I don't mind having a roommate but as my business is expanding I need a home office.

I have better things to do, like practice guitar while listening to the office play in the background.

But once at that first business activity, then any trips to the bank, hardware store, post office other job sites, are deductible soyou can be creative.  

Being in Ontario CA and not in the USA, there are alot of differences.In the USA, for the IRS (tax office) to consider a lease w option not a disguised installment sale:STRATEGIES TO AVOID RECHARACTERIZATION OF A SALE IN THE USA:Where the parties want to avoid having the lease/option recharacterized as a sale, the overall planning strategy is to avoid or minimize indicators of a deemed sale as follows:1.

WHY because as hardmoney lenders they have more control over there capital.I have been one over the last 30 years my last shop was 35 million so we were not tiny but we were not SEattle funding either.. more on the line of East side or vestus.Borrowers just don't jump ship for 1% or a little cheaper.. they will stick with who will allow them to scale.so when I want to do a 100% deal for one of my long time borrowers no problem. your not going to be able to compete.. the day of 20% plus rates are gone of course.But the portals all want to make 14 to 18% apr just like the HML companies.Can you take market share no doubt but you will have to build it just like I built my companies excellent customer service and flexibility.. right now the Portals like RS have very stringent underwriting they cannot compete with many of the local guys in this market that have 10 to 30 mil to lend. and there is only so much hard money demand in a given market as we know.Vestus and East side get a lot of their business by providing capital to buy at courthouse steps this is highly complicated and lots of moving parts your portals will no way be able to compete at that level.Were I can see a portal doing well though is with bigger funding deals that the HML won't take on.. like larger credit type lines etc we have had some interest from portals for this.. and its not at all competition with the local guys.

Even if your lending officer says this will work, you'll get denied down the line when they get the documentation required to close the loan.

The reason that I tell you this is because this weekend I am going to be in NYC at the regional office giving a presentation and won't be available until monday. 

Find out what their criteria is.Typically they require an appraisal ordered through the bank that shows you have passed the 20% threshold and that you've had the loan for a certain amount of time.Read over your loan docs and or contact your loan officer for help.

@Edwin PinaIf you are an "investor friendly" Brokerage, then you work with ALL types of investors and, like us, are investors themselves.If that is the case... and not just hype, then the three suggestions are inherent to doing business.In our case, we are a larger HUD Brokerage, and because of that have a strong relationship with a HUD approved Title Company with multiple offices who can do a number of things:Mail away closings - We support investors as far away as NorwaySimultaneous closings - We work with a number of wholesalers so this is vital.

The county clerk's office is where real property records are found but you'll likely only find the subd. plat in those records.