My journey here started with getting my General Contractor's License in 1994. From 1998-2005 I invested in real estate, doing rehabs, selling a few through 1030 tax-deferred exchanges, and holding as many as possible! In 2005, I redirected into real estate sales and loans. Now in 2009, I find myself focusing on investing again, specifically in bank-owned properties, doing some flips and holding others. I'm also focusing on the use of private money, i.e. paying double digit returns to private parties looking for better investments of their hard-earned money. There are many reasons for this; one being that the banks are overwhelmed and scared to loan money and the simplest of loans are taking 45 days and getting nit-picked, and the other being that people who have taken such a huge hit to their financial investments are looking for a better way.