The second thing you could do is find a loss leader, something like an tablet or cheaper TV and make it a prize, everyone who submits a review gets an entry.

I don't buy stocks, I invest in companies" - Warren BuffettThe fact that Turner, Buffett and Gates have pledged to give a billion a year to charity make them all alright in my book, regardless of political slant, hardware lean, or software preference.

Apartments.com has free property management software for up to 10 units.

Do we get it from a lawyer's office, a real estate software, or just make ourselves on microsoft word? 

The title company says to get a survey and then submit it to them. 

Where what's on paper and reality start to differ is interpreting what a full and complete short sale package is and, the actions that occur after its submitted.

I have access to mls software so, when I’m list stacking I usually search for vacant properties, leads that have a decent amount equity etc, then I check to see if the owner is absent...My advice to you is not spend to much time researching everything.

I have a W2 person submit to not just examination of the W2; they supply the W2 (or a tax return that shows the W2 amount), recent pay stubs AND employment verification.

Things take much longer to develop than people think.Typically when you see big apartment buildings go up it is a 3 to 5 year process.It might only be a few years from the time the public hears about it but before that years of legwork went into getting to that point.I couldn't say if right now was the right time to build.Everything is project specific.If the city will let you use a class C finish rather than a class A the numbers will save you money.Just to give a for instance some cities will demand a traffic light be put in for some projects.The traffic light parts itself are not that expensive but with the fiber optic hookup and underground cabling you are talking hundreds of thousands just for that one item.Typically on larger projects it's a fight for the developer to make profit.They propose a certain density and drawing.The county or city then wants to reduce the density and add in all these road improvements and lights at the cost of the developer.All the costs have to work for both parties to get a deal done.I have seen some projects take 2 years to get approved from submitting after going back and forth with revisions and tabling until the next meeting.So half the battle is the cost and financing available when you break ground and the other is the political junk.How much total land would you be getting??

I submitted an offer on a short sale a couple weeks ago, and the agent required that I sign *HER* contract and stipulations sheet, which basically read as follows (not in these words, but these ideas):- Buyer has 7 days for due diligence/inspection starting when contract is binding (i.e., when buyer and seller sign it)- Closing date is March 30, 2011- If the bank approves the sale before the closing date, the buyer is obligated to close and has no contingencies- If the bank doesn't approve the sale before the closing date, buyer can back out (or submit counteroffer)So, basically, this contract was saying that there was a set closing date, and once my due diligence period was over (starting when the contract was signed), I was obligated to buy the property if the sale was approved before the closing date and not obligated if the sale wasn't approved before the closing date.I wasn't sure if this was a standard short sale contract or not, which is exactly why I asked the question.It sounds like from the other posters this isn't standard, and was probably just the way this particular agent wanted to handle things...