It is unfortunate to hear about unpleasant experiences with other brokers.

So, I'm trying to figure out how I can take a self-study crash course on mortgages and finance principles before the instructor assumes everyone in the class already knows the basics :oops: .

The horrifying implication is that what you will spend the majority of your life doing—working; is too unpleasant to be discussed, or is so meaningless that it’s not worthy of excitement.

When I first moved to Texas back in the 80's the reason I moved here was because It was suffering from a horrific real estate crash.

So I have decided to put my explanations down in print for anyone who is interested (it also beats having to explain it over and over again...haha).First of all, let me make a couple of things VERY clear: 1) This will be a "crash course" in how to read and analyze comparable sales data (comps.) and will only cover a very basic knowledge of the concept.

HOWDY YALLGarGus it sounds like the Austin area is making a good comeback or at least the start of one.I remember when I took my ABR over there everyone was dealing with contract wars and then the high tech crash came.BCS is still riding the wave and building is going on everywhere.Especially in the commercial arena.Land has gone up steadily which has escalated prices but this area is still undervalued compared to most of the places folks are coming from.It is common to see people buying with a good chunk left over from their out of state sales proceeds.Investors in rental properties are not as happy as they once were as the escalated prices are making it hard to get a good return without putting more in.The junker market has alot of inventory for those that rehab.Some Ive seen as low as 22000.The lots are usually good size.(10000 sq ft and bigger).Locations most of the time are iffy.High end rehabs are coming into the picture more now.Wealthy College kids live in and trash expensive homes that their folks buy and then wind up selling them cheap to cut their losses.Ilove this country.Well im off to NYC for 2 weeks of R&R with the family.Hope yall write a bunch of clean deals while I'm gone.Adios.Jennysh thanks for the website on your condo hotel its a beauty!

You think the economy is in the dumps, so sit back and wait for prices to crash :)

I remember reading in someone (maybe Groucho Marx's) autobiography, about getting stock tips from a shoeshine boy and an elevator operator prior to the 1929 stock market crash.

It isn't that the market has real ups and downs, it is that individual properties have extreme ups due to mortgage fraud and then they crash.

If the market crashes again, you will see it at the time and then you may think about hedge if you can't sell.