At this juncture in the cycle, if your market is still bottomed, it's not a cyclical bottom - it is death spiral.I think you need to buy the agent dinner, and ask questions for about two hours.

I had dinner with a gentleman that is mentoring me in my REI efforts.

You can get a good idea whom your comfortable with by simply spending a few hours with a potential borrower driving around looking at their properties and perhaps going to lunch or dinner once or twice.

I look forward to connecting with, and networking with all of you, in the near future we should arrange to meet at dinner to discuss constructive ideas.  

I would offer to meet this man between here and there and buy him dinner.

We had a hour long discussion at my home over dinner last night!

Yes it's an extra expense but it also provides value to me, much like a nicer dinner out or a vacation.  

I’d been planning on using the delayed financing exemption, even had the luxury of taking Alexander Felice (BP Podcast 301) out to dinner/brain-pick while he was living here in Las Vegas, he’s a great dude & very helpful!

Our meetings start at 6pm for dinner and networking time, with the speaker portion of the meeting at 7pm.  

@John Hodson  I always use 50% as James stated if you do better go buy yourself a nice dinner.. but your not dissapointed or shocked if you set your margins so tight and you don't hit them.There is only so much that can be done ... at the end of the day a poor tenant can throw those numbers right out the window.My current portfolio ( and am liquidating all my holdings currently) has 7 A class SFR's left.