Getting a bank to go there isn't easy for those new in the business as Chris mentioned.Creative financing is the use of assets and in some cases your abilities and experience in facilitating an acceptable financing arrangement in a transaction.Several ways to lower your entry expenses, seller financing, assumptions, obtaining rights to profit from a contractual interest, cross-collateralization, trading properties, sweat equity from construction or management contracts, acquiring liens, partnerships.....commercial opens other avenues and the list goes on.Great point John!

It is good to hear from people who took the plunge.I'm in basically an entry level position, so it's not like I'd be losing some sort of management role.

Of course all that is just data for historical sales.

#1 Get your list from a quality data provider

I am having a hard time figuring out how to go about researching and getting real, reliable data on macroeconomic trends and cap rates for all 50 states.

I am looking for a web site that I can find all kinds of data such asDivorce, tax liens, probate etcRobogateway.com looks like a good one but it doesn't server my state is there any others out there like it?

After you get comfortable with the info gathering, you can vet the data to meet your criteria and prioritize files as to your opinion regarding opportunities.

I especially like the ashburn/brambleton areas because with the metro getting out there in 5ish years, the new town centers going up, and the thousands of data center jobs and large employers moving out that way, I think that area will be poised for an upswing in value within the next 10 years... and I know, I know we should never make investments based on appreciation lol!

I have not seen any contrary data as 2009 was officially the bottom of SoCal markets.Thanks again,Matt

The entries with asterisks beside them are required, but I go ahead and add their first name too.