I have been mostly lurking for about a year now, and thought since I've officially now jumped into real estate investing, that I would go ahead and introduce myself.Before I do that, I have one thing I should get off my chest first.

John, I am not too familiar with the official definition of war zones, I have always assumed an area is a war zone if:(1) As I drive through it, all the passengers in the car have a sudden desire to lock their doors...(2) You wish you have a weapon with you, if not, one of those "club wheel locks" you had back in the 80s might help a little...the female passengers finger through their purse to check for their mace or pepper spray.(3) You pray your car doesn't break down, you would never stop to fill your gas tank even if your dash says your gas tank is empty.(4) You check how many bars your cell phone has, you pre-dialed "911" just stop short of pressing "CALL".If some of the above are true I call it a war zone.

I can't tell you much about Miami, I've only been once or twice - just be sure to brush up on your Spanish before you go down there, it's the official language!

I am assuming perhaps that it could be an equity purchase contract vs. a standard purchase contract.Good luck.Keep reading for my official bullet proof legal disclosure:I am not an attorney nor am I providing any financial, legal or tax advice.

If the loans were structured then the way they are now I would have had to wait several years before making that first purchase.I also agree that the government is going to do whatever they can do to keep interest rates low until we are "officially" out of the recession, which probably will be largely judged on unemployment numbers.

Fast forward to today and you will find that everyone in the official buying process wears a code inspector hat.

It's not a success story yet, but I wanted to post about a great partnership that has evolved from BiggerPockets relationships...As some of you know, Marty Boardman and I presented together at the BP Summit back in the Spring, and that was actually the first time we officially met (along with Marty's business partner, Manny).

The good news is that my mother is the owner of the house, and until am ready to buy it she won't sell it unless i officially "pass" on it.

#2...if he changed his name legally, he will have an official name change certificate from the State of Texas, along with a newly issued birth certificate.  

Big bank lenders won't consider my small lending request of $50k so I'm now researching local lenders or potentially an online lender like "elend"...before I officially take the plunge, it's back to the drawing board to determine the best lender.