I’ve been involved in real estate investing for over 30 years, so if you ever have any questions or need guidance, feel free to reach out.

My name is Nico Banuelos, and I've been actively involved in real estate since 2021.

Now more than ever, I am seeing offers required to be submitted through a portal where the listing agents want no business being involved with up front negotiations.

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.

In that case, you’d typically need to file a legal challenge, which could involve going to court and showing that the restriction is unnecessary or unreasonable.The best advice I can give would be to consult a real estate attorney to understand your specific situation and options.

With online access to almost every jurisdictions property recordings, lenders today use software that automatically searches property transfers for transfers involving their loans.  

The single biggest issue in my way currently is obtaining enough cash, whether it be my own, or through partnerships or family/friend-based lending (which I am very hesitant about to begin with as this could potentially strain relationships unnecessarily when money is involved).

While I can't prove this definitively, the posting behavior strongly suggests this isn't coming from a typical satisfied customer.What's interesting is how this latest post is carefully crafted to rank well in Google searches for people who are searching for education on land investing.

Worked out nicely for all involved. 

We both knew we were aligned in our goals and had a clear understanding of our respective roles in the deal from the outset.If seller financing is part of the equation, look for someone who’s not only experienced with creative financing but also understands how to manage the potential risks involved.