OPM (Other People's Money) in real life I have been to many seminars and courses where they promote the use of OPM.  It is definitely an appealing and common practice.  One that I have found, is easier to accomplish in the Untied States, than here in Canada.  The courses and seminars have made it sound simple and easy with few consequences. The concept is very simple.  If you don't have enough money for a project, say buying an income property, you use money supplied by someone else.  Other People's Money. Before we go any further let's define some terms.  Conventional Lender; this is normally a Bank or Credit Union.  They have rules and regulations about lending money which are normally government enforced.  There are rules on size of down payment, and the interest rates that can be charged etc.  As I am sure many of you have found out, banks only lend money for very financially sound projects, with good security, and LITTLE to NO RISK for the bank.  That is why they offer money at the lowest interest rates.  Conventional Lenders also report to the credit agencies. The other sources of money are, Hard Money Lenders, Private Money, and Investors.  These are some of three common names (I'm sure there are more) for lenders other than a Bank or Credit Union.  These types of lenders are not as tightly governed as are the Financial Institutions.  They often will look at lending money to someone who has been turned down