For example, significant damage done by tenants in excess of the security deposit (often thousands of dollars), is an expense that may only occur once in a many years.

We could:1) Cash out our $3,000 index fund and $1,000 in individual stocks, taking a loss (this loss won't help us with taxes, our income is so low we get everything back anyways), and scrounge up loose change for the rest.2) Ask our bank to lower the interest rate on our debit card credit line (currently 9.75%), extend our credit from $1,000 to $5,000 and live off credit this summer until we can take out more student loans in the fall.

I'm guessing this leasing tact is the developer activity you mention.Sorry, I'm not familiar with condo. prices in the area, but it should go without saying that the housing market here is as bad as elsewhere -- and layoffs at the major employers (Micron and HP) are bringing more homes to the market.I realize my interest in this is entirely different from those of you that have invested in this project, and might loose large sums of money -- I'm deeply sympathetic.

Unfortunately, if you have to shoot someone, the criminal will not only have holes in him, he'll be covered with lipstick, loose change, fingernail files, and whatever else women carry in their purses these days!!!

I don't know if you're a buy and hold or flipper, but if you're buy and hold I can tell you that last time (in Houston) the big decline in rents TRAILED the decline in prices by a few years.Those rents STAYED DOWN as a lot of the excess inventory was snapped up by BUY AND HOLD investors who then NEEDED to keep those units rented.

If they allowed the assumption, they would benefit by keeping good performing loans versus loosing them if I have to refinance.

Last year, for instance, I was unexpectedly confronted by a loose pit bull who wanted a serious piece of me before I dashed inside and called the doggie police.

so loosing that 3-5k, along with the upfront money on points.... guess thats just the cost of doing business :lol:

So unless its a listing that is exclusive to our office, I tend to limit my time (somewhat) with buyers who are interested in a property that is multi-listed, since there is the risk I may loose the sale to a competitor.

From the sellers perspective - loosing a buyer is much worse than a smaller sales price.