What Is Trust Deed Investing?

Investing in deeds of trust is a little known but very effective investment strategy for real estate investors. With high rates of return and real collateral, investing in trust deeds is an easy, and generally low risk way to earn money.

In the United States, there are two types of real estate transactions, true mortgages and deeds of trust sale. In a true mortgage sale, there are two parties involved, the bank or lender, and the borrower. The borrower is given the deed to the property he/she is purchasing and the lender has very little security or collateral. A second form of real estate investing is called trust deed investing. This type of investing differs from a true mortgage in that there are always three parties involved, the bank or lender, the borrower and a third party who is investing his/her personal capital in the deed of trust. For the savvy investor, investing in deeds of trust can be an opportunity to earn high interest rates with low investment risk.

Very few investors know about this investment opportunity related to investing in deeds of trust in real estate transactions. During trust deed investing, an investor acts as a third party during a home purchase transaction. The bank loans the money, the borrower purchases the property and repays the loan, and the investor, or trustee holds the deed to the property. The trustee holds the legal title to the property and the borrower holds the equitable title to the property. The trustee holds the deed as security to ensure the repayment of the debt to the lending bank and the bank pays the trustee interest for this service.

Trust deed investing boasts high rates of returns on investment and can fit almost any budget. An investor typically earns anywhere between 7% and 12% on trust deed investments. This is significantly more than any savings account and most stock options. In addition, investing in trust deeds is generally considered to be a fairly safe investment strategy because the investment is backed by actual real estate collateral. An investor can literally drive by and see his/her investment. The trustee can also help insure his/her investment in trust deeds by having property appraisals and working with a licensed broker for the transaction. Another way to secure the investment is to invest only in the first position in the deed of trust. The first position ensures that this trustee will be paid first in the event of a default.

Benefits of Trust Deed Investing For the Lender

As discussed above, in a true mortgage, the borrower holds the deed to the property. If the borrower defaults, this can become messy for the lender. Since the borrower holds the deed, the lender actually has to take judicial action against the borrower the borrower defaults. The lender sues the borrower for the deed to the property. As with any legal action, this takes time and costs money. There is also always the risk that the court will side with the borrower, leaving the lender with no recourse and a very large investment lost. Once the lender has the deed and legally owns the property, the lender sells it, usually for a loss, causing the lender to spend money twice. Once on the law suit, and once in the form of unloading a foreclosure property.

In a trust deed investment, the trustee holds the deed to the property. The trustee has invested a certain amount of money to hold the deed and the lender pays the trustee interest for this service. In the case of trust deed investing, if the borrower defaults on their loan, the trustee sells the property on behalf of the lender. The lender does not have to sue the borrower or wait for a judge to make decisions about who has the right to sell the property. There is also no risk that a judge could side with the borrower. The sale is generally quicker and results in a smaller net loss for the lender. After the sale, the trustee retains his/her initial investment as long as the property was not sold for a loss. The lender also gets their investment back.

Investing in deeds of trust is usually a win/win situation for the lender and trustee. The trustee earns interest while the lender protects their collateral.

If you are interested in learning more about trust deed investing, contact a local broker to find out different options in your state. A broker can help you navigate the trust deed world to find the right investment for your budget. A broker will also have a deeper understanding of specific laws and regulations in your state. Once you a ready to take the plunge, investing in trust deeds can be a very secure investment strategy to help grow your personal wealth.

Trust Deed Investing and You

Savvy investors can earn high returns with minimal risks by investing in deeds of trust. Before you take this next step in your investment portfolio, learn the basics of investing in trust deeds to determine if they are a good investment for you.

One little known but high return investment strategy called trust deed investing can be a crucial investment for experienced investors to grow their investment portfolio. Investing in deeds of trust is a specific type of real estate investment wherein the investor, or trustee, invests money as a third party in the mortgage process. The bank or lender loans money to the borrower, the borrower repays the money to the bank, and the trustee invests money directly to the lender in order to act a third party intermediary and hold the legal title to the borrower’s property. The lender then pays the trustee interest for holding the title. Interest rates a generally higher than most other investments at anywhere from 7 to 12 percent.

Not only does trust deed investing yield a high rate of return, it is also a rather low risk investment. The monetary investment is backed by the actual real estate purchased by the borrower. An accurate and thorough appraisal ensures that the property is actually worth the money that has been invested in it. If the borrower defaults the investor’s funds can be recovered by the sale of the property. In some cases, the investor can even take over payments from the borrower and acquire the property without an additional sale. This way there are no escrow fees, additional inspections, or closing costs.

Now that you know the benefits of investing in trust deeds, you are probably wondering how exactly it works and what your role as the investor is. As the investor, you invest money to hold the legal deed to the property. You do not live at the property nor do you have to maintain it, the borrower does this and he/she holds the equitable title to the property. If the borrower makes payments on time, all the trustee has to do is earn interest from the bank for the length of the investment term. Investment terms can cover anything from a few months to several years.

Dennis Dahlberg
Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC
Hard Money Lender
Hard Money Loans
Hard Money Loan
Arizona Tel: (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel: (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com
Dennis Dahlberg Broker/RI/CEO

NMLS 1057378 | AZMB 0923961 | MLO 1057378
22601 N 19th Ave Suite 112 | Phoenix | AZ | 85027
111 Congress Ave | Austin | Texas | 78701
About: Dennis has been working in the real estate industry in some capacity for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the amazing investment opportunities provided by trust deed investing and hard money loans. His desire to help others make money in real estate investing led him to specialize in alternative funding for real estate investors who may have trouble getting a traditional bank loan. Dennis is passionate about alternative funding sources and sharing his knowledge with others to help make their dreams come true. Dennis has been married to his wonderful wife for 43 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.
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