Really we are expecting for about 25K but trying to be ultra conservative for our first property.

My personal favorites involve ultra secret, invitation only, trade platforms where you can invest money and receive 10X the amount back in 30 days.

Structure it so that it's for the same amount, that way you're comparing apples to apples Hope this helps, good luck I love CU's and use them myself but they are ultra slow so its probably not good to plan on a quick closing with limited contingencies or trying to be more aggressive with your closing terms.

Seems like financing is very tight right now, and banks are being ultra-cautious.

KW boasts that they don't wast time doing direct mail, flyers, etc. but rather focus on lead gen,  any idea what that actually entails?  

 $1000 is nothing in the big scheme of things, and an eviction would cost you much more.It is recommended you don't take security deposits in Chicago, due to the ultra tenant / lawyer friendly laws.  

Some ultra high net worth investors will float hundreds of millions in a portfolio in the 3's for rate.

The book mentions that if you are an ultra hyper growth company you may be able to move people through positions in 6-9 months and if you are just fast growth then 12-14 months.

There are more and more gimmicks being offered by developers such as guaranteed rents for 2 years, and boasting ROI's of 12%+.  

The broker/agent is NOT required to submit offers to the note holder.The broker/agent is only required to submit to the seller.The broker/agent can then advise the seller of whether the offer has merit and is worth submit to the bank for a chance at an approval.Brokers/agents doing short sales for awhile know what numbers banks are wanting to hit.If the offer or terms are so off the mark then the broker/agent will advise the seller to counter back the offer at terms the senior note holder will likely accept.For REO brokers the banks are repeat clients.For unproven investors you are trying to get a one off transaction at an ultra low price to start your investing career and build cash.So the REO brokers care about the banks their cleints much more than you "getting a steal".