I will be doing my first interview of contractors in the next month and would like to have my house ready to hit the market this spring.I live in the Charlotte area and would like to find a mentor whom I can help with my accounting skills as well as boots-on-the-ground in Charlotte (if said mentor lived out of state and wanted to invest).Oddly enough I ended up at an estate sale (located down the street from my house) last weekend, I put an offer in on the house yesterday, it was not accepted b/c the seller was not motivated and had the time to price it at the top of the market.

If you don't live there you really need some solid boots on the ground to guide you.

Not to be combative, I have the greatest respect for everybody in this thread, but I'd like to suggest the impetus for switching labels (Hard money to private money) is coming from two of the biggest hard money organizations in the country:http://www.cmabrokers.org/ - and-http://www.aaplonline.com/If you notice, they both have "private money lenders" on the first page of their website.

You need to talk to those with boots on the ground to get more info imho.

To make things simpler and get your money up front instead of chasing him on the back end and probably paying some legal fees to boot, ask (or rather demand) a buyout.

Lucky I had my boots on   :)

Please don't come back with your smart mouth remarks cause I am not the one to reckon with I have a reputation just like all of us do I get properties all day everyday and I work hard to even try to come close to honest buyers in this business most believe in integrity others see as a quick take for their pockets..So for the new year coming in 2015 I am doing something a little different from here on out if you are a buyer and you need properties if I send you a document with my fee on it either you sign or you don't but know I will not send properties to anyone who does not follow protocol I eat just as you do and have a family to take care of and because I am a female I do wear construction boots so please fella's out of respect if you work with integrity be that and not some moron who snatch and run and if this is removed ok  np but this is off topic and I had to say something most will not say a word but it becomes frustrating after a while of give and take...In this business

Anything in a "war zone" will very likely be more work, even much more work for several reasons, tenants are more likely to default on the rent and end up getting booted and when they are on their way out are probably more likely to leave damage behind, etc whereas in the better areas, this is less likely to happen.

I explained that sometimes they'd forget to take off their boots, and whatever I bought had to look great, but stand up to wear and tear.

He had to do 57 leak repairs in the fc and it cost less than $400 (3 walls and one floor opened to boot) 2 unit, low income area, total ARC $30,000 including spray foamed basement, new pensotti direct vent boiler, paint, carpet and linoleum every room, etc. etc.)