If you tried to get a loan anytime in the last 5 years you would know how simple mit was, relatively, there were mortgages for everyone even the poor, it was very easy to borrow from the lenders because they had lowered their requirements. However in this financial climate in 2009 there is very little lending available. No matter if its the good times or bad, people lose their houses as they default on payments. In a downturn though there are many more foreclosures every day. Of course the opportunity does exist to make lots of money from redeveloping houses for a profit which is often referred to as House Flipping or House buying and selling for profit. Developing property can certainly be a profitable business if done right. To check the background of a property investor try reverse cell phone number lookup article