Would love to hear from someone what those financing steps looked like on their first couple investment properties with a conventional loan.If there is a blog post on this that I missed I apologize but most of the posts I've read have to do with the different finance options or steps for a hand money loan, not the steps to get a conventional loan for an investment propertyThanks in advance!

The big news here is that a class action law suit is going forward against the City of Bedford in the Northern District of Ohio contesting "all homeowners who were forced to endure government searches as a precondition to the sale of their homes are entitled to demand refunds of illegal “Point of Sale” inspection fees".A similar suit has already been adjudicated in the Southern District Courts in favor of prohibiting the practice as a sale requirement.41 communities in Northeast Ohio require some type of POS for title transfer which I'm sure is a source of income the cities don't want to see disappear.

That sounds strange, but you have nothing holding you back from venturing out of your security...because you have lost that security blanket that was your job.I would venture to say, that most of the success stories in history, started out where you are right now...me included.So, with nothing holding you back, and with plenty of time on your hands (time will always be your greatest asset...since you can never get it back), if you want to get into REI, you need to do the following:1 - Learn,2 - Learn some more,3 - Keep learning.Places to learn (before you say "that costs money"), that don't cost any money are:1 - Online education sites that have free articles written by experts in their fields.2 - Free e-books, that you can get online.3 - Joining your local REIC's to both learn and network.4 - ...and never stop learning...even when you become a success at this (and you will)Also, three very critical actions you MUST follow to be a success:1 - Always think possitive.2 - Train yourself to think of future "obstacles" as temporary problems...and you are the problem solver. 

The knee wall idea (done properly with top and bottom plates and 16" OC) will transfer and distribute the weight load across the entire length of the house which will in fact catch those intersecting bearing walls.

I went to ask questions about zoning on a property ( I didn't even know what I was talking about at that point) and the architect who was on line overheard and offered to help and provided his business card; right after he handed me the card, I watched him go into the office of the zoning officer for a private meeting, which was a good clue. 

On the other hand, maybe we locate it first and then 1031 exchange the older properties, increasing our new cash flow even more if we don't have to pay capital gains, affording us a larger property.

Seller is pushing to meet at bank and have Deed notarized, transfer funds same day and walking away. 

We're not part of a monster big-name brokerage, where you'll get handed off to junior team members once the ink is dry on our listing contract.  

If your friends and family charge 8-10% interest, but on the other hand you can get money from a broker for 6-7%, 30 year fixed, with "no limits on loans" - there really wouldn't be much advantage in your case to using money from friends and family. 

I know a few long distance investors who have tried their hand in Michigan City, IN and have not done so well.