I say - if you cannot find a local meetup - start your own  - it doesn't have to be fancy or anything big - simply met at a coffee shop or someplace where the group can talk like a Denny's or local restaurant and just start tossing some ideas around - don't worry about content so much - you have a group of people in front of you full of content - just start asking how people are doing business - what works for them - what isn't working - investors love telling war stories.  

Wendell, sorry if I was not clear, I was a closer for 11 years (Chicago Title and First American Title) and the definition varies but generally speaking a dry closing is when all the paper work is done but the fund did not arrived.

Ok I made this to long and I am sorry, while I am waiting me and the missus are still shopping at the HUD Home Store (and yes I know its "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, lol, we seen them.

Is there really a method to the madness or is it just shop till you find the lowest possible price?

Located in the shopping center on the corner of Burnet and Research.

First American cleared the title.

We are not big into shopping and don't care much about keeping up with the Joneses, so that takes out the pressure.I really think this is easier and much enjoyable to do because both of us are doing it together.

I shopped around a lot for low closing costs.The Bank of Oklahoma (which manifests in NM as the Bank of Albuquerque) was willing to lend me money using these houses as collateral, assuming they appraise as I predict.

about to start shopping around for a refi on my rental.

Could you point me towards a list of minimums for a property to qualify for a conventional, conforming loan so I can shop it to a much larger pool of lenders?