Securing those local bank relationships was a major victory.Based on that previous experience I tried something different this time around.

By the way @Phil Glantz , excellent and informative post.

I've established some relationships with real estate agents as well as wholesaler's in the Valley, but I'm interested in hearing both sides of the argument (i.e. folks who have used a real estate agent and those who have not).As a bit of background - This will be my first property that I purchase and expect to finance it using an FHA loan (3.5% down, leaving a cushion in my bank account for any unforeseen expenses).

I had some doubts that they would get the work done on time and I felt I would get the lowest amount of work done to get it right.The 5k firm gave me a full presentation about how they could help me in the deal, people who they knew who had an excellent reputation and could work with me and made introductions to people who were very helpful in getting a successful deal done in an area that I knew no one.So which one do you think was a better place to spend the money?

Increase their productivity by using technology to create and manage a bigger pipeline of business, freeing them to list and sell more homes.A Valuable Tool for AgentsAgents want to influence their clients' search experience and manage their relationships but often lose control of the process and the prospect, who goes skipping from site to site to find bits of information.

Double digit cash on cash return is an excellent to way to start investing.Last comment is using 2% rule, a purchase price of $35,000 would give you even better results, having said that, it's not very easy to acquire.As far as rental income is concerned, I am not aware of local rentals.

You will, eventually, establish the relationships you need.

I'm seeing a more aggressive stance from what is being claimed by members here on BP, such as cash out refis after 6 months, it must be in areas where property values are going back up at a faster rate in general.On the conservative side, prudent lending practices will be stressed, meaning that a lender may not do so much of those "if it makes sense, we loan it" type deals, it may be tougher for a deal to make sense.All in all, I doubt a qualified borrower will see much of a difference on the street as the new changes will be played out in the operations side of the lenders and their relationships between other lenders and securitized markets.Actually there are more aggressive measures in making a loan, the debt to income for a residential loan has gone from 36% to 43% allowing borrowers to qualify with more debt!

Once again, if this isn't clear people will be all over the map and the lack of focus could mean lost opportunities.Expect, demand, do not compromise on excellence, hard work, integrity, and loyalty.Be the boss - When you hire A-type people they will be used to leading and taking over but you always make sure that you give them power but let them know the final authority rest with you and you are the boss.Building a team is easy, building a great team is really hard.

Please let me know if you are in need of any marketing/web design efforts in the future as i am looking to build local relationships here on BP.