References were the biggest obstacle for me, too, not having lived in DE very long. I was reluctant to use DELOC members because I thought that using someone I hadn't known for long might be an issue.
Eventually, I worked up the nerve to start asking people. I prefaced the question by telling them I wanted to ask a favor, but that if they weren't comfortable with it I'd understand. I then explained what I wanted them to do, telling them the application process was quite rigorous and included a thorough background check, fingerprinting, and references. I finished with a qualifier to the effect of "I thought you'd make a good reference" (that seemed to help).
I ended up using 2 neighbors, my realtor, and 2 moms from my kids' school! No one that I asked refused.
Eventually, I worked up the nerve to start asking people. I prefaced the question by telling them I wanted to ask a favor, but that if they weren't comfortable with it I'd understand. I then explained what I wanted them to do, telling them the application process was quite rigorous and included a thorough background check, fingerprinting, and references. I finished with a qualifier to the effect of "I thought you'd make a good reference" (that seemed to help).
I ended up using 2 neighbors, my realtor, and 2 moms from my kids' school! No one that I asked refused.
. Hope its not dropped back down to 1 
