Also with these loans be prepared to face higher down payment requirements possibly 20%, you may have to pay up to three points on the loan.

All you are bound to is having to close on the scheduled closing date and not being able to terminate if you can't get financing, i.e. you have no mortgage contingency and if your financing falls through you have to be prepared to close in cash or lose your deposit.

By that point the seller will be desperate to make the deal work and will likely be prepared to drop the price just to get the sale completed. 

(And yes we are prepared for the unexpected).As for advice, I'm no expert at all, but staying persistent and give your 100% in whatever you start you finish.

The loan officer should have prepared you for all the items needed to get this done.2 months is too long!

If it appreciates pull it out.This is a cash cow that will keep giving as long as you are prepared to take.

You just need to prepare the document (correctly) and then take it to your county clerk and recorder.

That knowledge and equity will prepare you, its often that first step that is never taken that keeps people where they are, so I agree with Manolo.

Given that the people on your direct mailing list have possibly received similar mailings from other interested parties, calling can make all the difference.Cold calling takes very little training, a go to script, a whole lot pf preparation and a lot of patience.

Once he gives you a written price range for the work, just be prepared like any seller would need to be, to make it right, by either 1) making the repairs necessary, or 2) paying for the repairs to be done by the buyer (like offering a credit at closing for the amount quoted, or putting the money in escrow, etc)...does that help any?