If a property appears neglected or vacant as @Ned Carey predicted, I check an online tax lien site, the auditors' site to estimate how much equity they may have, the scheduled sheriff sales site where the plaintiff is a clue to which are probably tax lien sales, and the Clerk of Courts which shows other foreclosure actions, judgments, etc.

So I have been finishing up this excellent book on behavioural economics called 'Predictably Irrational' and I highly recommend it if you haven't read it yet as I believe it to have excellent application to investors!

This is why I want to re-invest a good chunk of my profits to build something that is a lot more stable and predictable.

After our predicted 60 day hold (close to close) they wanted $110,000 back.  

In our last exchange, I believe you had established the Vendor's rosy prediction of a 17% return was based upon leverage - a 20% down payment and 80% mortgage financing.

Hi All,What websites/resources do other BPer's use when forecasting, predicting, and researching current market trends in the area.  

Just knowing the ups and downs is good for the short term, but learning what they look for to predict trends is much better.

Noone can predict quality of tenants though, just screen and do the best you can correct?

If it meets your criteria, go forward with putting forth the effort to get the deal done.Models are just that, models, and they can't always predict the actual outcome. 

A lot of people commented about the benefits of CF over equity and while one member mentioned both- yes, I try to buy at a good price when possible, usually in areas I expect will appreciate, BUT those things are harder to predict and depend on the market more than CF IMO.A 15 year loan might make more sense if you buy 1 house- but if you are trying to build a portfolio, it absolutely does not.