Don’t avoid trust deed investing just because someone else told you it’s risky. These investments can offer you great benefits, if you can get past some common misconceptions. Learn about the process, the basic benefits and  some simple strategies to avoid risk. Come to your own conclusions about this type of investment so you don’t miss out on this opportunity.

You may be wondering how this process works. The simplest way to explain deed of trust investments is an individual borrower approaches trust deed broker, and you as an individual investor,  fund the loan. As the borrower pays down their loan, you receive regular payments in the form of interest.

In the case of Arizona trust deed investing, you receive the benefit of regular fixed interest payments from the borrower

After the promissory note a.k.a. The trust deed is filed you the investor receive monthly interest payments as the loan is paid down.  When the investment comes to term, you are usually paid the full amount of the remaining principle, along with any remaining interest payments.

This type of investment allows you to earn a steady stream of contractually obligated income, with little to no effort on your part. All you need to do is fund the loan and usually your broker can take care of the rest.

However, this may seem risky, and you may be wondering ‘why don’t these trust deed borrowers go to regular banks?’

Frequently traditional banks refuse to underwrite the types of deals that trust deeds secure.  Not because of inherent risk, but because of bank bureaucracy.

Don’t just assume trust deed investing in Arizona is dangerous because these borrowers cant qualify for conventional financing.

Some borrowers need the flexibility offered by trust deed brokers. Most banks refuse to lend to midsize commercial developers, on account of their ‘checkbox mentality.’ If a borrower’s project doesn’t meet a traditional lender’s stringent criteria, their application gets denied, no matter how strong the borrowers financial standing. So not every deed of trust investment is inherently risky.

However, as with any investment, there is some risk involved.  A reputable broker should offer you the specific details of your investment. They should provide you with documents detailing the project type, the property, and the specific terms of the loan. Above all your broker should provide you with a clear outline of the borrowers exit strategy.

The main thing you want to look into when it comes to these types of deals as the borrower’s exit strategy, or their plan to pay back their loan. If something doesn’t sit right with you, when it comes to the borrower’s exit strategy its in your best interest to avoid getting involved.

Nevertheless don’t neglect the benefits of trust deeds, these investments present you with the opportunity to invest in real-estate without the inconvenience of managing the property yourself. Don’t just assume because the borrower in this case can’t qualify for conventional financing that these deals are too risky. If you can be confident that an individual borrower can pay back the loan, trust deeds can be an excellent investment.

When it comes to trust deed investing in Arizona don’t be tempted by deals that offer the possible highest returns. You can risk less while still earning a steady return by going small, in terms of interest rate and total loan amount. Using this strategy you can avoid the main risk when it comes to this type of investment: bankruptcy and foreclosure.

While it might be tempting to invest in deeds of trust offering the highest returns (i.e., trust deeds charging borrowers the highest possible interest payments),  such investments are incredibly risky. One way to mitigate the risk of borrower default is to invest in smaller loans. The larger the loan, the larger the interest payments the borrower is obligated to make and the higher the chance of default.

Therefore, investing in smaller loans is always a good risk management strategy in the case of deeds of trust.

All this talk about default might make you wonder ‘why should I care if the borrower defaults? Cant I simply foreclose on the property and resell it for its fair market value?’

Not exactly.

Going small with Arizona Trust Deed Investing can help you avoid the risk of bankruptcy

Promised returns are not actual returns when it comes to investments.

So while a deed of trust may promise a greater return because it charges borrowers a higher interest rate, in most cases you may never actually achieve any return on these “high-yield” investments.

Even though trust deeds have fewer regulations, foreclosure is never a clean cut process. If a borrower defaults bankruptcy is the likely outcome. The legal complications of the bankruptcy process will hinder your ability to repossess and resell the property.

While the court sits on its hands and various lawyers argue over the details of the borrower’s case, your loan is still in default.  So while the bankruptcy proceedings slowly make their way through the court, you as an investor, are getting nothing. You cant foreclose, repossess or resell the property until the bankruptcy goes through and your deed of trust is essentially becomes a worthless piece of paper.

Even after borrowers bankruptcy clears the courts, and you manage to foreclose, you are not out of the woods yet.

With trust deed investing, going small helps you avoid the risk of foreclosure

In almost all cases foreclosure on deeds of trust results in a loss.  Foreclosed properties are rarely sold for their full market value because buyers always expect steep discounts. 

Unlike you, an individual private investor, banks (the ones who most often carry out foreclosures) are under heavy regulatory pressure to quickly offload foreclosed properties.  Due to this fact there is a prevailing assumption on the part of buyers that any foreclosed property should sell at a steep discount. Therefore, it’s basically impossible to get full resale value on a foreclosed property.

So with deeds of trust, you never want your borrower to default. Bankruptcy part of the borrower means you will make no return on your investment as the bankruptcy proceedings make their way through the courts. Foreclosure in almost all cases will result in a substantial loss.