These types of cracks should be repaired (anchors or kevlar strips) and the pressure issue should be alleviated;- Vertical cracks often indicate a shifting in the foundation, and depending on the cause of the shift and the severity, it may or may not need to be repaired;- The most common types of cracks in my experience are "step cracks" that follow a pattern from top to bottom that look like stairs (over one cinderblock, down one cinderblock, over, down, etc).

the above posts are spot on...it's all about fear...like marc, i was in college, and figured, what the hell...if i lose everything i could always go back to bartending...luckily i haven't had to yet, but i would if i had to..used to meet a lot of cute girls that way :wink: i guess it gets harder as you age, get married, have children and need more financial security..i could live on 500 bucks a month if i had to, so that helped alleviate some fears as well

There are techniques to alleviate these fears.

Unlike the "kickbacks" that are ultimately borne by the borrower or home owner, which RESPA seeks to alleviate, fees that can't possibly increase the price or fees to the end user would not seem to be covered?

When flipping you liquidate the property which alleviates yiur debt burden, but doing many homes at onces may cause a banker to be skeptical.

I believe a pro membership would be worth it if it could help alleviate the burdens typical of traditional underwriting practices.

Some of this can be alleviated by putting a clause in the contract stating that all units will be professionally cleaned upon move out, like they were prior to the tenant moving in.

Bryan -I completely agree with you...Historically speaking, taxes are very low right now (the lowest in 60 years according to the Tax Policy Center), and while they'll probably increase a bit over the next couple years, they will continue to be low relative to recent levels of taxation in this country.All that said, reducing Federal income tax at the lower end of the income spectrum would hopefully alleviate some of the pressure middle class folks are having making ends meet and ensuring their families have the basic necessities -- a good thing in my book...

Coming in with some of your own cash might alleviate the seller's worries that you'll "walk" if things start to go south after you own it.

Also, you might want to think about doing more of the legwork yourself to alleviate the costs if you are going to be low balling.