My area was not hit very hard...considering, but we know what has happened in some places.You can't expect years of a disater in the making to be solved overnight, IMO.

I am currently logging them on excel, but I am not familiar with the commands and formulas to operate excel efficiently, or if it can even do what I need it to do.

Should an earthquake hit that is big enough to level my house, I would imagine that most houses would be leveled.

The most efficient way to handle this IMO is to pay have your friend hold a note or if he wants and equity position treat it as if he is holding a mortgage at an agreed rate of interest and you may even want to include him in on a percent of the gain if the property is sold.

You can always hit Craigslist or the sears outlet for discount stuff.

I've talked with a few lenders, and it seems that I will be hit with up to 5 or more points because of the small loan amount, my credit score (690) and only 80% LTV.Is this pretty typical for a small loan?

While some folks decry the industrial scale farming that's occurred in the US, its much more efficient.

In light of the recent bankruptcy, I get the impression that the place has hit bottom.

Would they get hit with the usual 10% penalty if they don't show legal ownership in their name?

Thanks for the replies.Yes, at this specific point in time a $3000 hit would hurt.