I think people sometimes assume that finding a secret, off-market, back-room deal is always preferable.

Being a NASA scientist (EX) does help. .. especially when they discover we build robots to make the elderly walk again.

I was in contact with CU but the key person is off for the rest of the year and I need that number before the clock runs out.Does anyone know of a calculator available online, or is willing to run the numbers on their in-house / internal / super-secret qualification tool?

I recently was listening to the NPR Podcast "The Indicator" and they had as their guest the professor from Duke University who discovered that an inverted yield curve was a precursor to recessions.

I bought $1.95 one page " Educational iNVESTMENT SECRETS " DOC just to test out the stuff... total worthless CRAP !!!

Then you discover the place is trashed so you'll have to replace the flooring ($4,000) and there's another $1,500 to repair minor damages, clean, and paint.

(in these two cases with my own money) And finally and most importantly I can manage a deal.With the help of BiggerPockets I've learned so much about finding quality contractors, and techniques to dealing with tenants as a landlord.What I've also discover is that I actually like it.

Along the way, I've discovered a few snags in my plan (a loose plan currently, but it getting refined as I learn). 

It was a mess with sewage backing up into a garage and I was tired of dealing with it for the short time it was a priblem between discovering it and getting it fixed.

Tenant of 2 years was discovered to have a dog in a no-pets rental.