
 

Seller Finance

Let’s first break down seller financing. Seller financing is when the seller lets a buyer buy them out over time, and the property has no debt on it. You can negotiate the terms to be exactly how you want and it can be much quicker to close, especially with rising interest rates, to benefit both you as the buyer and the seller. A seller finance deal has a purchase price, a down payment, a monthly payment, and a specific term length.
 

Wrap Mortgage

The second type of creative financing we’re going to discuss is a wrap mortgage or wrap-around mortgage. Think of a wrap mortgage as a seller finance deal, but with debt on the property. With the purchase of the property and you are taking your mortgage and wrapping it around the existing debt on the property. 

An example of this would be this: think of a property with a $95K mortgage on it. You come in and buy it for $105K, which wraps around the initial mortgage and whatever the difference between the mortgage debt, and the purchase price is the equity that the owner has. Just like a seller finance deal, a wrap mortgage has a purchase price, a down payment, a monthly payment, and a specific term length.

Sub2 Mortgage

The last type of creative finance we’re going to cover is the latest buzzword, Sub2. Sub2 is essentially the same thing as a wrap mortgage, except you're not giving the seller any equity. Also with a Sub2, you're not preparing any documents that show that you are owning the house, like you would with a mortgage. 

An example of a Sub2 would be if you are taking over someone’s house, it means that you are taking over the existing loan. Say the loan is for $95K, which is a $600 payment, you take it over at $95K. In the $600 payment, the seller basically gets to walk away with their hands clean. Maybe they had a super distressed property, maybe they moved out of the house three years ago and they've making been making two mortgage payments and they're just ready to be done. For whatever reason they're willing to let you take over their mortgage and just walk away. The difference is that you don't draw up a mortgage agreement stating who is purchasing the house from whom, for $X per month for X number of years. That document is what would protect the seller down the line if they decide to go get another house in terms of showing a DTI (debt to income ratio). With a Sub2, there is no seller protection and no mortgage documents outlining payment terms/schedules. 

To summarize…

• Creative financing is the umbrella term. 
• Seller finance is when a seller sells a debt-free property and the buyer pays them back over time. 
• A wrap mortgage is the same thing, however, there's an existing piece of debt that the buyer takes over and they pay it back over time. 
• Sub2 is the same thing as a wrap mortgage, except for there are no mortgage documents that protect the seller from DTI requirements. 

If you have any additional creative financing questions feel free to shoot us an email or DM us on Instagram.

Catch you in the next episode!

Resources:

• MTR Free Training
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