So to carry around negative energy would be counter-productive.There is ALWAYS opportunity, it is just not always so easy to find!

And the cost is very cheap and the service efficient and fast.

I have since decided to focus all of my energy in gaining more investors instead of using credit cards for the main down payment and has been working out well.

None of this is your agent's fault and dealing directly with the REO agent often will not improve things.Good Luck,Mike

They bought a home expecting the only cost of homeownership to be PITI and never took account for lawn maintenance, utilities, cost of upkeep, capital improvements, etc....

I know I will get others to argue that paying all cash and owning property free and clear is the "safe" way to invest, and improves cash flow, but it also eliminates the power of leverage which is one of the greatest tools in RE investing.The key is to not over-leverage and to buy correctly.

I know getting any cash out above my initial investment and documented improvements on an unseasoned non owner occ prop is a chore right now (and I don't need the cash above that, but will want it when I can get it) but I know there are routes for it with solid credit (which I have) and good reserves (again which I have).

They keep coming back with more hang ups, like “subject property value has increased more than 5% in less than 90 days and requires a detailed breakdown of all improvements with the associated costs and may require a second full appraisal.†Does anyone have any thought or ideas on this?

Lenders do not want to see lots of income that is from sources other than the rents when they value the building and determine the loan.Better to upgrade the units or other things that will improve the rental income.

As opposed to how flipping is done today, where you have to do improvements to the property in order to achieve the higher sell price.