And if you are new the entire process, it will be even tougher to it pull off without the help of a Realtor.If you are a rehabber, the commission for the agent (that will ultimately sell the house) should be counted in the figures the day you buy the house.

I found this thread out there a little.I don't see people making more money in less time lazy through systems and processes.While those processes shouldn't define a person they are important to have in place and constantly be refining.Re-inventing the wheel every time is asking for lost time and additional work that is not needed.To the original poster it is YOUR MONEY.Take what everyone says with a grain of salt.Then determine what you would feel comfortable doing because if it goes South you wouldn't be losing their money.I look at this the same way conducting business as a commercial broker.If someone calls me up and is looking for a one in a thousand property I am sure it can be done.How long and how much time to get there is debatable.I don't personally base business models on long shots.I want to know when I put time in that my chances of getting a return are very high.It seems like this flipping business is getting tougher and tougher.I have been having many investors from across the country telling me that flips are getting to be more competitive and dried up.The volume is going down and they are tired of dealing with home buyers.They are looking for commercial properties to move to a different niche of investing.I can tell you I wouldn't want to hold SFR house rentals as an exit if it doesn't sell.I do find it interesting to hear what different residential flippers are doing on deals though.

Here's what it will provide you:- You'll put 150 hours into it, so it will be a lot tougher for you to get discouraged at any point and quit real estate;- It will give you a new opportunity for income (being a buyer/listing agent).

You're probably going to have to put some of your own money into the deal, too. 100% is tougher to get than it used to be.

Low end units are MUCH tougher though, and it generally takes longer to process their apps.

With an owner occupied home, you have more variables, so its tougher to quantify.Your comps are way to wide a range to be meaningful.

That's tougher to sort out.

Further still, It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain credit, with jumbo loans( >$400k, I believe) even tougher to come by.

It is of my opinion that the credit market on the personal side for real estate mortgages are much tougher to obtain and have lower %LTV, especially for non-owner occupied property than the commercial lending market.

The reason for that statement is that you are in the same area where some of the best rehabbers in the country operate and I know you can pick up some of the tricks they are using to secure properties just from networking at that REIA.It is definitely not like 2004-2006, but there is still a lot going on and even though it is tougher here in Tennessee, there is still a lot of opportunity and a lot going on.Best of luck,Chris