It is a great site, but can be a bit daunting especially as you go down the rabbit holes of all the different options.

As you mention big difference between fraud and a bad investment.

They're basically two different skill sets and it's fallacious thinking to assume you can do one because you can do the other.

I have several other properties with different property managers and noteam has been more involved and helpful as the HomeRoom team.

If I had stayed at UNT I would likely have majored in real estate and gone down a different path.

I come from Europe too, and I know it can be overwhelming when you look at the real estate market in a new country and with completely different building technics ( sticks instead of bricks), but is not as bad when you have the right team in place. 

Make sure to calculate the difference between the blended rate and an entirely new first lien position.

The times were different then: rates were incredibly low and property values were steadily rising so even if I overpaid for a property (which happened a few times) the market usually bailed me out.It's a very aggressive strategy and as others have said, if it doesn't go right then there is a lot of risk.

It would be a different story if I were endorsing a business that was not doing a good job.  

However, if you learn the different options available and then figure out what they really want, you can often negotiate a killer deal.