I asked my Realtor what about making a competitive offer and he said it's sufficient to let the listing agent know that we also have interest in the property and they should contact us if their deal doesn't go through.Another guy I talked to told me that some agents will break contracts (even in the middle of inspection) if a more competitive offer is on the table.

If not, what would a more seasoned reo investor take out or add in to get more counter offers?

I'm a bit blunt myself but when in situations where tact is very important (ie: discussions with an emotional wife) I try to put myself in the other person's shoes and look at the situation from their perspective.It has helped me immensely to become a more effective communicator and work out win-win outcomes.

"train" them from the begining you will only be creating a more challenging situation.

You might seriously consider moving to a place with a more reasonable rental agreement.

Lenders are also happy to lend without credit checks as long as they can securitize and sell the loans, book the profits, and take home a big bonus even though they know their companies will be bankrupt once the market corrects.Not to get too political about it, but I think the age of amorality is partly the result of urbanization and the mobility of labor.

For a more REI applicable example, If I were to post an article up to my subscribers about Finding Home Values, I would also post short link and description at the bottom about visiting a friendly realtor I met that does home assessments.

In the "inland empire" CA it appears that the buying depression is over,, I am making an offer on a 3/2 house in my hood and the first day it was listed (yesterday) the front of the house looks like the disneyland parking lot,,, houses are getting mulitiple offers on day one im kinda bumbed i was hoping to pick up a few more rentals this year but it looks like the competition is heavy nowmy realtor told me that there are lots of " realestate investor seminar people jumping in and bidding things up way too much,on a more positive note she said there is another huge wave of inventory comming so prices should stay dow for a whilehow is it out there ?

Prehung exterior doors will take about as long to install as the repair I suggested, but may give a more secure result if a wood frame is replaced with a steel one.

I did a more detailed analysis of expenses, and came up with about the same amount when I include 8% monthly maintenance, 10% property maintenance, and eventual 8% vacancy rate.