We paid for the house like it was a single family home, and stashed the rental income away in a separate account.

Most notably, NCNDs are broker joker BS and no experienced note investor is going to bother with that crap.  

But I don't know if it's pride on my part, I try to take a "stance of power" anytime I deal with these jokers nowI don't even want to tell them "I'll hear them" or "I'll try to work with them" and get taken advantage of again....I'm more inclined to say, "the sheriff will be seeing you and we're going to court, if you want to work it out to dismiss you can call me"Let me know your thoughts...

NOW, if its your life savings and money you will rely for an immediate big purchase or you tap into that cash-stash then finance it. 

Some will be joker brokers, some will be legit.  

The goal is to live from the cash flow of the properties while trying to stay employed, and stashing as much cash as I can into retirement plans before I hit retirement age.  

Two, maybe three possibilities:1) you sent $1500 to one of these scam/joker broker "lenders".  

One, you can't contact them until you own the notes, two, they are in deep dodo with the bank and will likely owe a lot of money and years of not paying, as well as possibly years of back taxes, three, many sellers of notes do not you spreading them all over the place, making you a joker broker.

I've got a little money stashed away.

I have some money stashed away to finance a deal, but not nearly enough to make up a 20% down payment on the type of house I'd like to move into in the city I am looking in.