Taking a crash course in real estate investment financing -- Shielding your personal assets from investment risks -- Gathering essential documents, facts, and figures -- Scoping out prospective lenders -- Finding the residential loan program that's right for you -- Bargain hunting for low-cost loans -- Navigating the loan application and processing -- Picking the right commercial property type for you -- Exploring sources of financing for commercial properties -- Securing a loan to finance your commercial venture -- Financing in a pinch with hard money and other tough options -- Capitalizing on seller financing -- Partnering to share the risk and the equity -- Profiting from no-money-down and other creative deals -- Ten ways to avoid common beginner blunders -- Ten steps to take before closing -- Ten tips for surviving a credit crunch.