time=1328029595#.TygfoABGxSE.facebookshows Phoenix +0.6 in home prices which makes sense as I've seen some difficulty lately in getting expected discounts and more competition.

If I ran a bank, I'd want skin in the game.

If a lender offers a deal where the borrower has little skin in the game or just "sweat equity" they are not giving you a loan, they are buying your project which likely you will be removed from shortly.

With the ever increasing fees, and the current financial difficulties, it seems almost impossible to maintain a timeshare.

Jon, competing with the govt is difficult. I

They all (in my experience) require the borrower to have some skin in the game.

The other thing you can ask for is a cosigner from someone with better credit.Usually they move on to another landlord with lower standards but I have people jump through my hoops and with the extra "skin in the game" they have been better than average tenants.

I have no idea the cost/difficulty of getting such a transition done, but at first glance it seems appealing.

Living in the Seattle area, I've had difficulty finding property that meets my investment criteria (for starters, good condition with good cashflows).

I understand wanting folks to have skin in the game, but I have never understood why folks with the capacity to do otherwise borrow hard money at 65% LTC.