How To Buy A Home With Absolutely No Money Down   A new home ownership program allows qualified buyers to buy a home with absolutely no down payment. You may have owned a home before and are presently renting or you may be a first time home buyer looking for a way to break into the housing market, but were held back because you thought you needed $5,000, $10,000 or even more for a down payment. Regardless of your present situation, if you want to enter, or re-enter the housing market without having to make a cash down payment, then this new program may be just what you've been looking for. Why continue paying your landlord's mortgage when you could be building your own equity. Industry experts have prepared a new special report entitled, "How to Buy a Home With Zero Down", and it reveals how you can get into the housing market immediately and with absolutely no down payment.   ...Buy Real Estate With No Money Down, and Get Rich Quick... ...Real Estate Secrets Guaranteed To Make You A Millionaire... ...Free Real Estate Seminar That You Can't Miss... ...you've probably seen claims and offers like these on TV or on the internet, but before you decide to follow any of them, please be VERY careful. Unfortunately, many (not all of them, obviously) of these so-called "real estate gurus" with a "shady" past (to say the least) will try almost anything to sell their books, seminars, tapes, etc... So please remember; If something is too good to be true, it probably is.  They all have very convincing "success" stories, and testimonials, but as many unsuspecting Americans have found out, they are not always true...   In a recent case, it was revealed that William McCorkle (famous for his late night TV infomercials in the 90's) hired/used actors, employees, and friends to give false testimonials. McCorkle's program described how you could get rich by buying pre-foreclosed or depressed properties, and then selling them for a huge profit.   He even promised to put up his own money to buy the property and then split any profit when the property was sold. The sad part about all this is that not many people (who paid about $69 for his booklets or close to $1000 for a "boot camp"/video tapes) and followed his instructions made any money that way.  A lot of them were also surprised to find out that the "no questions asked / money back guarantee" wasn't exactly what they expected. In 1998, William McCorkle (who before starting his "business" worked as a busboy and exotic dancer) and his wife Chantal McCorkle were convicted of mail fraud, and money laundering. As you can see, some "real estate gurus" will really try almost anything;  from overstating the rewards ("...you will make 500,000 on your first year..."), and understating the time required, the risks involved, etc... or even just lie, lie and lie to you.    So, please be careful next time one of them tries to sell you a "great opportunity". You may be thinking; "That will never happen to me", "I am not stupid"...   Well, I hope not, but in some cases, people have been "fooled" and not even realized what was really happening until it was too late. Many people attend "free seminars" and find out that the "free seminar" is just a way for the "real estate guru" to lure you in and pressure you to buy their expensive stuff;  books, tapes, mentoring, etc...    Trust your own instincts, if anything smells the least bit fishy...  do not walk away, RUN ! ! !, get out there as fast as you can!   Also, if you do decide to attend one of those "free seminars", DO NOT take any credit cards, checkbook, or money with you. It's not only the seminars, sometimes they may offer a "very good deal" on TV (or radio, internet, e-mail, etc...) - they will probably say something like "...it's risk free...", "...act now!, don't miss this opportunity; you can have all this for only..." ...But what you do not know, is that once you order that "great deal", you will be repeatedly pressured to buy more expensive products (just like in the "free seminar"). Again, be careful and very skeptical.   They will usually say something like... "... it's a win/win situation ..." (...but you may find out later;   Win/Win for them; Lose/Lose for you.  You just lose money when you buy, and lose more money if you try to do what tell you...) "... anyone can do it !!! ..." (...but you may find out later;    You can't do it, and neither can they...) "... creative financing ..." (...but you may find out later;   The "creative" part only created problems for you...) "... don't wait, act now ..." (...but you may find out later they meant;  "Don't think...., because if you do, you will realize this is a scam"  and  "act now !...., before we get caught"...) "... we did it ! ! so can you ! ! ..." (...but you may find out later;    They haven't really made millions in real estate, and you won't either) "... secret technique ..." (...here's their secret technique;    If you are stupid enough to buy the "cheap stuff" or go to the "free seminar", you are dumb enough to buy the more expensive and overpriced stuff ...) "... it's risk free ..." (...but you may find out later;    It will cost you a lot of money, and it's very risky...) "... it's not a scam ..." (...but you may find out later;    Your "real estate guru" was convicted of mail fraud, and money laundering...) NOW THE BIG ONE... "... you don't need to know anything about real estate ..."  (...but you may find out later;   The "real estate guru" did not know anything about real estate either...  That's why you both got into so much trouble...) I can't believe people fall for that one, but they do.   That's exactly what they want;  someone who does not know anything (or know very little) about real estate or investing.   Why? That "real estate guru" probably knows an experienced real estate investor would never buy the junk he is trying to sell you. An experienced investor or broker can see the "complete picture", an inexperienced one may not.  A prudent investor knows that many "no money down" / "nothing down" deals are very risky (in some cases even illegal), requiring that you take advantage of an "naive" seller, and/or lie to a lender.   Please understand that not all 100% Loan-to-value deals are bad, or illegal.  In my opinion, they are not as easy as many "gurus" would have you believe, and they are extremely risky (something that the "guru" will probably not tell you).    So, the real question is not "Can I buy that property with no money down?",  ...but "Should I buy that property with no money down?" Ask yourself, "Do I understand all the risks involved?",  "Is the deal profitable?".  You may realize later that the income generated by the property is not enough to cover the all expenses including the "zero down" loan. So, why does so many of these so-called "real estate gurus" try to sell "No Money Down" programs, books, tapes, seminars, etc...? Many reasons, probably because... 1- It sounds good.   Many people do not have enough money to put down to buy a property, so when they hear "Buy a property with NO MONEY DOWN, It's easy and I know all the secrets...Bla, bla, bla"  it sounds good, specially if they don't tell you about the bad part about it. 2- It sells.  If it sounds good, you will buy it, if you buy it, they will make a lot of money.  Besides, you are the one assuming all the risk. 3- They can sell it as a "secret" or "new technique".   Not many people want to do a "no money down" deal or know how to do it; even those who can do it legally.   So, if you go to a bank or real estate agent and tell them you want to buy an investment property "with no money down", you may hear;  "no deal", "it's very difficult", "very risky", etc...    Then you hear some "guru" say;  "...but wait, I have a "new technique" / "secret program" that shows you how to buy that property "with zero down" and make thousands of dollars too..."    And you think to yourself,  "hey, maybe he knows something no one knows..., after all, it's "new" and it's "secret"...". 4- Number four combines 1, 2, and 3.   Those "zero down" programs attract the "customers" they want;  inexperienced investors.   Why?  Those investor are more likely to fall for reasons; 1, 2, and 3 above.   Unscrupulous "gurus" know that a sophisticated investor knows that there is no "secret" or "new technique", or is stupid enough buy all that junk.   Besides, many experienced real estate investors don't need/want "zero money down", and those who do, already know how to do it the right way.    On the other hand, novice investors may not know all that and are more likely to have less money to invest, and therefore need (or at least believe) they need to do "no money down" deals. So, What should you do? Again, not all real estate "gurus" are dishonest, and not all "seminars" or "booklets/courses" are bad.   The problem is that there are so many that are that way.    So, please be extremely careful and very skeptical of any "amazing" claim made on TV, Seminar, or Internet (there are many "get rich quick in real estate" & "buy foreclosure, get rich" type of websites that promise a lot...). If you want to learn about real estate take "REAL" courses, and read "REAL" books.   In Florida, you can contact the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC), a local real estate school, or the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR).    The CCIM Institute also offer excellent courses in commercial investment real estate.   You will learn there is much more to real estate investing than what many "gurus" want you to know... One more thing, there are many "scams" out there, I only focused on real estate because this is a real estate related website.   Please understand that investing in real estate can really be profitable, and you do not have to be a a genius or a millionaire to do it.   Sure, the more money you have, the easier it may be; and being a genius won't hurt you either, but you may also find out that being patient, honest, and work/study hard will really help you become successful not only in real estate, but more importantly; in life - even if you do not become a millionaire... ....well, it's just my opinion.