Once I have enough of a backing there, I decided to pursue real estate as these are notoriously illiquid and a lot more work.

@Fade AromolaranHate to burst your bubble but if you are soliciting to delinquent borrowers / preforeclosures in Maryland it is illegal.I recall @russell Brazil mention penalties are up to $5,000 per advertisement and 3 years in prison.

*The good and the bad  - good you get the freeze on taxes for 10 yrs, in baltimore city where taxes are notoriously high this can save you alot it also stays with the property so if you sell the new owner will continue with the benefit; good selling/marketing feature. 

It's obvious that wholesalers are notorious for deceit.

Meanwhile the big national lenders that over promise and under deliver are notorious and a smart listing agent will not accept an offer with them as the lender.

It comes with maximum penalties of 30 years in federal prison or $1 million in fines or both.

If find it odd that so many smart guys are in prison, what's that all about?

And just to be clear, this guy got in trouble again and they picked him up on  a Friday night him and his wife and put them in Jail in Mississippi.. he bailed out on a Monday and spent many thousands of dollars keeping himself from going to prison.. so if the authorities want to take you on.. they will win.

Incompetence, if your dealings are just a bit rough around the edges, you might get by, as they become more significant, the greater the likelihood you'll be held to some accounting, to the point of going to prison. 

In one of our door knocking, we found out that the owner was arrested and was in prison.