I think you're fundamentally correct, Jim, but John has a point.

My suggestion is to make sure the appraiser you use takes into consideration the fundamentals of the property (ie. location, improvements etc) and the replacement cost versus relying solely on the market sales.

Books to start off with...Any Real Estate books by Wade Cook... they are very fundamental in nature...Creating Wealth by Robert Allen..Also, several friends of mine have some great books...Bronchick on flipping real estate, Mike Butler on Landlording...

But fundamentally, yes, its just that easy.

But with markets dropping sharply in the last year, many investors have called on the SEC to reinstate the rule, among other things charging that its absence has allowed short sellers to coordinate “attacks†on certain stocks, particularly financial stocks, possibly driving down their share prices beyond levels warranted by a company’s fundamental earnings and operations.

The key idea here is you want to find out the fundamental value of a home.

Deal SelectionFundamentals, Fundamentals, Fundamentals.

I just fundamentally don't believe in graduated income tax - you shouldn't be punished for earning more!

It is out there, but the real estate fundamentals must be right and your credit score makes a big difference.Commercial financing can be more challenging and seems to be more individually oriented and of course the project numbers must support the deal.Terms, rates and conditions seem to vary greatly.The experience has been good because now I have a good idea were to go when financing my next deal.

I have been in real estate for many years and understand the fundamentals.