My advice is to stay clear of companies that ask for money upfront or want to auto charge credit cards via electronic funds transfer.

That was in 1899: clearly, he was in the box!

When he does his DUE DILIGENCE he'll find out that his $200K note is maybe worth $140-$150K, at which point he is quickly going to realize that by just cutting his price to that range he opens himself up to a much larger market.People who have accumulated sufficient assets to own a $200K property, free and clear, have probably lived long enough that they check out things they are told.

This example should make it clear to you that finding the right financing is the FIRST step and the key ingredient to your real estate investing…….. however, there is a PROBLEM.The problem is that as an investor, you have been trained to shop for properties FIRST, and almost never for financing.

You cleared up a lot.

Otherwise seeking the help of a real estate agent might not be the worst of things.Just make sure you are clear what you are getting in return for your commission.

Under a lease the landlord begins eviction in three to five days, before you even know if your check cleared!

The real estate broker should also have and more specifically the professional services rendered to a client are to: (1) establish the fees unilaterally without consultation or discussion with persons affiliated with any other competing firm (2) ensure that when the company’s brokers or salespeople discuss fees with actual or potential clients (not competitors), they use words that clearly convey to the listener the fact that the company does, in fact, price its services independently.On a side note, we all read about anti-trust cases in the news.

Not saying this was their fault..perhaps it was my fault to not read the fine print more clearly, or perhaps they were a shoddy company...DON'T HATE ME..I SAID PERHAPS...anyway yes, they kept my 50 dollar deductible and all they did was tell me that it was not their problem..owell..I'm sure this doesn't always happen..just putting in my limited experience with one..good luck whichever way you turn.

We evidently did not know what we were doing, and it was painfully clear that our ignorance was costing us dearly.Somehow we stuck through it and managed to scape up enough funds to buy, fix up, and sell our next rehab deal.