Mortgage Note Buyers: Are They Really Helping You Get The Most Money For Selling Your Mortgage Note?

All mortgage note holders want to know more about selling their mortgage note. Don't you? Well, the popular way to get a lump sum of cash for your future payments is by using a mortgage note buyer. But beware! Most people don't realize they have different creative options when using a contract buyer that can keep them from getting the most money for their owner-financed mortgage note.

It may seem scary or challenging, but truly it is not, unless you do not know the answer to this question.

Can I receive cash now and still hold part of the note? In other words, do I have to sell all of my note at once?

At first glance, this may seem obvious that this is the best choice because it will get you the most money up front. For some people, it is. When it comes down to it, it is up to you and your needs. If you need or want a large all cash payment and want to be out of the deal, rid of headaches and worries of a default buyer, avoid destruction of property, taxes and insurance, and would like a larger sum of money now instead of collecting small monthly checks, then a full sale is best.

But let's take a look at some more needs. If you are just looking to get a larger down or some money to take care of some immediate needs or pleasures, then a partial payment may be better. Maybe you just want to lessen the amount of strain or burden of carrying the note and would like to sell just a portion of each monthly payment. Then a split payment option will be better for you. (This way you can go on vacation, consolidate bills, buy a new car...)

What is a partial? A partial is the purchase of a portion of an income streams remaining payments, or a purchase of a portion of a specific payment, or any combination thereof.

There are many times when this may make sense. Let's say that you have a new note and it has not been seasoned (length of time that a note has been in place and paid on), it has little or no down payment, and has poor credit by the payer. In this case, it would be better to sell only part of the future payments. It will get you more money in the long run because the mortgage note buyer would have less risk should the buyer default on the note. Then after the note has experienced seasoning you could sale the rest of the payments at a much higher percentage.

Let's look at an example of this:
Sales price: $100,000
Down payment: $5,000
Original note balance: $95,000
Payers credit: poor
Seasoning: 1 month
Appraised property value: $100,000
Term: 360 months
Interest: 10%
Remaining payments: 359

This is a low quality note because the buyer is not putting much money down, the pay back period is very long, and the buyer's credit is bad. But you could still make out like a bandit by selling it as a partial. Let's say you sold the first 120 payments (10 years) for $51,000. After the 120th payment, the contract would be returned back to you. The balance owed to you would be $86,391.12. You would then start to collect the payments from then on. Let's see how this looks.

Sales price: $100,000
Down payment: $5,000
Original note balance: $95,000
Contract written for 30 years @ 10%
Monthly payment: $833.69
Note buyer purchases first 120 payments for: $51,000
Total cash to home seller $56,000
(down payment + cash from note buyer)
After 120 payments contract is returned to you with a balance of $86,391.12

Total money to you: $142,391.12 (including interest). Not shabby for a house that sold for $100,000.

So, what is a Split?

A split is a purchase of a specified monthly amount. If you're getting to the point where you would like to enjoy some of the finer things in life, while still receiving a good monthly income, then a split payment is a great choice for you.

For example, if the monthly payment on a seller-financed note is $1,000, we could purchase $200, $500, $750, etc. of the monthly payment. This will allow you to get cash now and then still collect a monthly income from the note.

All in all, each situation is different and may need to be tailored differently to meet your needs. I can't say exactly what you will get for your individual situation, but I can say that you should walk away happy. Selling your mortgage note should be much easier and more profitable now that you are armed with some creative options.