Compare that - after research - to your winning chances and the level of collectability (is that a a word?)

But I did a little online research and saw this article from USA Today on the topic:http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2009-03-16-chinese-drywall-sulfur_N.htmAfter reading it, I personally wouldn't want to mess with the stuff or risk buying a house that had it.

From what I've researched, my next steps are:-Check the title on the property?

Recently spoke with someone who was actually finding the deals and doing the research, but still went through a realtor to submit the offer.

If you mean you don't know what terms you will get, do some research.

The other option you can consider is to find an appraiser and have him help you do the research.

There's no shortcut to doing thorough research yourself.

Have you been lurking and researching certain guiding %'s mentioned on these forums?

After a lot of researching, reading, and planning, I'm getting closer to purchasing my first property.

Of course, researching these businesses always leads nowhere.Many of the people promoting these loans are "consultants" -- typically just affiliates for some MLM promoting commercial loans.