Getting investor loans done with conventional lenders is tough and will get tougher.Local indy banks as you say are a great alternative. they are called portfolio lenders and they can help because they do not sell their loans to Freddie and Fannie.These small banks and credit unions don't work with brokers so brokers are not your best bet here.If you go to my blog (in my sig) there's a link there to my Portfolio Loan Blueprint that will help.

I try to stay clear of the blogs and the radicals, although some would say that is what the mainstream press has become.

I get distracted by family and the media.I need to be reminded of my mission and why I play the REI Game to WIN, not to just dabble and waste time.So, I get my coffee, check my email, prioritize my urgent tasks, THENI read this:http://biggerpockets.com/blogs/3/blog_posts/tagged?

I love the strategy of matching REO's with Lease Purchase...one of the best combined strategies for our current market conditions.I have recently wrote a few things on the lease option at my blog because the strategy is working so well right now!

Here are some of Rich's posts on income tax reduction:http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/51/topics/36477-if-you-don-t-get-all-warm-and-fuzzy-when-you-pay-income-taxes-http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/575/blog_posts/2452-decrease-your-income-taxes-with-these-hintshttp://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/51/topics/37738-4th-obstacle-to-creating-real-wealth

"That is why, Dan's guest blog goes a long way toward helping us all find what thus far seems to be that very distant light at the end of the tunnel."

I am just wondering why I can't create a blog..

I can probably think of hundreds of more suggestions (and many are on my blog), but you get the idea...

Here is a link to one of the article:http://www.foreclosuredataonline.com/blog/foreclosure-scams/bankruptcy-foreclosure-scams/

Also, for those who are aware of purchasing property through your retirement accounts (this could be a seperate blog) what a nice option, to be able to buy a discounted piece of real estate with your IRA and having control of it instead of having your money tied into a mutual fund, which you have little control.With this all said, what is your opinion?