By Jeffrey Chalmers

To say today's real estate market has changed is clearly an understatement. More and more national lenders are tightening their financial belts, restructuring their once loose program guidelines and watching a once red-hot industry quickly revert to days of old.

However, that doesn't mean business as we once knew it is dead. Absolutely not. In fact, when the industry changes, so do its players - and particularly the way they do business. Believe me . . . change is good.

Although some of the major alternative-credit players are gone - New Century, Ameriquest and IndyMac - some veterans, including Countrywide and Wells Fargo, are still around and making deals.

One person to keep in mind as the financial market corrects itself: your seasoned local mortgage broker who, as the market changes, is realigned with the industry's new deal-makers.

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Since networking is key to building your real estate business, it's vitally important to partner yourself with a veteran professional or "brain trust" (i.e. loan officer, Realtor(r), conveyancing attorney, and contractor) who can make your deals close quick and easy.

As part of today's mortgage leap-frog, current lenders have abolished many of yesterday's aggressive stated or "no doc" programs - the bread and butter for many real estate investors.

But, many programs still exist for the creditworthy borrower to build wealth via a diversified portfolio of real estate. It pays to schedule a personal strategy session with your trusted loan officer to see what's new or hot in today's mortgage market.

Lastly, one of the concerns among real estate investors is pending and viable inventory. As ForeclosuresMass points out on a regular basis, foreclosures are at an all-time high. This means more inventory - which can be seen as a negative. However, when there's more homes, lenders are always anxious to provide the financing. Align yourself with a seasoned financial professional who has an ethical track-record, then get out there and make those offers.

Today's real estate marketplace has changed, but certainly for the better for savvy, hungry investors such as yourself.

Jeffrey Chalmers is a 20 year veteran of the real estate, finance and title industries. His company, Real Solutions LLC, empowers consumers and professionals alike using a simple, yet effective, one-stop real estate portal located at www.ClicknCompare.com. He can be reached at (800) 434-4127 x901 or at jchalmers@clickncompare.com.

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