Alot of people prefer to use a facility that has an onsite office simply for the perception that it is more secure.  

But jeopardizing your own life and assets to save the cost of setting up an LLC  in this litigious society that we live in is foolish.Have a Great DayDerek Dombeck

It's a taboo in our society to talk about money and that is bad for business because it creates guilt leverage (like you experienced) and asymmetric information which always causes inequity. seems like you got to learn a bunch, and it only cost you a little money.

Broadly for me/us I'd just say that our perception of where the market/economy is headed just informs more of a general intuitive appetite for using leverage.My view is that uncertainty in future market outlook (perhaps forecasted by leading indicators) mainly drives price volatility, and perhaps increases risk of lenders 'calling' revolving credit lines to meet their own liquidity needs.The more 'bad' the indicators are, the more chance that we perceive our lenders possibly wanting to 'call' revolving lines of credit, is the way I think about it.  

If so… have I got a story for you ;)David, I think a lot of people who are not making a large income and do not have adequate savings are persuaded that they can get into real estate and, if they follow other people's best practices and "do things right," nothing really ugly, filthy, nasty, and disgusting will happen to them.In my experience, and the experience of many others, this is not true.I am NOT saying that real estate is not an effective way to change your financial status and climb the economic ladder of American society.

@Chris SchoonhovenIt is a common and mistaken perception that self-directed IRA custodians provide compliance oversight.  

Hi, very perceptive Mitch!

My perception (probably misguided) is that a lot of Baltimore is war-zone like parts of DC...

Fraternal Benefit Societies 3.

Cheers...We may agree more than disagree, the fact that an RE broker/agent already knows a buyer doesn't change his position of introducing the buyer and seller, he still acts in a brokerage capacity, so does the wholesaler doing the exact same thing, just with different documents.I agree too that the agent has a different responsibility, netting a profit as a wholesaler does can be a net listing, illegal in most states and consider except CA, where disclosures are used, which doesn't change the nature of the flavor in my mind, but whatever.Fact is too, that not all commodities are treated equally, in business aspects, some commodities are considered more valued to society, to our national economy, that have implications reaching further than just between a buyer and a seller.