they just pre-approved me over the phone, which already has me skeptical, considering theyre the 6th or so private/hard lender i've talked to, the rest having turned me down. granted, i only am asking for pre-approval for an $80k purchase price, and they said they can approve me for the hard money short term loan, and then once a house is under contract and meets their purchase criteria, they can simultaneously approve me for a long term loan. i checked online and their reviews are pretty abysmal, but also, there are only a handful per year, and Yelp Syndrome is a thing: the majority of time no one will give a positive review when things go well, but if things go bad, people tend to leave scathing, emotional reviews. haha. which kind of seems to be the case. also, assuming they did even a hundred loans last year, or less than 10/mo, thats a 4% negative outcome. not a bad risk...what they're accusing z e u s of though (excessive undisclosed fees, mean/hateful management, etc) is pretty serious, and it would certainly defer from working with them if it was true. any help would be much appreciated. all the best, dan

Pay the student loans off as quickly as possible, then invest.The latter scenario will produce a greater return, not to mention the psychological/emotional value of being free from debt.Secondly, consider finding a new mentor.

Avoid interrupting or thinking about your response while they're speaking.Build your emotional intelligence - You need to understand your feelings, where you're getting off the rails, where it's sending you down a rabbit hole, versus what makes you excited and passionate.Develop a workplace communication strategy - Collaboration and teamwork are vital for success.

No emotion, no drama.  

A lot of people say to leave emotions out of financial decisions, however, in some cases it is good to tap into how you feel. 

Does the tenant call them pets, fowl, food or emotional support animals? 

What if you say no pet's and they say it's an emotional support horse, what can you do?

It also prevents one from participating in other deals, stalling any progress and emotionally draining the entrepreneur in you.

Great goals, I hope you achieve your goals as you plan, please don't get into a hurry and bite on the first "Great Deal" offered... your eagerness can cause your emotions to take charge rather than looking at the financials.

Nice job - the best real estate investors are those that keep emotions out of it and can sell when the numbers say so!