If you spend a lot of effort on focusing on the challenges rather than solutions you probably are going to have a more difficult time moving in the direction I think you want to go.I know this may seem like kind of a vague response but it is extremely important to be honest with yourself and figure out why you want to do real estate.

I feel like I can ask this community better questions, understand the answers more and accomplish our common goal - Freedom.

I realize this is an extremely old thread, but in case anyone references it I thought I would add a bit of information.

The three way phone call is a great idea but I will probably just drive down there and take care of it or at the very extreme end drive her to the VA office and get her online account upgraded to "Pro" so I can just get those documents online.

I was extremely naive about my numbers (hadn't yet heard of the 50% rule) and put loans on most of my properties.

It's not right and I'm extremely angry !!!

An experienced builder can help with this but it is a common pitfall.In my area (New England) you can expect to spend 3000.00 for a qualified designer who might need an engineer’s approval in some cases to 8000.00 for an architect at the high end.

The books are good for motivation (rah rah) and extremely thin on actual principles and methods to follow through on the hype.

Traditional wisdom is that people looking this time of year figure sellers are desperate, but then again the inventory is extremely low and you aren't desperate.

I use to bird dog for some that was extremely specific about the type of houses he wanted and it was difficult to locate a specific house for this investor.