I am aware that the path of the self employed is not easy but can be very fulfilling if you have the mindset that it takes.

My hubby and I are self-employed and so conventional loans are a challenge for us.

Who are the major employers?

The biggest employer is HEB w/20K employees (groceries...people got to eat) and HEB rules in central TX and keeps getting stronger); USAA is a large nationwide financial services business HQ'd in SA, medical is another area growing.  

You have to have a solid working knowledge of the market that you are looking at: neighborhoods, sale prices, housing strata, employment marketplace, etc.

Your license will be inactive unless you are employed by a managing broker.

I know too nice learning that cause now at time of court I never got her new address or current employer so without that I can't enforce the judgement and she also left the unit a complete mess.

Leanne, the requirements for becoming a broker are listed fully here: http://www.dbr.ri.gov/documents/divisions/commlice...Here is a partial excerpt:Minimum requirements needed for consideration:Two-years of full time experience as a Salesperson, validated by a statement under oath from the employing broker, unless you have a Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, in which case the two year experience requirement will be waived.

Oh, and the fines --  not good.Sounds like you are mixing with too many competitors.Go underground, deal with only sellers who need to sell.Increase your margins of profits.Tax sale poaching...... a method to find the equities.  

The methods described above are ways to obtain the funds that you invested into the property in order to get it ready for sale, but they also create debt and are not truly paying you back.