I have my real estate license and am also an occupational therapist by trade- but truly I don't want to be in healthcare OR to help others to buy/sell- just want to get more properties under my own belt!

All contractors (no matter the trade) are businesses, and should be run as such.

I am newly married and have a hefty mortgage myself, but I manage to save a decent amount of money realistically 10-15k a year I have been working as a construction worker as long as I have been working I am a mason by trade and even though moneys tight I know I will be a successful investor even in the current market.

We had a couple companies come in and give wild quotes to rework our system, then found a guy who showed up with schematics and trade journal articles on our particular system, spent 2 hours educating us on it, then cost about $500 to go around and fix all the crappy work previous "contractors" did to the system to try "fixing" it. 

Investors should fully understand that Section 8 is not a cure-all for Class C & D tenant challenges, it's just trading one set of problems for another.We see too many investors not doing enough research to fully understand all this and making naïve investing decisions.

Tenants were ecstatic that I have been fixing things that were neglected for years and based on units in Clinton trading for about $200k a door, the property will likely appraise for 750k+ Lessons learned?

What is trading paper or contacts called?

Here are some general guidelines: Lien Position1st Position LienEquityMinimum Down Payment of 20-25% (a 30% equity to sale price is preferred)Down Payment made in certified funds and not borrowedMaximum Funding of 70% ITV (Investment to Value)SeasoningMinimum of two monthly payments already made12 months or more preferredPayer CreditCredit Score of 650 or higherNo major derogatory trade lines (No 90-180+ days delinquent, foreclosure, repossession, bankruptcy, etc.)No decline in credit since purchase of businessTermsPrefer 60 months or lessMaximum of 72 monthsNo Balloon Payment preferredCash FlowBusiness has positive cash flow1.25 debt service coverage ratio preferred.DocumentationPersonal guarantee from a creditworthy individualStandard documents including Note, Security Agreement, and UCC-1 filing.Tax Returns on the business that substantiate profit and loss statements.OtherPayment history current and verifiablePayer Interview indicating buyer is satisfied with business and comfortable making paymentsMotivation for selling the note is not a result of a deteriorating businessConsideration of high risk businesses or geographic areasIn these situations, sometimes a partial is a better option. 

If there is a repair needed I can either do it(some may not be as handy) or I can call a skilled trade guy.

Eric the big one for us is when trying to buy subdivision land.. and seller see's one acre being fold for 400k and they have 30 acres and now want 12 mil.. when in fact larger parcels for SFR are trading on the market at say 200k an acre.. they refuse to understand that it cost 50k or more per lot to get those lots buildable.. they just do the simple math and stick that price on them.