Its been four months I wanted a property.  I've been looking at all the listing sites, criagslist, talking to people, and calling agents, and never did I really see a great deal.

I can't get any financing. I have no income.  But I have a little cash, and I'm trying to buy something that way.  And really the only place I can buy a house with my money is Philadelphia.  

I've been looking there.  My family doesn't approve--they say I'm gonna lose all my money but they never were positive towards my ideas so I try to pay no mind.

Today I drove to Philadelphia, after arranging to see 4 duplexes.  Well, 1 was a house in west philly, near the zoo, where a guy was supposed to meet me.  And the other 3 were duplexes where no one answered the phone.  But I was still going to look in the windows and pull on the front door.

Before meeting Jonathan at Germantown and Greene, I passed a porch--a young lad sitting beside a middle aged man.  "Hello, there," I called.  They nodded.  "Well, I'm here to buy a house," I said to them, and pretty much everybody else that I encountered that day.

And it worked!  By mentioning real estate to about 20 people, I actually had interested conversations with 10 and exchanged numbers with 5.  "Let me get your card," A few of them said.   

But I had no card!  I really wish I had a card.  So there is lesson number one. 

1.  Spend a few dollars purchasing cheap business cards.  They only need your name, phone, email, lic# and brokerage if appropriate.

We went through the house on Greene.  It had a living room, kitchen, 1 bath, family room and bedroom on the first floor.  2 full bedrooms, 1 small, and 1 and a half baths on second floor.  The flat roof was leaking, there was a black, sinking spot in the corner of one of the upper bedrooms. 

"3 thousand to fix the roof," Jonathan said.

"are they gonna put the white stuff on? Isn't that the good stuff?"  I asked

"Well, its all about how they do it.  The method, you see...

We looked through the whole house. The heater was gone.  "Yes you need a new heater," Jonathan said

"Probably about 7-10 grand," I asked.

"Yes about 6."  

It looked good.  The asking price was 55 thousand; when I asked about any wiggle room, Jonathan said,"Given the nature of the demand for the property, if you do not accept it at 55 thousand, I will have to show it to another investor who will.  You are the first person I have shown it to...

"Well, I guess it's on me to decide, huh?" I said.

His friend, whose name I've forgotten, was standing in the room silently studying us.  

"How much money do I need to put down to secure the property?" I asked.

"We can do it with a handshake," Jonathan said.  

We shook hands....