That would be much better but I wasn't sure about using a lender I can't confront or communicate with up front.

The last communication was when they notified me they are changing the terms. 

For me a big factor influencing my decision on who does my contract work is how well they communicate.

All your business is done by phone and electronic communication, so local is not important. 

Sometimes a 2nd mtg holder will release a mortgage, but get the owner to sign a new promissory for some or all of the unpaid balance, which is of course now an unsecured note....but if that's what was for sale here, it would have been originated at the time of the short sale, not 2009.

If nothing was in writing about how pests were handled (and even if there was a clause), perhaps you should stop answering his calls.If you communicate, it should be in writing.

I was only able to communicate via text message with this contractor, because he wouldn't pick up the phone, and basically had to fire him via text and then switch locks on the house.Thanks for any help.

We have +300 on our meetup site and we just started the FB group to allow our members a chance to communicate and ask questions more easily. 

Expertise and reputation are more important than their location, as most of the paperwork and communication is done over the phone, or online. 

Those are my main assets in play here, with the retirement account being the first primary source of capital.Through investing, my goal is to generate enough passive income to replace the majority or all of my current pay, which would then allow me to effectively retire from the rat race and focus on my own entrepreneurial goals instead of someone else's.