Realtors on both end want to see some skin in the game, thus earnest money deposit.

If the bank feels that neither party (builder or investor) has enough skin in the game, they will tend to require that at least one party puts down cash.

You need to have want is commonly called “skin in the game” which means a combination of cash, equity, out-picket expenses already spent on the project, joint venture partner, cross collateral-able property etc typically equaling 20% of the loan size lent.

Now I have purchased a house by the skin of my teeth, and for more details about that if someone out there wants to personally write me and maybe school me Id appreciate it very much!

get comfortable in your own skin first...how?

I skinned my knees quite a bit on the first one, i.e. the electrical infrastructure was 50 amp and not 200 amp that is needed today.

Unfortunately, it's a rehash and I think it's irritating as heck to have agents hawking shop worn properties and "new listings" .

Check with your local state laws on this, as I'm not an attorney, but that's my understanding of Indiana's state laws.I'll repeat that I did not want to get my license at first and was irritated about having to do so.

many mortgage bankers follow specific guidelines in order to sell their notes, like right away.if you decide to use Hard Money - you'll have much more flexibility in terms of being able to put less down, invest in different types of properties and present your investment strategy, rather than just the property itself.what i'm saying here is, if you buy a house and use Wells Fargo - they're not going to be concerned with something like the ARV (after repair value), whereas a HML might loan you money based on that - which grealy enhances your investment options.i know that doesn't make sense right now, but with a little research - you can come to understand the old saying:there's more than one way to skin a cat...being new, just be very cautious what you get yourself involved with.

However its still really hard for us newbie investors with no proven track record to get a bank large or small to give us a loan on an investment with none of our own "skin in the game" so to speak.