Beginning Basic Questions and General Help.

[Ray Thompson]

Apologies ahead of time for what might be a lengthy post and to the moderators if I've put this thread in the wrong place.

Okay, so, I've done the introductory "Here I Am" welcome post and felt the noobie love from you all. I've lurked, followed and searched for the answers to my questions because it's my responsibility to do so before asking the board, right? My ego would have me believe that, at 57, I not really "new" at anything, I've been around long enough and have seen enough to at least be able to figure out some of this stuff. Well, let me tell you that's a dangerous attitude for those of you that haven't gone there yet. I've learned that you can't save your face and your *** at the same time, so I'm done saving face. At the risk of sounding elementary, I'm asking what I really need to now.

I've come to believe that BP is THE place for REIs and no one else is better equipped to help us than us, so here goes:

1. Just what, exactly, will a real estate attorney do for me? Will he, or she, do the actual drafting of the contracts( Wholesale, purchase agreement, etc.) and documents I'll need? What else should I need from an attorney?

2. Do I need a relationship with both and attorney and a Title Officer?

3.How do I solve the dead ends at the Tax Assessor's Office that I've run into trying to locate absentee owners? What recourse can I take?

4.Do I need a CPA and a separate tax accountant?

5. In my area General Contractors are in high demand. In building that relationship, what should I be looking for?

6. Ideally, what should my realtor be doing for me? I know the relationship is a two-way street and they can ask the same of me. But aside from MLS listings, is there anything else?

More will be revealed as this process unfolds I'm sure. I don't expect to be where a seasoned investor is overnight. I understand that we bring different skillsets to the table and maybe my learning curve will be a little sharper than others, but I expect to be able to get this to some degree at some point.

Thanks for your continued patience with me on my quest to save my ***, time and money.

Much love.