"Zero Down Real Estate Investing does NOT Require 100% Financing!"

Many self-proclaimed gurus will tell you the "secret" of zero down real estate investing...for a price! Well, I'm here to tell you that there is no secret.

The key is to secure an 80% LTV, 30-year fixed rate loan by financing the 20% down payment from a secondary source. Doing this will minimize your upfront out-of-pocket expense as well as your monthly mortgage payment (since you'll generally get the best rate, while at the same time avoiding PMI). Can you say: "best of both worlds"??

Ok, so you like the concept of no money down real estate. But how, you ask, can the down payment be funded with no out-of-pocket cash? Well, you have 4 primary options.

OPTION #1: GET A HELOC

If you've read other pages of this site, then you already know that I like leveraging built-up equity to enable zero down real estate investing. It's how I got started and heck, it worked for me!

A home equity line of credit (HELOC) puts a secondary lien on your home, and functions like a line of credit that you use checks to draw against on an as-needed basis. You'll have to apply for this as you would a regular mortgage, but assuming you have good credit, there are usually minimal-to-no fees or costs involved.

A HELOC is typically tied to the Prime Rate and periodically adjusts. Yes, on another page I described the evils of adjustable rate loans, but in this case since the adjustable piece is limited to the amount of the down payment, the risk is greatly reduced (said another way, I'd rather have 20% of the loan fluctuate than 80%).

Like I said, using a HELOC is the exact method I used to get started in this business. That first HELOC made no money down real estate a reality for me, and I have since obtained HELOC products on several of my rental properties to fund future acquisitions.

If you have any equity at all in some real estate, obtaining a HELOC is probably something you should do as soon as you can. Since you do not pay interest unless you tap the line of credit, you can simply hold the HELOC in preparation for your next acquisition, or as an emergency fund.

Now, one word of caution is that leveraging your own home can be risky if you aren't careful – yes, you really could lose your home! So, even though I am advocating this strategy to execute zero down real estate investing, doing so requires careful thought and is a highly personal decision.

That said, as long as you purchase rental properties at reasonable prices, with numbers that look good, and carefully inspect each purchase on the front end, you can manage and greatly reduce your risk.

OPTION #2: GET A PIGGYBACK LOAN

One high LTV option that avoids PMI is a "piggyback" loan. However, it's nearly impossible to find one of these in today's market. Click here for more detail.

OPTION #3: GET A LOAN AGAINST YOUR 401K

This option is somewhat risky, but can be effective in situations where you expect to refinance within a relatively short period of time. Click here for more detail.

OPTION #4: BORROW FROM A FRIEND OR RELATIVE

If you finance 80% of the purchase price, and borrow the other 20% from a friend, you've accomplished zero down real estate investing. You can do this by drafting a formal mortgage agreement between you and the other party. Or, you could arrange a profit-sharing agreement whereby the other party gets a cut of your monthly income and/or your post- sell profit.

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