If I could classify it as a purchase and not a cash advance, it would at least qualify me for the points, which would offset some of that 2-3% vendor fee, and get me to Diamond status at Hilton or Sheraton real quick.Is anyone doing this now?

They're not required to, their lawyers tell them not to, and they don't.)On the other hand, when you’ve got actual Picassos and Turners on your walls and ancestral diamonds and emeralds in your safe, your apartment can be a target for thieves.

The brand name is Diamond.

The median sales price is $292,500 — an increase of about 13 percent over the past year.South Austin is known for some of the city’s most iconic businesses, such as Broken Spoke, Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds and Maria’s Taco Express.Two other Austin neighborhoods are particularly popular.

Google Street View didn't show any signs of something that would be a huge difference between the two properties unless one has a diamond mine in the basement. 

That being said there are some diamonds in the rough who will take amazing care of you, and make your life ten times easier. 

If this truly is a diamond in the rough, go for it!

John, I'd recommend you attend one of your local real estate investment groups to make contacts, ask questions, and get pointers to local resources.I've been to both RI Real Estate Investor Group (http://www.rireig.com/) in Warwick RI and Black Diamond REI (http://www.blackdiamondrealestateinvestors.com/) in southern MA.Both are educational groups and don't subject you to sales pitches, which I have experienced in other groups over the years (none of which are still around, to my knowledge).And welcome to BP of course!

I also have realtors at my disposal that I have worked with in flips that seem to find me the diamonds in the rough..

This is my first property and over the course of roughly a year and a half I was there almost every day fixing/managing the property into a shiny diamond.