The law exists to protect the public from predatory behavior, not to prevent them from voicing their experience or opinion.The Virginia Supreme Court defines the "practice of law" as: One is deemed to be practicing law whenever.(1) One undertakes for compensation, direct or indirect, to advise another not his regular employer, in any matter involving the application of legal principles to facts or purposes or desires.(2) One, other than as a regular employee acting for his employer, undertakes, with or without compensation, to prepare for another legal instruments of any character, other than notices or contract incident to regular course of conducting a licensed business(3) One undertakes, with or without compensation, to represent the interest of another before [a tribunal, as hereinafter defined in UPC 1-1,] otherwise than in the presentation of facts, figures, or factual conclusions, as distinguished from legal conclusions, by an employee regularly Ö employed on a salary basis, or by one specially employed as an expert in respect to such facts and figures when such presentation by such employee or expert does not involve the examination of witnesses or preparation of pleadings.Virginia UPL Opinion 48. http://www.vsb.org/site/regulation/virginia-upl-opinion-48So, don't advise people on the law for money, don't prepare legal documents and don't attempt to represent people in courts or tribunals in Virginia without a license and you're not breaking any laws.Indeed, the very purpose of this community is to advise each other.

So, too, is creating something of value: a useful invention, a popular book, a musical recording, and so forth.Selling dreams works, also; though one is simply acting as a middleman peddling old truths wrapped in new words surrounded by breathless enthusiasm.

QCDs are probably the most misused instrument in real estate.

They do with it what any other investor does with any other financial instrument; either keep it for the cash flow it provides, or resell it for a profit on the spread.

IE represented the B ball player and us. had great reporte' with Wells.. who we cramed down.. we could not have done the deal without her help.fast forward.. we bought it for 1.7mil.. put 1.3 million in it.. and she sold it to a buyer she had in the wings for 5mil the day it hit the market.. . so for her she made 6 points on the 1.7 mil sale to us.. she was instrumental in working with our designer throughout the whole process.. and then we paid her 3 points to sell it to her buyer.. so on that one transaction she made about 550k.. in commissions. it was 12 months start to finish. 

After reading several books, and one (The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller) that has been instrumental in my thoughts,  I subscribe to what I now consider my #1 rule: you make your money when you buy.

The mortgage doc states that if the property is sold or transferred "without the lender's written consent, the lender may require immediate payment in full of all sums secured by this Security Instrument."

The downturn we just lived through in 2008 was brought about by the new financial instruments, namely mortgage backed securities, bad valuations, and excessive liquidity pumped into the market post 911.

It sounds like Steve misunderstands what gets record and what does not.Mortgages and Deeds of Trust (Security Instruments) are what is recorded.  

The key for me has always been to protect the investors capital by giving safe LTV's, proper paperwork, security instruments, insurance, and a solid performance history while always returning the principle and interest (even in the cases where a loss on the project happened).Many of my lenders today are a go on any project I do if they have the capital available simply because of my proven track record.