I think beginning veteran real estate investors should focus on finding a mentor that has demonstrated success in real estate investing rather than trying to learn from a veteran only forum.  

The VA will require you to demonstrate employment.

All I have to demonstrate income or assets are tax returns and bank statements.

The more you mix the types the harder it is to use past history to demonstrate intent.  

The fee that they are paid, is in most cases already negotiated by the selling agent at the time of the listing.Here is an example using one of my actual transactions to demonstrate one of the ways that I can get paid as an agent.

As to you worth in taking care of the finances....well, that really depends on your expertise and you have already demonstrated that by asking the question.

I think they can demonstrate hardship without missing payments. 2.

Demonstrating and emphasizing the common sense nature of your loan goes a long way when lenders are analyzing a deal that may be slightly outside of their comfort zone.Thanks,Sean

I interviewed him last week and he seems to pass the eyeball test (25+ years of experience, demonstrated good working knowledge of construction and permitting, seems to have solid trades working for him, etc), but then told me that the 90k he quoted me did not include "fixtures" or appliances.  

Of course the fact that deals for flips are hard to find demonstrates that it is a strong market for homeowner buyers too.