The only reason I keep my mortgage and one card and pay it off each month is so that we can play the credit score game.Now if your going to tell everyone that you have to have a credit score to get a mortgage that is incorrect, you can get an mortgage company that does manual underwriting where they look at your w2's and your rental history and base it off of that.I'd rather not go through that process because I thinks it's easier with real estate investing to have a credit score because it opens up more avenues.

Brookline seems like it might be a good place to play the appreciation game if one already has tons of cash lying around.

Example all owners in the pooling of a plan can only have buildings made with brick that are under 20 years in age etc. and the wiring and plumbing has to be updated to be insured.Insurance companies play the percentages and know when a building is older and those items haven't been replaced that the claims will start rolling in to payout.

However, with that said, if you don't need cash flow, but can play the waiting game, you can buy now and expect some appreciation in the next few years providing a return.

This has hurt my income in appraising because I always underestimated my work capacity because I don't want to miss deadlines... then I find myself with alot of downtime and well as the saying goes "idle time is the devil's play thing."

Hi Mary, I'm in Clarkston too and own rentals.I have this same mistake in play, the offer contract is in my name.

But I hear from a lot of "successful" investors that you need to be making offers daily, you know "play the numbers game", and not see the house until an offer has been accepted.....

Okay, not everyone would, could, might go my route, the question was how do I play the game, I'd say shrudley and not to get sucked too far into claims of other offers having been made.

So if I were you I would plan for a minimum of $3,000 if you play the dates rifht and everything :)

And the retail space is excellently positioned with current retail rates running $1.15/sq.For me there are two exit strategies put under contract and flip to someone who is willing to play the waiting game for McD's to come around and buy them out, or purchase, rehab and rent.