@Julie Brandenberger mentioned 'draws', meaning the portion of $ the 'bank' advances at a time - usually about a third I think - they'll want to know what things you're going to do in what order and how much it will cost - another reason you'll need to know it before you start.You mentioned that you'd be focusing on properties needing cosmetic work primarily - it's a bit of a slippery slope - you need to balance between finding a property that isn't too complicated for your first flip but the danger there is that you're going to have some competition in that realm from both homeowners and other flippers - and sometimes the value that you add can easily be eaten up by holding fees, realtor costs, etc and you end up having worked for $1/hr.

I would imagine this has been common knowledge for so long that homes are not built within a dangerous distance anymore?

If agents consistently sell the assets below the 85%, they are in danger of losing those accounts.

Moving up the money ladder to these high priced properties brings with it some potential dangers and risks and in addition, requires a very experienced investor with a highly qualified team to pull off a profit worth the risks.For most experienced investors, flipping a $400k house is pretty basic and does not take a whole lot of design experience.

I use keyword alerts for "military"...works for me but yea a military forum might be good but might set a dangerous precedent and where do the admin draw a line on who does/doesn't get a forum?

Now, when you're driving a car, you're just as dangerous, if not more, than your business, so carry plenty of insurance.

There is a real danger we will see another down turn in real estate in this country.

Cronyism is not capitalism, and is the biggest danger to capitalism.  

Don't get stuck in a cycle of only education, use professional (like a real estate agent) to help you along and keep you from making a dangerous deal.

The bottom line is that is VERY difficult to invest in properties you intend to buy and hold with no cash.Further, its extremely dangerous.