With patience and a solid plan, you’ll be on your way to building a successful portfolio.Good luck!

Is this place rundown and a fixer upper? 

I think I may have just answered my own question, but is it worth it to put only 10% down, and waiting for the equity to build to 20% in like a year and a half, or to bend over backwards, take out a loan and go in with 20% from the start?

Did you end up using them - talking to them right now - and a little nervous to pay the engagement fee.

In those markets sales are perking up now when inventory gets listed and as I said stays consistent to the end of OCT or so.. 

There is no real reason to use illegals, there's just no real benefit to it and a lot of downside.

Hopefully they will get caught and never steal peoples money againHi Sandy,I’m out $20K+ because of them, and as a self-employed single Mum of two teenaged girls, this is a huge blow.

And folks that need to do that dont have the capacity to deal with a loan that has been called and a seller that is madder than a wet hornet if you goof up their credit.Then the other major issue glossed over by everyone is there is a minute amount of sellers that will even entertain these transactions and most of the time your paying a premium for the asset.

I'm an Asheville STR owner and a broker on the Cashiers/Highlands Plateau.

@Jonathan Blanco, I'm and investor and a licensed mortgage broker so I've been on both sides of this conversation.I would look for a lender that (1) listens to you and understands your strategy and needs (hint: it's not always money), (2) has experience working with clients executing your strategy and brings more to the table than just cash - be it advice, relationships, deal-team partners, etc., (3) gives you viable options and explains the pros and cons of each option and (4) you enjoy interacting with - this should be a relationship, not a transaction.Once you find a few lenders like this (and you should have relationships with more than one), then you can start comparing rates and fees.