Starting in some niche is being a technician on one machine you'll never be an engineer to devise your own deals out of different situations unless you know the basics.Then, you'll be able to vet any mentor, you'll know if they know what they are talking about or if they are snake oil sales types with strategies and programs that are designed to separate you from your money. :)

My mentor / business partner who is showing me the ropes in RE is starting his own property management business after being in the real estate game for 13 years.He is offering me a job in said property management business as an on-call maintenance person, and also said he can pay me to do yellow letters for him (I currently send out a lot of them for my own investing purposes).He said he can either pay me for each letter, or a 10-15% commission on income from any leads I generate (so if I land him a property that he makes $150/mo on, I would make $15-$22.50/mo on each property. 20 properties = $300-$450 / mo total).Either way, he will pay for all the material and postage- so I'll just be taking care of the rest (printing, packing, sending).

I'll be honest, I am a little nervous about doing that first sfh deal and I think that's mostly because once I do that it's no longer just talk and numbers ... now i'm in the game and have the responsibilities to sink or swim.

They may require more skin in the game and will probably critique any potential deal extra closely but you will probably be able to find one.

Im concerned they might get jammed up in post office sorting machines, due to edges catching and ripping or whatever because I didnt seal them shut, but just tucked closed again.

Generally being on the cutting edge of fraud games down here, scumbags haven't tried to in these situations, they just rent them out.

Again, welcome aboard.Things might be slow today a good number are going to watch the game.

1st rule of any lender, skin in the game. no insured lender will give you a loan at really any LTV with none of your money in the mix.Consider a Sub-to transaction. :)

Now as to my second question, would splitting the investment between spouses with no attempt to hide the relationship, be viewed as unethical or just playing the game with the rules set by the lender.

In lending or the paper game, always understand your collateral. :)