@Sandee SampsonA construction attorney would be who to contact but you are going to spend a lot more than $7000 in getting this resolved against a builder.Also let’s say you win, the courts could also say you didn’t pay for a retaining wall which is needed so it’s a betterment to the property so you would still need to pay for the wall and they would be responsible for some soil etc.

Also, I always keep a few generators handy—trust me, it’s saved me (and my tenants) a ton of headaches!

And of course, you don't pay interest on the money until you use it, so you do end up saving a lot of interest that way.

Frankly, I am trying to find ways to save money.  

Eliminate debt, establish a budget, and save.

Use your savings and equity to get the next one and keep this one. 100% agreed here. 

Of course the co-signer should be significantly stronger in ALL areas as compared to the applicant...usually this is a parent or relative, and they should be well established, with ownership of real estate for years; long and stable employment; no, or very distant, criminal and traffic court records; well funded SAVINGS/IRA's or stock market accounts.

@Sendil Thangavelu save yourself, from yourself and hire a PMC!

I think it would help as it would save consumers up front closing cost and a pretty significant amount of them..

But still, preparing maybe 10% of the property value saving for fixing and vacancy will be a good idea.