Sure the Realtor may be a liaison between the two parties and they may interact but in no way shape or form do the two work for one another....Appraisers in this environment seem to error on the side of caution based on what happened in the past it seems...As a result unique properties end up suffering because the value isn't in black and white and the appraisers aren't as creative/adventurous as they once were in a different era..Good luck but I agree with the majority, if you still have a healthy profit go for it as if you roll the dice the appraisal may even come in lower next time..best,Chris

I'd put down a healthy down payment on this property - 30% + to create extra cash flow. 

There are a healthy amount of investors here in the valley and there are quite a few meetups.

If the property or market has problems that require seller financing, the investor will require a healthy discounted yield to compensate for the extra risk.

For those who made it this far, I thank you and hope you've been safe/healthy during these uncertain times.

Years later when I ran into my own problems I latched onto that advice along with healthy eating (i.e. the selenium in sunflower and pumpkin seeds help give you a positive attitude - no joke), exercising and listening to positive empowering music (I'm a positive hip hop fanatic - check out Dead Prez's 'Refuse To Lose'.)Embrace the energy you feel is making you "nearly homeless" and turn it into steam to move forward and succeed.

Don't settle for 1% deals, and run a conservative pro-forma with accurate expenses and healthy reserves...

Hope everyone is staying healthy and sane during these crazy times!

If a property provides healthy cash flow - I'm not talking about 50 bucks on a property carrying $1000 note - the likelihood of having a vacancy so long that you have to dig into your own pocket to make the note is almost nil.

Incorrect drainage is the issue for many older homes having foundation cracks as the added pore water pressure from the rain creates an uplift force and can cause differential forces on the foundation (a foundation's enemy is not always more force but it can be less force to retain the foundation as well).Just know the wall wont crack on its own.