Jon, what would you say is a healthy level (%} of home ownership in the US?

I don't know when the housing mess will be over and our debt to income levels will be down to reasonable levels, levels where we feel we can put more cash toward spending vs paying down debt.

Jon KIf my occupancy level remains as high as it has been(1-3%) I'll start increasing the rents.

I disagree about the charging the upfront fee makes a serious buyer.I can't tell you how many scammers I have seen in the commercial lending arena.I can say one problem lenders face is they get a package submitted to them and then give an LOI.Then in due diligence the buyer finds out the income levels and returns were not as stated.Now the lender wants a bigger payment down from the buyer or the buyer has to get the seller to reduce to the actual proven numbers.The deal falls out and the lender made nothing.The way to solve this is submit a detailed and verified package upfront.This way you know the numbers you are sending have been verified.Lenders site confidentiality etc. when doing loans so you can't verify other properties they have closed.If lenders state money has to be in escrow or a deposit have YOUR attorney hold in an account the lender does not have access to or authorization to.This way the money can be shown to be there and earmarked for the purposes of the loan.I am telling you these scammers will do anything to separate you from your money.I know some deals I wasn't involved in where the people chased the lender for 6 months to get back 500k.Do not let lenders PUFF fees.If they say they have to pay for appraisal then tell them you will pay the appraiser directly.If you are a legit lender and you make money when you close a loan you should have no problem with this.If however you are a fee generator mill and you hardly close anything or a point taker with upfront fees I can't tell clients to work with you.Some point takers take money to submit apps knowing the lender will not close or that it's a sham.They usually charge a small amount upfront to entice the victim.Usually 500 to a few thousand.

If you like a post you can simply click the vote button in the upper right corner of the post.I like to meet and learn from investors, so I would be happy to grab a drink sometime with you when you get to Denver.

With that being said, I see this Summit as a tremendous opportunity to take my REI education to a whole new level and learn from people I've come to know and trust here on BP.

You will have to dig to see where the property is at in the process.When I worked for developers we would keep things tightly under wraps so people didn't have much time to mount opposition to the plan.The zoning attorney also tries to picks times where most of the public won't show up.Even if you can't get the level of stories or use changed you could argue the developers finishes need to be higher grade and style.That alone might push them to another location because of cost.Once the project is altered to a certain point where the developer can't build density or has to make too many improvements to the roads,traffic lights,high end finishes to the build etc. the project becomes dead.Apartments right now are hot.Many plans call for more town homes but it is not profitable for many developers to build that in this environment.

But, the level of conversation completely impresses me as well.Keep in touch.

They have several models but the best one has an automatic settin so it can be used in occupied spaces and maintain an acceptable ozone level.

You'll want to get an air quality test to determine if you have elevated mold levels -- you won't necessarily see the mold.