Our economy is very strong and it certainly differs a bit from what its doing in the states.

Strong preference for properties that are close to the light rail expansion projects that are currently being finalized in Houston.Hopefully the properties are cash flow positive, but I am willing to go underwater since I am expecting at least 10% annual appreciation over 5 years.Close in properties are very difficult to find (and lock).

I would strongly recommend the insurance for a touchy, tempermantal purchase like this because it seems to have paid for itself for me.

I was thinking, do a market analysis for the area, finding several comps and getting a strong idea of what the house will sell for ARV, and find out the average time it takes for a home to sell in the specific area.

And other things such as: Is you credit strong, how are your reserves, are the reserves seasoned, do you hold assets, do you have any MTG lates in the last 18 Months, have you declared bankruptcy in the last two years, and anything else that may help!

So just have them do it for a small fee (like paying for the gas cost) so that you get strong numbers, I personally don't like going be the net when it comes to some things!

I know nothing about speculating on Jet fuel but I got into Internet marketing and have been lucky to find some really strong companies that have not only taken up the slack but created a substantial income.

That is all fine and dandy to me but after those two very strong points I would say it is not looking too good to me my friend!

I worked extensively with a big time REI guy here in Tucson and was very hot and heavy to buy my first home but have decided to hold off while the values keep slipping in our area.I still have a very strong interest in securing some properties domestically in the next year or two, specifically income producing properties.Beyond that I am always open to any extra streams of income (legitimate ones) so hopefully I can find some info here on markets I may not have investigated yet.

If their intent is to drop the ball on the contract to try to get a better price, it all depends on how strong your contract is.