Many thanks to all for the support!

The borrower and the security (the asset and docs associated with it).As a lender, you want to ensure the borrower has a performance history, can show skin in the game (some of their own capital placed into the investment), and has experience in performing on the particular investment.For the asset, you need to make sure your a LTV (loan to value) does not exceed a set amount you choose to give you “cushion” in the event the deal goes sideways and you need to take the property back.Your loan docs are also important and should include all the things you need to protect your investment such as a deed of trust (or mortgage in mortgage states), promissory note, balloon rider if the loan is not a fully amortized loan, personal guarantee rider (which is only worth something if the borrower has personal assets to go after), etc.For the asset itself, you need to know the strategy (buy and hold or fix and flip) verify the condition and amount of repairs, know the current market value and future market value after repairs, and have a plan in the event you need to take the asset to recoup your investment.

Thanks for any support!!

The Berkeley City Council is set to vote on an ordinance banning tenant background checks next month, and activists plan to propose similar measures in Emeryville and Alameda County.A bill that would have prohibited landlords across California from asking about tenants’ criminal records was pulled earlier this week before making it out of committee.Several Oakland council members spoke out in support of the Fair Chance Housing Ordinance on Tuesday.

They want someone to have "skin in the game" in order to give them the money to buy a property that they are not planning to live in. 

Now the only challenge is finding the necessary capital to support a scale up strategy!

My client is doing a portfolio loan of 6 properties for a refinance and 3 of the 6 properties came in about 10-15% lower-than-expected and the comps support the opposite.I know people that give the appraiser a few hundred dollars to get on their good side, but I question if this is legal, lol.

I see posts with specific questions that people can answer directly, get better support :) 

The software engineers are hired to support these loan originators, not the other way around. 

But there could still be a way to skin that cat.600 sq ft out of 4000 is 15%.