Great real estate deals are like worms. To find the really prize ones, you should be prepared to get your hands dirty. You usually cannot see them until you do some digging, but often, once you start, several will appear. On most uncommon deals, the seller found out about them through local information and chatting up the right people not from sitting home surfing listings on the Internet. This book explains how to find uncommon deals in today's market, which is full of them. The good news is that most of the skills that have allowed you to become successful enough to afford a home will also allow you to find the best home at the cheapest price. Your negotiation and persuasion abilities, tenacity, ability to handle rejection and to overcome it, and a willingness to dig for deals and to read and understand the motives of others are your best assets. The real estate nightmare that recently hit our country transformed sound real estate practice from prudent investment into both a casino and an automated teller machine. Borrowers purchased homes with mortgages that they simply could never afford. The good news is, great deals are now out there for the finding.