I have heard things similar to what Jim said -- a friend will call and request the "new subscriber" package even though he is existing and they usually give it to him.As for the DVD question, you used to be able to buy Tivo boxes to use as a DVR -- I think there was a service fee associated with it though -- though I heard there was a "lifetime" fee you could pay if you wanted (instead of the monthly fee).

Get recommendations from other's who have had similar work done.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

to stay local, but since Brian Levredge and J Scott are doing it long-distance I'm keeping an open mind.Investing in rentals out-of-state makes sense to me if you live in an area where rentals just don't cash flow compared to other areas, but is the flip situation similar?

Just wanted to post this quote from an article I read, although I think banks are still ignoring it (as common sense does dictate main goal should be to make sure you are making a good loan that won't default, not that you are not penalized for making a bad loan), regarding it not affecting their default numbers: Banks didn't want their Compare Ratios to rise.The FHA has acknowledged this issue and, similar to how HARP II waives reps and warrants on HARP refinances, the FHA will now exclude FHA Streamline Refinances from its Compare Ratio calculation.

I’ve started this discussion before and can’t resist posting a similar discussion again on this topic.

Similar story at this next thread:http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/105/topics/75043-how-to-interviene-into-forclosure-without-being-mortgage-holderGood luck.

He has been through about 4 cycles he said and he said each time for commercial multifamily was the leading drive on the rebound.If you look at cycles they all have similarities and some differences.Recognizing these patterns leads to the best portfolio and the best returns versus risk.What Rich said holds true in that you avoid the herd mentality.People that do not invest prudently do good with some properties and then the others bring them down to a negative to flat position for years before you can recover.Some of these syndicated pools of investors look at the big project as a smaller risk.That is fine if the gamble is made based on the funds entered is only a small percentage of their total worth.Example if the have 2 million liquid and want to spend 100k for an interest in a property that could throw off very high returns than they are still safe versus their overall portfolio.I can tell you that buyers think "I am buying so low there is NO WAY I can lose on this!".

The notice you saw on the garage sounds very similar to those of REO management companies in my area.

Similar to the hard money alternative, but significantly cheaper.Owner financing.