I just used Texas Trust for my refi.

I spoke with 3-4, and the fact this company really brought passion and enjoyed their work was obvious in our phone call in their tone of voice, level of detail and the owner's personality.

Cleanup Job (Low cost fast flip): - landscape package in front - remove deck- remove vines from house - clean exterior, fix siding and wood rot, paint neutral beige/gray color - clean driveway/weed, clean retaining wall/pavement - replace flooring with mid grade flooring bottom level, carpet upstairs - replace interior fixtures - paint interior white trim, light color beige/gray walls, popcorn ceiling removal - new kitchen appliancesRehab options:- Replace deck with new one (kind of awkward that high to me) vs Remove and fill in wall or add large window to master.- Potential space to move laundry into upstairs bathroom closet vs basement - Can maybe get away with toilet/vanity replacement in each bathroom- Uncertain if painting or replacing cabinets with ikea type is worth it- Any in-ceiling lighting will cause a disaster with electrical since it is out of date- Repave/fix concrete front porch and side porch - replace/paint railing- Replace front walkway cement, or remove walkway and replace with right angled walk to driveway (may not provide ROI)- Tear down vs paint garage port in back yard

You can buy a property and take over the financing and then sell it for more using what is called a "Wrap" in some parts of the country or "all inclusive deed of trust" in some areas and "owner financing" in other parts of the country.

Luckily, we decided to continue investing all the way through the recession and those purchases enabled us to enter real estate again at a comfort level that we were both happy with. 

Flipping homes that rises to the level of a trade or business is subject to ordinary income tax rates, and the flipped homes are treated as inventory, so that portion of your business can be considered a "dealer".Rental real estate is not, however.

Very little time involved but there is a certain stress level concerning the reviews.

Not someone to represent me, but some one to write a trust, someone to close a real estate transaction, create a contract, etc.

Verify the property through a trusted and recommended source in that location.

Recently, I'm noticing a trend of more and more probate and trust listings hitting the market.