FICOs below 620 have maximum DTI of 43% regardless of AUS approve/acceptMinimum of 2 trade lines are required No more than $1,000 in disputed collectionsMust be all on time payments in the past 12 months of mortgage historyNo more than $2,000 in collections ........

I also spent time figuring unit costs for materials and scope of work for the different trades. 

Partial exchanges are done all the time, but you must understand the tax consequences before proceeding. 

@Glenn Mayo I think what you may be referring to is that some old (and recycled) guru advice was to purchase low interest performing notes at a large discount, and use them to trade for real property getting credit for the note not at what you paid for it, nor at the fair market value, but at the face value of the principal.  

Some localities can have tax consequences.

It was either that or the military or a trade school.

I graduated in construction's trades program in 2000. used to work for a construction company for many years. so I knew that I would eventually be buying houses to flip, or sell.

I'm a technical trader and simply use charts for trading.

The standard is that you have held the property for productive use in business, trade, or for investment.  

I went to trade school and was very successful in my field but quickly found out Corporate America just wasn't for me.