We look at lenders (so long as they lend in the asset class you are considering) as an additional line of due diligence (they deeply care about their money and they are likely more sophisticated than you are).

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

I already put in $60k down payment on 2 cheap Class C properties Midwest (Indiana) in 2023 - if I had to do it over I wouldn't have bought them.

We are looking into getting a fixer upper and plan to rent out our original residence ( Zillow says we can get $2700 median rent in our area ) while moving and fixing up the new house.

One of my close friends in the busines had a similar setup.. her husband was also a contractor, and together they tackled a fixer-upper that ended up netting them a solid profit on their first deal.When you’re hunting for the right property, I’d lean on a realtor who really understands investor math... someone who’ll help you break down potential cash flow or resale value.

@Matthew C. several thoughts:1) Appears you have a Class C or D property. -- Thus, you can expect to get Class C or D tenants, which have a 15-25% probability of defaulting on their lease payments.2) If your PMC is lowering FICO to 550, what are they doing to improve their screening in other areas?

That would almost always be from the same lender who has a 1st AND 2nd on the property and they are just fed up with the owner and are taking the opportunity to get out of a bad situation entirely.Sorry, it's complex enough that it isn't a 15 minute class.

You will hear about west side vs east side, while what is told is true, what is not mentioned is lower class areas are block by block. 

Skipping Toy Shop SchoolTo open a shop, you need to learn the rules, take a class, pass a test, and even keep learning as new toy trends pop up.

I'd talk to brokers in your specific asset class and market.Do you already own similar assets?