When the water was turned on, the good news was that none of the pipes had burst.However, every copper connection had pin hole leaks which had to be re-soldered.  

You can always cash out a little less and leave a little bit in the property a for a potential drop in the prices - just to play it safe.

Hi, i'm an out of country investor and am looking for reliable info to help me pin point the right market to invest in the US.What are reliable and up to date web sites in which i could get general info on Metros, Cities and Neighborhoods.

This drops you back down to the current market rate.

How does the technology work - can we just drop by and get access to a listing with eKey without calling or requesting a show time?

However, I don't see the market dropping anytime soon in the area.

You will most likely have to personally back the loan. this worked for me with my first loan with a bank: have 2 years tax returns with you, a broken down and typed out Net Worth with you any current W2 forms ( 2 pay checks ), copies of current bank account statements, copies of credit reports might help but they usually like to check themselves and maybe even a business plan with you ( the last one i did not have) go to the banks with confidence that this whole deal is nothing for you to handle. walk into the meeting with them, tell them exactly what you want to do and immediately hand them all those papers. tell them you think you have everything they need for them and that to let you know so that you can get it to them right away. i did that and the loan officers mouth almost dropped, she said she wished everyone that came in for a loan was that prepared, that was 6 loans ago with that bank and i still deal with the same bank. 

You can have the best specs in the world on a given prop, in the hottest market, but if the people you trust to manage it drop the ball, that's a bad investment. 

I would drop this deal like a hot potato.In many western states (Colorado, Wyoming, etc) folks came in and bought large parcels of land...then they subdivided those parcels.  

Netspend which is a prepaid credit card has a free savings account that is attached to it you can earn 5% interest on paid quarterly (on up to $1000 above that and the interest rate drops).