All Forum Posts by: John Robertson

I hate to say it but most likely not. Especially in LA.

Off the top of my head, I would suggest looking into government down payment assistance.

Secondly, if you have some knowledge in fixing up a house, you could buy a fixer-upper at a discount.

Even if you get down payment assistance on a fixer-upper, you'll probably still spend thousands monthly on payments.

Here's a rent v. buy calculator, this assumes you have money to put down:

http://www.mortgage-calc.com/mortgage/rentvsbuy.php

hahaha, excellent!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NvZS3ajugo

That's one of my favorite moments, too bad the recording quality isn't higher. Like one of the video's commenters, I also wonder if it was staged.

edit: hm... just read the forum rules, is this an acceptable use of a url in a post?

Lifelock is a service that protects your identity and is backed with a $1M guarantee. They seem real solid but I've never "needed" them, thank God. That could be a good starting point but maybe someone in here knows of a service better suited for a RE investor.

There's some interesting stuff out there-- my partner is set up with a company that gives you 100% commission. They have access to a LOT of banks (I can't remember how many at the moment, but more than 40). They only take a fee (I think $1500) for doing a loan. No office, telemarketing, anything, he just does loans in his own time with this company. The guy that runs it is real solid too.

There are so programs out there if you're interested in going that way. It's a good way to go if you have a strong network.

haha, and another thing... hang up immediately if you reach India, you won't get anywhere!

I like mnmoney's approach. I was doing something very similar. You want to get both packets out immediately because they move slower than you'd ever believe.

Great read, thank you!

Please continue to keep us updated, I'm very interested reflections on this matter by the seasoned pros!

Definitely let us know what happens.

I'm with willtagr and would never recommend divorcing the love of your life. You vowed to be with her for better or worse. There's something important there. I would never leave my wife to advance my career.

There are a lot of investment techniques (double-closing, assignment of contract, bird-dogging, etc.) that allow you to get into investment without putting your money and credit at chance. They may not be as lucrative but they provide great ways to get into investing with minimal risk.

That's the angle I'd take, let her know that it's an interest/passion that could afford you both a better lifestyle, a nest for your (future) children, an opportunity to see the world, etc. If you can start without any risk, why not?

Wow, wish I could be facing this decision right now. If this is your primary residence I would strongly consider paying it off. It would be a great safety net. If you don't have a mortgage or rent, that $683/mo. would take care of groceries real well and you could do a lot more with your other income.

It's my $.02, I'm curious to see what the more experienced folks have to say.

Most of them will have contact info for the club president. Calling them up on the phone and seeing what they're all about will tell you a lot. Ask about their deals and the partner companies to the club.

I'm sort of disenchanted with my local club. It's the "best" club around but it seems like most speakers are just offering sales pitches. It's been enough to inspire me to start my own, but I need to be a lot more legit first :D