Cooperative Lease Options vs. Sandwich Lease Options
Cooperative vs. Sandwich Lease Option
First it is important to understand the definition of both a cooperative lease option and a sandwich lease option.
A cooperative lease option is another way to say a wholesale lease option. I call it a cooperative lease option because the seller and buyer need to "cooperate" to make the deal work.
In a cooperative lease option the seller sells their home to you, the investor, on a lease option and then you flip or wholesale the deal to an end tenant buyer for a fee, usually the option fee. In a cooperative lease option you are selling the lease option contract and not the property (technically). It is just like any wholesale deal where an investor flips the paper or contract to another person for a fee. In a cooperative lease option you are done once the contract is assigned to another buyer, unlike the sandwich lease option where you stay in the deal until the very end.
A sandwich lease option happens when you lease option a home from a seller and then sublet the home to another person on a lease option for a higher price, monthly payment and option fee.
You stay in the middle of the deal, therefore the name sandwich lease option. In a sandwich lease option you do sell the real estate (not the contract like in a cooperative lease option) to an end tenant buyer.
Situations and Types of Sellers for :
Cooperative Lease Option or a Sandwich Lease Option
There are basically three types of sellers you will encounter as you try to find your Cooperative Lease Option or Sandwich Lease Option deals, no matter whether it is a homeowner or an investor selling, no matter how motivated they are, and no matter where in the country they are located. These three types of sellers are:
- Sellers who are upside down
- Sellers who are break even
- Sellers who have equity in their home
Let’s take a look at each and see how you might be able to put together a cooperative lease option or sandwich lease option deal and how to Protect Yourself in each of these situations.
Sellers Who are Upside Down - NOT good for either a Cooperative Lease Option or a Sandwich Lease Option
Unfortunately, it seems that there are many sellers in today’s market that are upside down. If a seller owes more on their home than it’s worth, they are upside down. Their home is not worth what they owe on it.
As a Cooperative Lease Option or Sandwich Lease Option (or Subject To) real estate investor there is very little you can do for someone who is upside down, or there is little you “should” do for this type of seller. No matter how moving their story, no matter how desperate their situation and no matter how motivated they are as a seller, this is not a position you will want to be in for either a cooperative lease option or a sandwich lease option.
The absolute best way to protect yourself is to not do the deal with a lease option or subject to.
This situation is ONLY good if you want to do a short-sale with their lender or have the seller pay down their mortgage balance (assuming they can). There may be the very rare occasion when you find a seller that can cover enough equity difference and subsidize monthly payments to actually make the numbers work, but these instances are so rare that I’m not going to waste time here chasing pipe dreams.
This is a great time to say “NEXT” if you are looking for little or no money down deals - like sandwich lease options or cooperative lease options allow for.
Sellers Who are Break Even or Have Little Equity - Good for a Cooperative Lease Option
Sellers who are break-even have been sellers I have in the past said to walk away from for a Lease Option. Not anymore! Can you do Lease Option deals with these sellers? YES! There is a new strategy I am using and it is growing like wild fire. It is called a Cooperative Lease Option.
The average break-even seller is going to be someone you can’t help for a Sandwich Lease Option, BUT they might be a perfect candidate for a Cooperative Lease Option. Let’s define both of these types of Lease Options.
A Sandwich Lease Option - is when you purchase a property from an owner on a lease with an option to buy. You then find a buyer who will buy from you on a lease with an option to buy. You are in the middle, hence why it is called a Sandwich Lease Option.
When are these good?
When the seller has equity and will allow you to get part or all of it over time with your lease option terms. This is what I call my “Big” Money Strategy.
A Cooperative Lease Option – is when you purchase the property from the owner on a lease with and option to buy. You then find a buyer who will pay you to step in your shoes. This is a wholesale deal. You sell your contract to a buyer. It is called a Cooperative Lease Option (aka Wholesale Lease Option) because both the buyer and the seller are “cooperating” with you and know exactly what is going on. They know you are selling the contract (deal) to a buyer – it is usually for the option fee. How much? Usually around 3% of the purchase price can be negotiated. Example: The price of the home is $100,000 – you would get approximately $3,000.
When are these good? When your seller doesn’t have much equity for you as an investor to get. This is what I call my “Small” Money Strategy.
How many more deals can you do now with a Cooperative Lease Option that you might have walked away from before? Would earning $3,000 - $10,000 per deal excite you? What if you could do most of this from the Internet? One of my students lives in India. He does Cooperative Lease Options in the Chicago area. It is all done on the Internet and he does 5+ deals each month. What would that mean to you and your family?
Sellers Who Have Equity - Good for either a Cooperative Lease Option or a Sandwich Lease Option
Sellers who have equity in their homes are in the best category for putting together your Lease Option deals (whether it be a cooperative lease option or a sandwich lease option), however, when you find someone who has equity in their home and is willing to do a Lease Option deal you mustn’t throw caution to the wind.
How many more deals can you do now with a Cooperative Lease Option that you might have walked away from before?
You still want to evaluate the deal. When they have more equity though, you are more likely to receive option credits each month. Option credits give you equity each month from the rental payment you are making. If you purchase the home for $200,000 and each month you are paying $1,000 in rental payments to the seller, ask the seller for $1,000 a month credit towards the purchase price. For example: after one month you owe $199,000, after two months you owe $198,000, etc. You are getting the entire monthly rental payment credited towards the purchase price.
This works well with sellers who have equity. Make sure you don’t get them upside down (with their equity) by doing this. For instance, if they owe $185,000 and you do this deal for 20 months, you would owe $180,000 ($200,000 - $20,000 = $180,000). Be careful, if you get them upside down they might not want to, or might not be able to, close on the property when you are ready. Will all sellers give you 100% credit for your payments? No, of course not, but will some? Yes, some will. If not, negotiate something less than 100% credit. No matter what you negotiate it is part of your profit for later. There are many other things you can negotiate also with a seller when doing a Sandwich Lease Option.
How many people own their home free and clear?
In the U.S., more than 30% own their homes free and clear. How about the sellers with equity, but not free and clear, plus the ones that are at a break-even point? Add these all together and you will find a very good percentage of home owners are candidates for one of these lease options strategies.
Is it all “doom and gloom” in the market? Heck NO! I live in Detroit and the cooperative lease option deals are everywhere. You just have to know how to find them. Learning when to apply each type of option strategy is the key. Learning when to walk away is another key.
Are you wanting to earn and extra $5000 - $10,000 in the next 29 days? Try a cooperative lease option - check out my Cooperative Lease Option webinar at: Cooperative Webinar Replayor a broader lease option webinar covering both cooperative lease options and sandwich lease options at Lease Option Webinar Replay
Enjoy Lease Options!
By: Wendy Patton
Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved.
December 29th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Wendy,
Thanks very much for sharing and making your outstanding knowledge and skills in Real Estate opportunites availabe in a clear format. What are your usual fees?
Mary Rogers
January 5th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Hi Wendy:
Thanks so much for all the great, free info you are putting out on your blog for us newbies.
Question, have you updated your Cooperative Lease Option course or are you planning to in the near future?
January 12th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Hello Wendy, I really appreciate you taking the time to share this outstanding information with me. I will see you soon.
January 13th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Very interesting, glad I finally had a chance to sit down and read this. I must admit before I read this, I did not know what a cooperative lease option was. Once I get enough practice with this technique, it can become part of my arsenal of techniques for investing. I really appreciate the great info and look forward to hearing more. As always you are very informative. Thanks, Harold
January 22nd, 2011 at 9:27 am
[...] never know if anyone will be able to buy or not on an option but if you are talking about a Sandwich Lease Option then you are in the middle. This means they are somewhat “sheltered” from the tenant [...]
January 25th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
[...] seller until you find someone to rent from you. Also, if you are really afraid consider doing the cooperative lease option and wholesale it before you do a sandwich lease option. This way you can flip it quickly for [...]
January 26th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
[...] price and never own it or take title. No management either. Definitely read the article on cooperative vs. sandwich lease options. When you are doing sandwich lease options, you should be close by when you are starting as you [...]
January 31st, 2011 at 10:26 pm
[...] the Realtor in this situation. How have you approached this situation before or do you even attempt cooperative lease options with sellers that are already listed with a [...]
February 1st, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Hi Wendy!
Love your help and info!
Are you familiar with Phil Grove and his recently released MAPS program -- Mortgage Assignment... He claims that this will allow someone to capture those who are also upside down in their home, but assign the mortgage to a "buyer" for an assignment fee... Do you see this as a good partnership tool in addition to the cooperative lease / sandwich lease?
THANKS!
Lamar!
February 6th, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Lamar, I just wrote a blog about this entire idea. Please review and see what you think
March 2nd, 2011 at 10:37 am
Read my blog on this program and my thoughts
August 29th, 2011 at 8:33 am
[...] consider a Cooperative Lease Option vs a Sandwich Lease Option if you are not sure you want to deal with anything down the road. 4. What do you mean when you say [...]
August 29th, 2011 at 8:35 am
This means that if you are not sure you want to be involved at all past the initial deal then flip it with a cooperative - then you are done. If you want to stay involved (because it makes financial sense to do so) then do a sandwich lease option.
August 29th, 2011 at 9:11 am
[...] Question: How do I know which one I should be doing? A Cooperative Option / Wholesale Option vs. Sandwich Lease Option? [...]
August 29th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
[...] A Cooperative Lease option? [...]
August 30th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
[...] it be a good idea to try the Cooperative Lease Option in a different state since i live in NY and the prices for houses tend to be a bit higher. Single [...]
September 27th, 2011 at 12:41 am
How do you know how much equity they have in the property? also after you agree on price, where do you go, the court house, the title company, sorry if i sound stupid but never bought a house this way. In your books, Wendy, does your books provide sample contracts(cooperative and/or sandwich lease option contracts?
October 5th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Whats Included on the "Cooperative Lease Option (aka Wholesale Lease Option)" training the contracts or just the training for the $29,00 training manuel.
October 8th, 2011 at 10:25 am
It is training for 6 weeks - very good deal for $29. You won't be disappointed but no it does not include contacts. If you don't feel after 2 sessions that it is worth far more, please contact my office for a full refund.
November 1st, 2011 at 9:05 am
There are several ways to find out how much equity a person has in their home -
1) Ask them (when it is the right time)
2) Ask for a payoff from them or mortgage statement
3) Get title insurance or a title search (but make sure it includes a payoff)
Once you agree on the price yes you can get the title work done a the court house in all most all states. Learn how to do this if you never have. It is a good thing to understand.
My contracts are not in my books, but some of my favorite clauses are - If you want the best most solid contracts for lease options - check out my lease option bookstore:
http://www.wendypatton.com/store/products
You will find there my book on Investing in Real Estate with Lease Options and Subject Tos and all of my real estate courses - which include the contracts and step by step instructions
on how to fill them out. If you REALLY want help and to take this to another level you will want to watch my video on lease options - http://www.wendypatton.com/wendyreplay
or order direct from http://www.wendypatton.com/wendy - here you will find a sweet deal that is NOT in my lease option bookstore. Enjoy since you wrote and interacted on my blog.
Others feel free to write on my blog or ask questions - also feel free to "Like" my posts for your FaceBook Friends. The more you respond the more I will write.
November 8th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Dear Wendy,
I very much enjoy learning your material. I have one pressing question.
My business partner and I are studying working with Realtors for leads (Although I know their are many other ways to get them.) I understand you teach offering them full commission, but some SLO teachers teach offering them a good chunk of your option money, which would equal out to be about seller side commission.
Is their a way to pay them off, and do the negotiating yourself?
In addition, I wonder why it wouldn't make sense to pay them a 1000 dollar commission(referral) in a buyers market, when their listing is completely dead anyway?
I believe in paying your team well, I would like to know how to be able to pay for the lead, and do the negotiating myself.
I look forward to your response, Thank you.
_Ellie
November 13th, 2011 at 8:40 am
Ellie,
It will depend on the real estate agent if you can "pay them off" or not. Certainly try if you think that will work out - I only pay 1% in a buyers market and they get the rest at the closing.
Can you pay them $1000 instead? Try it. See how things work out for you that way, but remember you want lots of leads and not just one from that Realtor. What will keep them motivated? $1000 (split with
their broker and the IRS) or their full commission (even if over time)?
Also you can still negotiate with the seller if the agent will allow that type of meeting. Some will, and some won't.
Wendy
February 29th, 2012 at 3:25 pm
Wendy, you're a licensed Real Estate Broker. Why wouldn't you just list the house and sell it? You'd still make 3%. This seems like a decent strategy for unlicensed investors but it seems like a whole lot of legal risk for an agent - with no net gain.
March 29th, 2012 at 9:22 pm
yes you can but if you are smart you will list it for 6% - 3 when you find a buyer and 3 when it closes