I have received most of my deals from relationships I have developed with REO brokers as well as asset managers.Over the last year, I started playing the MLS numbers game as well in an effort to get more deals in this tight market.I have developed a new system to allow me to play the MLS game most efficiently and successfully which I will be sharing soon.I am a firm believer that relationship building is key to getting deals.In addition, if you are not working the short sale market (at least in my neck of the woods) you are really limiting your chances of getting deals as REO's are much harder to come by for rehab investors, the spreads are thin and the inventory is small.

I like the idea of more units for the money because it spreads out the risk of a few vacancies drastically affecting cash flow.

I just sold my primary home through a $300 flat fee service I heard through a freind and will never hire an agent again to sell my home, and word is spreading in my town.

It just seems to make sense that if you're going to take advantage of leveraging - to leverage as much as possible without spreading yourself too thin; take the most out of the cheap loans, especially for those who have not yet passed the FHA/FNMA residential 4 loan limit - this way you get the most out of your '4 investment property' limit before moving onto commercial/creative financing no?

Additionally the slow process has allowed banks to sort of kick the can down the road, spreading losses out lessening the blow to their P&L.

One, probably two, notched trowels for spreading the mortar.

Jeremy: what did you intend the the spread sheet for, in terms of practical application?

This is not to say that some don't, they do.Point being, IF you can get a better spread by going direct to the list agent, or get the deal over others by doing so, then i say doit.

Most retail buyers have trouble understanding this and no retail lender will not allow a transaction where title shows that the seller is not the owner.If there's enough of a spread, you may want to consider bridge loan.

I do deals in that are and if you have the capital to to the rehab and hold out for a retail buyer the profits are handsome but there are also alot of investors that you can wholesale deals to if you have enough spread in them.