Don't know, but milk has tracked gas since the 50's.As the retail chain of distribution uses several gas/oil-driven vehicles, it's not hard to see that OIL is a dominant player in West Coast prices.

Those are the players in this space. 

I will however, have a healthy equity position in the house.I want to continue doing deals, and right now the goal is to do flips, so that I can bank roll profits until I get enough to become a cash leverage player, rather than relying solely on financing through banks and HMLs.So to simplify, If I Buy and Hold this house, will I likely see my credit score decrease? 

If someone comes to me, I'll send them your way.If you need help in your search or want to verify something don't hesitate to ask.For example: I have clients worldwide and things are just as easy as I e-mail them, talking on the phone.

Get to know some of the players in your market and I'm sure you'll get some insight as to where to find local deals.Best of luck to you!

2) Is crowdfunding more of a grass roots movement, or are there larger real estate players using this method to raise capital for the real estate ventures?

totally different.and its just the cost of doing business. since I spend not one dime on marketing but I spent it on getting my money guys to PDX  LOL.. but I have not done that since 04.one occasion I flew them up and we bought a big mansion from a B ball player that went broke put it all together and sold it and made 1.5 million on it in one year..

As to gurus, my dad recently told me that if he could attend some clinic and learn or see something different (actually, marching into different formations can be rather complex moving 120 players around) that it was worth the price of the book or clinic and they were not cheap.Good ideas are valuable, so long as they can be replicated by others, are compliant and fit into ethical business practices.

They KNOW I am a serious buyer and not a game player.

When I contacted them to pick a provider, they ALL gave much more personalized attention than the 'big players' I reached out to.